Manchester United will return to Premier League action this Saturday as they take on Leicester City in their first game back from the international break.
It was disappointment for United in their last outing before the first international break of 2022, where Ralf Rangnick's side crashed out of the UEFA Champions League following a 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid. The defeat crushed United's last hope of silverware this season, with a top four spot in the Premier League now their priority.
The international break saw Cristiano Ronaldo, Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes play vital roles as Portugal qualified for the World Cup. a 2-0 win against North Macedonia sealed Portugal's World Cup fate. Fernandes scored both goals in the win.
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Edinson Cavani also helped Uruguay secure World Cup qualification over the break, but the striker picked up an injury which could rule him out against Leicester. Along with Cavani, it's unclear yet wether Alex Telles and Fred will be declared fit for Saturday after their long flight back from South America.
So, what line-ups will both teams select? And, what could the final score be? To find out, we used FIFA 22 to get a score prediction for Manchester United vs Leicester on Saturday. This is what happened.
Man United vs Leicester City score predicted by simulation
To get a score prediction, we used kick-off mode in FIFA 22, but didn't select a team to control, letting the AI play against each other. We then selected the teams and watched the match play out by itself.
We predict that United could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Maguire, Shaw; Fernandes, McTominay, Pogba; Rashford, Ronaldo, Sancho.
We predict that the Foxes could set up in a 3-4-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Schmeichel; Fofana, Evans, Soyuncu; Justin, Tielemans, Dewsbury-Hall, Castagne; Maddison, Iheanacho, Barnes.
The last meeting between these two sides saw Leicester put four past United in a 4-2 victory, and the Foxes looked the most likely to score in the opening stages, with Harvey Barnes testing David De Gea on two occasions. United started on the back foot, and they were made to pay as the Foxes took the lead after 20 minutes.
Wesley Fofana did well to intercept a long ball sent towards Ronaldo and advance towards the United box. The Frenchman fizzed a ball out to James Justin on the right, and the defender's pulled back cross was met by Iheanacho inside the box.
The Nigerian striker directed his effort toward the near post, and the swerve took it around the flat-footed De Gea for the opener. Seemingly, it took going behind for United to get involved in the game, and they found the equaliser just before half-time through Marcus Rashford.
Some fantastic play down the left from Jadon Sancho saw the winger peel away from Fofana before cutting back onto his right and sending a cross deep into the box. Waiting at the far post was Rashford, and the winger did brilliantly to beat two Leicester defenders to the ball and power a header past Kasper Schmeichel.
The goal levelled the score going into the break, with United ending the half as the better side. The opening stages of the second half saw United pepper the Foxes' goal with shots, but Rangnick's side couldn't find a way through.
As the game came to a close, United introduced Anthony Elanga and Jesse Lingard in an attempt to find a winner. The fresh legs caused problems for Leicester, and it was Lingard's high press that won back possession before United found the decisive goal with two minutes remaining.
Lingard chased down the ball until it reached the feet of Fofana, and under pressure, the defender misplaced his pass into the path of Ronaldo to start a United counterattack. Ronaldo charged forward with options on either side and opted to find Fernandes, and the midfielder rounded Schmeichel before tapping into an empty net.
FIFA 22 predicted final score: Man United 2-1 Leicester City
Here are the full-time match stats
FIFA 22 predicts that United could find themselves on the back foot in the opening 30 minutes with Leicester taking the lead, but goals from Rashford and Fernandes could hand United three points in a spirited comeback. A win would keep United on the heels of Arsenal, but the Gunners will still remain ahead in fourth place with a game in hand.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!
FIFA 22 is available now on all platforms, including PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 4 (PS4), Xbox One, PC and Stadia.
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