Manchester United could potentially move into the Premier League top three tonight, as they face Bournemouth at Old Trafford.
After being dropped from the starting XI by Erik ten Hag for an 'internal disciplinary' reason, Marcus Rashford was United 's saviour off the bench against Wolves, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win. Following Tottenham's defeat against Aston Villa, the victory moved United into the Premier League top four, just two points behind third-placed Newcastle United with a game in hand.
With the Magpies facing league leaders Arsenal, there's a fantastic opportunity for Ten Hag's side to push into the Premier League top three and assert themselves as title contenders. United have won seven of their last 10 meetings against Bournemouth, the last being a 5-2 win in 2020.
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So, could United make it four wins on the bounce in the Premier League tonight? We simulated the game to find out.
We simulated Manchester United vs Bournemouth to get a score prediction
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that United could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Eriksen; Antony, Fernandes, Rashford; Martial.
We predict that the Cherries could line up in a 3-5-2 formation, with their line-up as follows: Travers; Mepham, Sensei, Kelly; Anthony, Cook, Lerma, Dembele, Zemura; Moore, Solanke.
United made a fantastic start in this simulation, with Ten Hag's side attacking with intent and carving open the Bournemouth defence with success through the middle. 19 minutes in, United found themselves in full control after Anthony Martial bagged a brace. Marcus Rashford played a one-two with Christan Eriksen to break into the box, and the Englishman's drilled cross was missed by Lloyd Kelly, allowing Martial to poke home at the back post.
The second goal was pleasing to the eyes, with Martial and Fernandes exchanging four passes inside the box to break through a sea of bodies before the Frenchman blasted into the net at the near post.
United took advantage of their domination just before half-time when they made it 3-0, with Martial completing a first-half hat trick after Fernandes' shot was parried into the path of Martial who tapped in on the goal line. The visitors offered little in attack as United's defence comfortably dealt with any threat, and the three points were all but confirmed after 67 minutes when Martial scored again.
Diogo Dalot broke through Bournemouth's entire midfield with a brilliant pass into Fernandes on the spin, and as the United captain was pressed, space opened up in behind the defence for Martial to target. A chipped pass from Fernandes found the Frenchman in the box, and after evading two challenges, Martial fired a powerful strike past the 'keeper for four.
Martial's movement was proving too difficult for the Cherries' back line to deal with, whilst the havoc caused by Fernandes as a second striker left the Bournemouth defence in two minds of holding their position or pressing the Portuguese international. And, in the 88th minute, both players were involved again as Martial notched his fifth of the night.
Fernandes found a pocket of space in a dangerous position once again, and as the visitors tried to press the midfielder again, Martial was left unmarked just inside the box. The United captain found Martial in space, and the striker powered his effort into the far corner to top off a terrific evening for United.
FIFA 23 predicted final score: Man United 5-0 Bournemouth
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that United could ease to victory against Bournemouth tonight, with Anthony Martial scoring five (yes five) goals in the simulation. Bruno Fernandes had a field day in midfield against the Cherries as he tallied three assists, whilst United kept another clean sheet.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!
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