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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Nathan Bliss

We simulated Manchester United vs Liverpool to get a score prediction

Manchester United face their third Premier League game in five days on Thursday as they take on Liverpool at Old Trafford.

United fielded a heavily rotated side for their 2-1 defeat by Leicester City on Tuesday evening, with David de Gea, Amad, Anthony Elanga, Brandon Williams, Axel Tuanzebe, Juan Mata and Donny van de Beek all starting, so Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first-choice team should be well-rested ahead of this game.

Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Paul Pogba, Scott McTominay, Luke Shaw, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Fred, Dean Henderson, Victor Lindelof and Edinson Cavani are all likely to return to the starting XI.

Jurgen Klopp's side has a number of injury issues ahead of the game, including Ozan Kabak being ruled out through injury, so Nathaniel Phillips is likely to start alongside Fabinho in central defence.

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So, what team could Solskjaer go with against Klopp's side? And, what could the final score be?

To try and find out, we used FIFA 21 to get a score prediction, and this is what happened...

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We used kick-off mode within FIFA 21 but didn't select a team to control; we then selected the teams and watched the match play out by itself, to give us a prediction.

The AI difficulty was set to legendary, with the line-up updated with the latest transfers, injuries and suspensions.

We predict that United could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Henderson; Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, Lindelof, Shaw; Fred, McTominay; Rashford, Fernandes, Pogba; Cavani.

We predict that Liverpool could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Phillips, Fabinho, Robertson; Thiago, Wijnaldum, Milner; Salah, Firmino, Mane.

Predicted Liverpool lineup vs United (EA SPORTS FIFA)

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United made a fast start to this simulated game, taking the lead after just three minutes, with Luke Shaw playing a major role in the opening goal.

The full-back ran at Alexander-Arnold, worked himself a yard of space and sent a wicked cross into the box. The cross found its way to the back post, where Marcus Rashford was able to volley home from close range to make it 1-0.

Marcus Rashford made it 1-0 against Liverpool (EA SPORTS FIFA)

Following the goal, Liverpool enjoyed more possession than United, but it was the home side who were the most dangerous throughout, with Jurgen Klopp's side restricted to half chances at best.

In the second half, with the game coming to a close and Liverpool pushing forward for an equaliser, Edinson Cavani struck to seal the win for United in the 90th minute.

After a swift break, Bruno Fernandes played a pass into the feet of Cavani, who turned Nat Phillips and produced a great strike with his left foot which flew into the far corner.

Cavani got United's second in the 90th minute (EA SPORTS FIFA)

At 2-0, the game was over, with United getting their tactics spot on to seal the win.

Predicted FIFA 21 score: United 2-0 Liverpool

Here are the full-time stats.

FT Match Stats: Man United 2-0 Liverpool (EA SPORTS FIFA)

FIFA 21 predicts that although Liverpool may have more possession than United in this game, the home side should have enough attacking quality to overcome a side with Phillips and Fabinho in defence, with United looking very dangerous on the break and relatively solid in defence.

What do you think the score will be? Have your say in the comments below.

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FIFA 21 is out now on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC, with FIFA 21 next-gen also now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.

Additionally, fans who jump into FIFA 21 can also benefit from Dual Entitlement, enabling them to upgrade their copy of the game from PlayStation 4 to PlayStation 5, or Xbox One to Xbox Series X/S at no extra cost.

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