Tottenham Hotspur continue their FA Cup campaign on Tuesday night, as they travel to Middlesbrough in the fifth round of the competition.
It's been a week of mixed emotions for Spurs ahead of the FA Cup tie, with the Lilywhites losing 1-0 to Burnley in between a 3-2 win against Man City and a 4-0 win against Leeds, summing up Antonio Conte's reign so far. Spurs have lost six and won six in all competitions in 2022, and a win against Middlesbrough on Tuesday would be the first time Conte's side have won back to back games since December last year.
Lucas Moura will be missing for the trip up north after missing the Leeds game through injury, whilst Japhet Tanganga, Rodrigo Bentancur and Oliver Skipp are all confirmed absentees. Despite Middlesbrough being the division below, Antonio Conte could field a very strong XI on Tuesday with the FA Cup Spurs' last chance at a trophy this season.
So, what line-ups will both teams select? And, what could the final score be?
We used FIFA 22 to get a score prediction for Middlesbrough vs Spurs on Tuesday and this is what happened...
Middlesbrough vs Tottenham score predicted by simulation
We used kick-off mode in FIFA 22, 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 score prediction.
We predict that Middlesbrough could set up in a 3-5-2 formation, with their line-up as follows: Lumley; Dijksteel, Fry, McNair; Jones, Crooks, Howson, Tavenier, Taylor; Sporar, Balogun.
We predict that Conte could set up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Lloris; Sanchez, Dier, Davies; Royal, Winks, Hojbjerg, Reguilon; Kulusevski, Bergwijn; Kane.
Spurs tested the Middlesbrough goal with relentless pressure in the opening 10 minutes, and they found the breakthrough 15 minutes in when Steven Bergwijn fired home from close range.
After picking up possession outside the box, Harry Kane played a smart reverse pass to find the run of Bergwijn into the box, and the winger took a touch out of his feet before firing past the 'keeper for the lead.
The home side responded instantly though, with Folarin Balogun scoring from range. The Arsenal loanee was quickest to react when Middlesbrough played a quick free-kick, and he curled an effort into the far top corner to level the score.
Kane then managed to regain the lead for Spurs just before the break as he finished off a devastating counter attack.
A break down the left saw Emerson Royal and Bergwijn race forward with options in the middle, and it was Royal who fizzed a cross into the box, meeting the run of Kane who hit a first-time strike into the bottom corner for Spurs' second. Conte's side found themselves in control of the game despite Middlesbrough looking dangerous on occasions, and Kane then scored with a fantastic strike to put some daylight between the two sides.
The striker picked up possession near the halfway line and charged towards goal, and rather than holding the ball and waiting for options, Kane hit a thunderous effort towards the top corner, dipping just under the bar to make it 3-1 at Riverside.
The goal seemed to kill off any hope left in the home side, and Kane even had time to complete his hat-trick with minutes remaining as he tapped in the fourth.
A cross into the box from Sergio Reguilon was headed towards goal by Dejan Kulusevski, but the parry from the 'keeper fell into the path of Kane, leaving him the simple job of sweeping into an empty net.
FIFA 22 predicted final score: Middlesbrough 1-4 Spurs
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 22 predicts that a Harry Kane masterclass could prove the difference between the two sides, with the striker scoring three in a dominant performance from Spurs, as they advanced to the next stage of the FA Cup in our simulation.
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.
