Newcastle United come into the game against West Ham this weekend unbeaten in their last five Premier League fixtures, having won their last three games.
Kieran Trippier's goal made the difference in the narrow 1-0 victory against Aston Villa last time out, but the England international is set to miss the clash against the Hammers after fracturing a bone in his foot during the match. Chris Wood is set to lead the line once again and has a strong goalscoring record when facing West Ham, with the New Zealand striker still yet to score for the Magpies.
Eddie Howe praised Joelinton for his recent performances in the Newcastle midfield, with the Brazilian expected to start alongside Jonjo Shelvey and Joe Willock for a fourth consecutive game.
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 West Ham versus Newcastle on Saturday and this is what happened...
West Ham vs Newcastle 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 Newcastle could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Dubravka; Krafth, Schar, Burn, Targett; Joelinton, Shelvey, Willock; Fraser, Saint-Maximin, Wood.
We predict that West Ham could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Fabianski; Coufal, Dawson, Zouma, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Lanzini, Benrahma; Antonio.
Newcastle struggled to impose themselves on the game in the opening stages, as Michail Antonio had the best chance to open to the scoring early on, but his strike from just inside the Magpies' penalty area struck the crossbar and went behind for a goal kick.
The warning signs for the away side continued as Jarrod Bowen came close with a whipped effort, cutting in from the right-wing and bending his shot narrowly wide of the target.
Chris Wood was a threat in the air and had the beating of both Kurt Zouma and Craig Dawson, but the New Zealand international was unable to convert any of his headed chances.
After coping with a flurry of West Ham pressure for half an hour, Howe's side began to control possession in dangerous areas of the pitch, with Allan Saint-Maximin and Ryan Fraser starting to cause problems for both Aaron Cresswell and Vladimir Coufal in the Hammers' defence.
And it was that man Saint-Maximin that would open the scoring and fire Newcastle 1-0 up minutes before half-time with a brilliant strike across goal after cutting on from the left.
Fraser started the move after picking the ball up wide on the right, darting in from the wing and drilling the ball into Wood who was able to control the ball well before turning and finding Saint-Maximin on the edge of the box.
The Frenchman cut inside with one touch before smashing his shot across goal into the far corner, with Lukasz Fabianski unable to react in time to stop the ball from finding the back of the net.
Newcastle continued to come under pressure in the second half, but the Hammers were unable to find an equaliser despite their efforts, with Dan Burn putting his body on the line multiple times to block shots and intercept passes with the away side looking to keep a third clean sheet in four games.
Eddie Howe's side managed to see out the game with the help of substitutes Bruno Guimaraes and Sean Longstaff bringing energy and composure late in the game, making it a fourth consecutive win in the Premier League and six games unbeaten in a row.
FIFA 22 predicted final score: West Ham 0-1 Newcastle
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 22 predicts that Newcastle could struggle to gain a foothold in the game after half an hour due to West Ham's early pressure and chances, but the Magpies would start to gain possession in dangerous areas and take the lead just before half-time. Howe's side are predicted to continue their fine form and hold on to all three points in a massive win for the Tyneside club, as Newcastle move further away from the relegation zone.
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.
