Manchester United will be looking to improve to return to winning ways on Thursday, as they host a struggling Burnley side in the Premier League.
Edinson Cavani's second-half strike salvaged a point for United against Newcastle in Ralf Rangnick's last outing, with many questions being asked about the attitude of the United players after their lacklustre display on Tyneside.
The match against Burnley will be United's third consecutive match against a team in the relegation zone, and if the Reds were to fail to pick up three points again, it could put a big dent in their top-four hopes this season.
Burnley enter the clash as the side who have played the least games in the league this season, with Sean Dyche's side having had their last three games called off due to Covid-19 issues — meaning they were last in action 18 days ago.
The United line-up could be much-changed from Monday's draw, with some big names potentially being left out.
Bruno Fernandes is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season last time out, while Marcus Rashford could drop to the bench after a poor performance against the Magpies, giving an opportunity for Edinson Cavani to potentially start.
Victor Lindelof remains absent after his positive test for Covid-19, with Eric Bailly being recalled from AFCON to provide cover before he jets back to Cameroon for the tournament.
So, what line-up will Rangnick select? And what could the final score be?
We used FIFA 22 to get a score prediction for United versus Burnley on Thursday and this is what happened...
Man United vs Burnley 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 United could set up in their 4-2-2-2 formation, with their line-up as follows: De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Telles; Van de Beek, Matic; Greenwood, Sancho; Ronaldo, Cavani.
We then predict that the Clarets could set up in a 4-4-2 formation, with their line-up as follows: Hennessey; Lowton, Mee, Tarkowski, Taylor; Gudmundsson, Westwood, Brownhill, McNeil; Vyrda, Wood.
The first 20 minutes was a dull display with either side able to take control of the game or create any chances, but the lead was handed to United 30 minutes in after a horrible goalkeeper blunder.
Jadon Sancho's cross into the box for Cavani was headed clear by Ben Mee, but only as far as Cristiano Ronaldo on the edge of the box. The Portuguese forward volleyed an effort back at goal and straight at Wayne Hennessey, but the keeper spilt the simple catch as the ball trickled over the line to put United 1-0 up at half-time.
United were pegged back to level terms just one minute after the restart when Chris Wood tapped home from close range.
The Clarets charged forward from kick-off and found Dwight McNeil on the left with a long ball.
The winger cut past Diogo Dalot and sent a cross towards the centre of the box, and Wood was on hand to tap past David De Gea after peeling away from Harry Maguire to level the scoring.
Rangnick's side regained their lead just 10 minutes later though, with Alex Telles finding the bottom corner.
The full-back charged forward with the ball into the box, but lost possession when tackled by Mee.
However the second ball fell to Mason Greenwood who found Telles in space — still inside the box — and the Brazilian drilled an effort past the keeper at the near post to put United 2-1 up.
The goals kept coming at Old Trafford as Burnley responded to make it 2-2 through Wood once again, but United found themselves a third with 10 minutes to go.
The introduction of Rashford added a new dynamic out wide for United, and his creativity set up Cavani to regain the lead for United, with the Uruguayan firing an effort past Hennessey at his near post and into the top corner.
The game was settled with five minutes remaining as United grabbed their fourth of the evening through Donny van de Beek.
FIFA 22 predicted final score: Man United 4-2 Burnley
Here are the full-time match stats:
FIFA 22 predicts that despite Burnley putting up a fight and potentially grabbing a couple of goals, the United attacking talent could prove too much for the visitors, with the simulation predicting a 4-2 win for United.
What do you think the final score will be in the real game? Let us know in the comments below.
FIFA 22 is the latest game in EA's popular FIFA video game franchise, which was released worldwide on Friday, October 1, 2021. The game is available now on all platforms including Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Stadia and PC.
