The Eddie Howe era officially begins on Saturday afternoon, with Newcastle United hosting Brentford in the Premier League.
Eddie Howe was recently appointed as the club's new manager after the sacking of Steve Bruce, and the clash against Brentford will be his debut match in charge, with Graham Jones leading the Toon in their last three matches.
After a week of no Premier League football due to the international break, Howe has had a decent amount of time to work with his new squad ahead of the game against Brentford, with the Bees entering this one on the back of four consecutive defeats.
Paul Dummet is the only confirmed absence from the Newcastle squad ahead of Saturday, whilst Miguel Almiron is doubtful after his late return from international duty with Paraguay.
So, what line-up will the Magpies select? And, what could the final score be?
We used FIFA 22 to get a score prediction for Newcastle vs Brentford on Saturday and this is what happened...
Newcastle vs Brentford score predicted by FIFA 22 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 Howe could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Dubravka; Krafth, Lascelles, Clark, Ritchie; Hayden, Shelvey; Fraser, Willock, Saint-Maximin; Wilson.
Whilst we predict the Bees could set up in a 3-5-2 formation, with their line-up as follows: Fernandez; Goode, Jansson, Pinnock; Canos, Janelt, Norgaard, Jensen, Henry; Toney, Mbuemo.
The first half saw both sides create a handful of chances, but strong goalkeeper outings at either end kept the score level heading into the break.
Alvaro Fernandez made a fantastic save to deny Callum Wilson when he went one on one with the 'keeper - making himself big as he rushed out of goal to palm the strikers effort wide.
Martin Dubravka was called into action on several occasions as well in the second half as Ivan Toney caused big problems in the air for Brentford, but the striker couldn't find a way past the Magpies 'keeper.
The game seemed like it was setting up for a stalemate, but a rapid counterattack saw Wilson grab a goal with 15 minutes to go to put Newcastle in the lead.
Jonjo Shelvey fizzed a through ball around the Brentford defence and into the path of Allan Saint-Maximin. The winger did well to hold the ball and wait for help, and when Wilson arrived in the box he picked him out, leaving the striker to power a first-time effort into the near post to put their side ahead.
The visitors started throwing everything at the Magpies goal as they searched for an equaliser, and ultimately with no men left to defend, it led to Newcastle's second goal in the final minute to wrap up three points.
After a strong tackle on the right-hand side, Emil Krafth played a long ball forward to Fraser, who knocked it on to Wilson who then played in an unmarked Saint-Maximin, and the winger gently lobbed his effort over the onrushing keeper and into the back of the net.
The goal confirmed the victory for Newcastle, handing the Magpies their first win of the season in their first game under Howe.
FIFA 22 predicted final score: Newcastle 2-0 Brentford
Here are the full-time match stats:
FIFA 22 predicts that second-half goals from Wilson and Saint-Maximin could hand Newcastle a 2-0 win against Brentford as Eddie Howe gets off to the perfect start at the Magpies.
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..
