Manchester United return to Premier League action this weekend against Arsenal, with Ruben Amorim's side looking to avoid a fifth-consecutive league defeat against their rivals.
After being knocked out of the FA Cup on penalties on the weekend, United drew 1-1 in their Europa League Round of 16 first leg clash against Real Sociedad midweek, with Amorim's side only winning one of their last five games across all competitions. Next up for United is one of their toughest tests of the season, with Arsenal making the trip to Old Trafford later today.
United last met the Gunners in the FA Cup in January where Amorim's side prevailed victorious on penalties, but recent history has fallen Arsenal's way, with Mikel Arteta's side having won the last four league meetings between the two sides. Once again, United will be dealing with an extensive injury list, while Patrick Dorgu also misses out after picking up a red card in the 3-2 win against Ipswich last month.
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So, can United put an end to their winless Premier League run against Arsenal? We used EA FC 25 to get a score prediction.
Manchester United vs Arsenal score predicted by simulation
To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 25 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that United could set up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Onana; Yoro, De Ligt, Lindelof; Dalot, Fernandes, Casemiro, Mazraoui; Garnacho, Zirkzee; Hojlund.
We predict that Arsenal could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Partey, Rice, Odegaard; Nwaneri, Merino, Trossard.
After a period of early possession, it was United who took an early lead at Old Trafford, with Bruno Fernandes' lofted cross towards the back post being met by Joshua Zirkzee who towered over Jurrien Timber to head past the 'keeper at the front post. It was the perfect start for Amorim's side, and with 20 minutes on the clock, they stunned the visitors and grabbed a second.
Once again it was Fernandes at the heart of the move, with the midfielder stealing possession off Declan Rice in the middle before threading a pass forward for Alejandro Garnacho to chase. One-on-one with William Saliba, the winger beat the defender before drilling a shot with his right foot into the far corner to double United's lead.
Despite Arsenal barely creating a chance in the first half, they managed to halve the deficit before half-time, with Leandro Trossard's deflected cross falling perfectly for Mikel Merino who prodded the ball home from six yards out. The goal seemed to hand the Gunners a huge confidence boost for the second half, and nine minutes after the restart, Mikel Arteta's side were back on level terms.
Riccardo Calafiori and Maritn Odegaard combined on the left to move the ball forward, with the latter picking out the run of Leandro Trossard with a chipped pass over the top of the United defence. Trossard drove towards goal with the ball, and a devastating finish saw him fire a shot into the top corner of the net to make it 2-2.
Arsenal were starting to exploit the space in behind United's defence in the second half, and the chances kept coming, with Trossard and Ethan Nwaneri the recipients of a few long passes. Amorim's side were struggling to cope with the route one tactic, and in the 82nd minute, Arsenal completed the comeback to make it 3-2, with Trossard finishing off a quick counterattack in similar fashion to his first.
United were unable to find a response in the closing stages of the game, with Amorim's side dropping three points after what was a comfortable first-half performance.
EA FC 25 predicted final score: Man United 2-3 Arsenal
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!
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