England and Wales' World Cup fates will be decided on Tuesday night when the two sides clash in their final Group B match.
England look almost certain to qualify for the knockout stages of the 2022 World Cup after picking up four points in their first two games - the most recent being a disappointing 0-0 draw against the USA. As for Wales, the task at hand is much tougher after losing 2-0 to Iran in their last outing, meaning the Dragons must beat England and hope for a draw between Iran and USA to qualify.
If the other Group B clash ends in a win for either side, Wales must beat England by four goals to advance from Group B. Consequently, if that were to happen, England would exit the tournament on goal difference.
The last time these two sides faced each other in a major competition was in Euro 2016 when Daniel Sturridge scored the winning goal for England in the 92nd minute. So, how could the clash between Wales and England turn out on Tuesday?
We simulated the game on FIFA 23 to find out and this is what happened.
We simulated Wales vs England to get a score prediction
To run this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions. We didn't select a team to control, with the World Class AI playing against each other to get a score prediction.
We predict that England could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Pickford: Trippier, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Bellingham, Rice, Mount; Saka, Kane, Foden.
We predict that Wales could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Ward; Roberts, Rodon, Davies, Williams; Ampadu, Ramsey, Allen; Bale, Moore, James.
England started the game with much more urgency than against the USA, with Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka the biggest threats on either wing. Just six minutes in, the Three Lions took a deserved lead through Harry Kane.
A one-two between Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka saw the winger break forward on the right, and after using the overlap of Kieran Trippier as a decoy, Saka advanced into the box unmarked. Kane peeled away from his marker to come short for the ball, and when receiving the pass, the striker fired a pinpoint effort into the top corner to put England ahead.
Wales had the ball in the net only minutes later when Gareth Bale beat Jordan Pickford to a cross to head home, but the LAFC man was judged to be offside when he met the cross, and the goal was chalked off.
It was Wales' first major chance of the game, but England regained control shortly and doubled their lead.
In an attacking spell, Saka drifted centrally to try and pick up possession whilst Trippier acted as a winger on the right. The Newcastle man received the ball on the wing and whipped a fantastic low cross towards the front post, allowing Saka to control the ball and fire past Danny Ward for 2-0.
England looked the dominant side in the first half, but just before the break, Wales pulled a goal back, with Aaron Ramsey firing past Pickford at his near post to halve the deficit. The Dragons came out in the second half on top as they peppered England's goal, but in doing so they were caught on the counter attack as England regained a two-goal lead.
After being caught out in midfield, England surged forward in numbers with Mason Mount leading the charge. The midfielder had plenty of options in support, and after threading a pass through to Kane, the striker found the top corner once again, this time with his left foot to secure the win for the Three Lions.
FIFA 23 predicted score: Wales 1-3 England
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that England could confirm their spot in the 2022 World Cup Round of 16 in comfortable fashion on Tuesday, beating Wales 3-1 in the simulation. The result would leave Wales bottom of Group B, whilst victory for England would see them face the second place side in Group A in the first round of the Knockout Stages.
FIFA 23 is developed by EA Vancouver and EA Romania and is now available worldwide on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Stadia, PS4, and Xbox One.
