Following their defeat against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Liverpool will be looking to secure their spot in the Champions League knockout stages on Wednesday against Ajax.
A much-changed Liverpool side were unable to beat Nottingham Forest in their last outing, with former Red Taiwo Awoniyi scoring in the 1-0 defeat at the City Ground.
Jurgen Klopp 's side currently sit eighth in the Premier League and five points off the top four, but attention now turns to the Champions League against Ajax. A draw in Amsterdam will secure Liverpool's spot in the Round of 16, with Joel Matip scoring a last-minute winner in the reverse fixture at Anfield.
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After missing out against Forest, Darwin Nunez and Ibrahima Konate are expected to return to contention on Wednesday night, whilst Naby Keita has also returned to training, though he is not part of the Champions League squad. Arthur, Diogo Jota, Joel Matip, and Luis Diaz all remain out injured, with Thiago also on the sidelines.
So, can the Reds secure their spot in the Champions League knockout stages? We simulated the game to find out. To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We simulated Ajax vs Liverpool to get a score prediction
We predict that Ajax could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Pasveer; Sanchez, Timber, Blind, Bassey; Berghuis, Alvarez, Klaassen; Bergwijn, Brobbey, Tadic.
We predict that Liverpool could line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Tsimikas: Fabinho, Henderson; Salah, Firmino, Elliot; Nunez.
Liverpool suffered a scare in the opening two minutes of the game, with Dusan Tadic hitting the post with a curling effort from long range. The Reds responded well and took control though, and Roberto Firmino found the net just before the 10-minute mark.
Mohamed Salah was set free on the right, twisting and turning with the ball before skipping past his marker. Salah found Darwin Nunez inside the box who dragged his shot wide of the goal from close range, but Firmino was quickest to react and tapped the loose shot into the net.
Ajax were causing Liverpool problems on the break as the Reds' high line was caught out multiple times in the first half. The hosts had found a way to attack Liverpool, and the Reds were punished just before halftime when Brian Brobbey levelled the score.
A long ball forward down the left saw Steven Bergwijn beat Kostas Tsimikas to the ball and break forward with support. His cross was punched clear by Alisson but only as far as Brobbey inside the box, and the striker fizzed a powerful effort under the diving 'keeper to make it 1-1.
Both sides played quite complacent in the second half, with neither side looking to risk going behind. Liverpool did have the better chances, and Salah was able to hand the Reds the lead in the 76th minute with a fantastic finish.
As the Egyptian pickup up the ball just outside the box, a quick one-two with Nunez saw the ball float over the top of the Ajax defence and back through to Salah inside the area. His first touch trapped the ball under his feet, but Salah managed to get a shot off, powering his effort into the far corner.
Liverpool defended well in the final 15 minutes and held out for the victory.
FIFA 23 predicted final score: Ajax 1-2 Liverpool
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that Ajax could prove a tough test once again for Liverpool, but Mohamed Salah put on a great display to help the Reds to another 2-1 win against the Dutch side. A win in the real life game will secure qualification, so a result like this will be warmly accepted by fans,
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments below.
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