Leeds United return to Elland Road on Tuesday night as they look to bounce back from defeat and refind their feet against Everton.
After going unbeaten in the first three games of the Premier League season, Leeds were defeated 1-0 against Brighton and Hove Albion on the weekend, with the Seagulls keeping up their unbeaten start to the campaign. The first loss of the season saw the Whites drop to fifth in the league, with seven points from a possible 15.
Everton have failed to win a game so far this season as they sit in the relegation zone, with Tuesday's opposition having drew two and lost two. Since Leeds' promotion back to the Premier League in 2020, Jesse Marsch's side have won one, drew one and lost two against the Toffees, with the last meeting seeing Everton win 3-0 at Goodison Park.
Luke Ayling, Junior Firpo and Stuart Dallas all remain out for the clash on Tuesday, though Ayling and Firpo could both return to training in the next week. Patrick Bamford and Liam Cooper both missed out on last week's 1-0 defeat, and the Everton game may come too soon for the duo.
So, how will Marsch's side line up? And, what will the final score be between Leeds and Everton? We simulated the game to find out!
Leeds United vs Everton score predicted by simulation
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 22 and updated the squads with the latest transfers. Due to FIFA 22 not having the latest kits, both sides lined up in the kits for the 2021/22 season.
We predict that Leeds could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Meslier; Kristensen, Llorente, Koch, Strujik; Roca, Adams; Sinisterra, Aaronson, Harrison; Rodrigo.
We predict that Frank Lampard's side could set up in a 3-4-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Pickford; Keane, Coady, Tarkowski; Patterson, Iwobi, Onana, Mykolenko; Gordon, Maupay, McNeil.
Leeds started well at Elland Road, with the visitors finding it hard to see any of the ball. Marsch's side controlled possession early on and were having all of the chances, and Jack Harrison opened the scoring 30 minutes in with a fantastic finish.
Tyler Adams drilled the ball into the feet of Brenden Aaronson on the edge of the box, and the American found the inverted run of Harrison with a wonderful backheel to send the winger through on goal. The pass was perfectly weighted for Harrison to shoot first time, and he curled the ball past Jordan Pickford and into the top right corner.
Rodrigo thought he'd notched his fifth goal of the season minutes later when he rounded the 'keeper to tap into the net, but the Spaniard was offside, and the goal was chalked off. The Whites didn't need to wait long for the second goal though, with Aaronson getting on the scoresheet to top off a great first half.
Harrison cut in from the left and found the run of Aaronson into the box, with the latter doing great to peel off the shoulder of the defender and breakthrough one-on-one with Pickford. Aaronson let the ball roll into his path before firing past the 'keeper to double the lead.
Leeds started the second half much slower than the first, allowing Everton a couple of chances on goal but the Toffees failed to capitlise. Rasmus Kristensen was sent off with 20 minutes to go for a dangerous tackle on Alex Iwobi, but the Whites held out for the win.
FIFA 22 score prediction: Leeds United 2-0 Everton
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 22 predicts that a dominant first-half display could see Jesse Marsch's side beat Everton 2-0 in comfortable fashion. Jack Harrison and Brenden Aaronson were a handful for Everton down the left against Michael Keane who could return to the Everton squad on Tuesday, potentially highlighting a weak spot in the Toffees' side that Leeds could target.
What do you think the score will be for Leeds on Tuesday? Let us know in the comments!
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