Manchester City will be looking to stay hot on the tails of Arsenal when they face top-four chasers Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday.
After a 3-0 win over Bristol City in the FA Cup, City return to Premier League action as they look to try and close the gap between themselves and the top of the league with victory against Newcastle. One of the games of the season was produced in the last meeting between the two, with Pep Guardiola's side coming from two goals down to draw 3-3 at St. James' Park.
The visitors have hit a rough patch of form in recent weeks, failing to win any of their last four games, including a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United in the Carabao Cup final. Phil Foden has found himself back in Guardiola's starting XI in recent weeks and impressed immensely, potentially setting himself up for a third consecutive start.
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So, could City overcome Newcastle on Saturday? Let's take a look.
Man City vs Newcastle score predicted by simulation
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that City could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Ake, Silva; Rodri, De Bruyne, Gundogan; Foden, Haaland, Grealish.
We predict that the visitors could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Longstaff, Willock, Joelinton; Almiron, Isak, Saint-Maximin.
City found it tough to get out of first gear in the opening stages of the game, with the Magpies possessing all of the attacking threat. A scuffed shot from Miguel Almiron rattled the post in the 29th minute, but an error at the back gifted the visitors the opener minutes later.
As City attempted to play out of the back from a goal kick, Ederson's pass to Ruben Dias was under-hit, and Alexander Isak intercepted. The striker did well to hold off Dias' attempts to win back the ball, and a curling shot beat the 'keeper to find the top corner of the net.
In the second half, City had some great chances to get back into the game, but Nick Pope made a couple of big saves to keep his side ahead. Most of City's shots were from distance in the simulation as they struggled to break into the box, but with the quality of Kevin De Bruyne, one of his efforts was always bound to level the score.
After a turnover of possession in midfield, Rodri slipped a pass into the path of De Bruyne as City advanced forward. De Bruyne was not pressured off the ball as he approached the edge of the box, and a fantastic strike with the outside of his boot from range levelled the score for City.
Erling Haaland was kept quiet all afternoon, with the striker struggling to get a hold of the game. City had defended well apart from the mistake for the opener, but another error at the back allowed Newcastle to strike again in the 91st minute and win the game.
Rico Lewis switched off at left-back, allowing Almiron to sneak in behind the defender and surge into the box. Some awful marking saw Joe Willock drift into open space, and the midfielder swept the cross into the net to steal a point from City.
FIFA 23 predicted score: Man City 1-2 Newcastle
FIFA 23 predicts that a late goal could deny City from gaining ground on Arsenal, with Guardiola's side losing 2-1 in the simulation. Newcastle's robust midfield played a big role in the victory, whilst some poor defensive phases allowed the visitors to score twice.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments.
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