Manchester United have the chance to win their first trophy since 2017 on Sunday when they face Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup Final.
After beating Nottingham Forest 5-0 on aggregate in the last round of the competition, United will face Newcastle at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final following the Magpies' semi-final victory over Southampton. Erik ten Hag's side will enter the clash on the back of a 4-3 aggregate win over Barcelona, but Marcus Rashford hobbled off late on, making the forward a doubt for Sunday.
United have won this competition five times in their history, with their League Cup success coming six years ago. The two sides have already met once this season, with Newcastle holding United to a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford in the Premier League.
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So, can Manchester United lift the Carabao Cup trophy on Sunday afternoon? We simulated the game to find out.
We simulated Manchester United vs Newcastle to get a score prediction
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that United could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Fred, Fernandes; Sancho, Weghorst, Garnacho.
We predict that the Magpies could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Karius; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Longstaff, Guimaraes, Willock; Almiron, Wilson, Joelinton.
Similarly to the game against Leicester last weekend, United started the game on the back foot, with David De Dea making four saves in the opening 20 minutes to keep the score level. But, after 28 minutes, Newcastle took a deserved lead through Bruno Guimaraes.
On his return to the Magpies' squad following his suspension, the Brazilian was a standout player, and he won the ball back in midfield to help his side hit United on the break. After playing a one-two with Callum Wilson the midfielder broke into the box, and his driven finish was well placed, skimming past De Gea and into the far corner.
Alejandro Garnacho came close moments later when he turned Kieran Trippier and fired towards goal, but Loris Karius got a strong hand to the effort and parried the ball wide of the post. United found themselves getting more into the game towards the end of the half, but Newcastle doubled their lead in the 45th minute to set up a tough task for United in the second half.
Joelinton beat Aaron Wan-Bissaka to a long ball down the left, setting the Brazilian free with Wilson in support. The striker received the ball from Joelinton and his original shot was blocked by Raphael Varane, but with his second attempt, the striker buried his effort to make it 2-0.
In the simulation, Rashford was deemed fit enough to make the bench, and he was introduced along with Antony and Marcel Sabitzer in the second half to try and shake things up. With 15 minutes to go, United pulled a goal back.
On the left, Rashford was played in by Luke Shaw, and as defenders swarmed the Englishman, Antony was left unmarked in the middle. Rashford picked out the winger with a driven cross into the box, and a simple tap-in made it 2-1.
As United put the pressure on Newcastle, Karius was called into action on multiple occasions, with the 'keeper making some big saves to keep his side ahead. United couldn't find a second, and Newcastle won the Carabao Cup final.
FIFA 23 predicted final score: Manchester United 1-2 Newcastle United
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that United could fall to a 2-1 defeat in the Carabao Cup final, with a poor first half proving Ten Hag's downfall. Without Rashford in attack, United lacked creativity and danger, so Ten Hag will be hopeful the Englishman can play some part on Sunday.
What do you think the Carabao Cup final score will be? Let us know in the comments!
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