Manchester United return to action on Wednesday night as they face Burnley, with a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals up for grabs.
Goals from Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay saw United beat Aston Villa 4-2 in the previous round of the Carabao Cup, setting up a clash with Championship leaders, Burnley. Wednesday's game will be the first competitive fixture for United since November 13, 2022, where a 93rd-minute Alejandro Garnacho goal secured a 2-1 win for United over Fulham.
Returning from their training camp in Spain, United will have most of their players back who played in the World Cup, with only Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane yet to link up with Erik ten Hag. But, with a Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest just six days after, the Dutchman may give some extra rest to key players.
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Axel Tuanzebe and Diogo Dalot are set to both miss out against Burnley through injury, with the latter not pictured in United training after picking up an injury in Portugal's last World Cup match. Jadon Sancho may not be part of the squad either, with the winger currently not deemed fit enough by Ten Hag.
So, could United mark their return to action with a win on Wednesday? We simulated the game to find out.
We simulated Manchester United vs Burnley 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 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Malacia; McTominay, Van de Beek, Eriksen; Elanga, Martial, Garnacho.
We predict that Vincent Kompany's side could line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Peacock-Farrell; Taylor, Harwood-Bellis, Beyer, Maatsen; Cullen, Bastien; Manuel, Brownhill, Churlinov; Barnes.
It was the visitors who started the game the better side, and Josh Brownhill almost handed the Clarets the lead when his dipping effort was tipped over by David De Gea. A scare for United, but moments later Ten Hag's side took the lead through a brilliant team goal.
Christian Eriksen played a one-two with Martial just outside the box, and after receiving the return pass, the Danish midfielder sprucely squared the ball back to the striker in a quick one-touch passing move. Martial shifted the ball across his body and onto his right before firing into the bottom corner to make it 1-0.
The lead lasted a mere six minutes though, and it was Manchester City loanee Taylor Harwood-Bellis who found the equaliser with a thumping header from Brownhill's corner. The game entered half-time at 1-1, but a period of pressure from United saw the hosts regain the lead after 63 minutes.
Donny van de Beek received the ball on the halfway line and surged forward, skipping past two defenders as he approached the box. The injection of speed in the attack saw the Burnley defence panic, opening a pocket of space for the midfielder to find Martial in the box. On the turn, Martial rolled the ball back onto his right foot before drilling his shot across goal to make it 2-1. United started to take control after going ahead, and they managed to put two goals between them and the visitors when Harry Maguire scored.
Eriksen's corner into the front post was met by the head of Maguire, but his effort was blocked by the back of a Burnley defender. Fortunately for the Englishman, the ball fell back at his feet, and quick reactions saw Maguire fire the ball under the 'keeper from close range to make it 3-1 and secure the victory.
FIFA 23 predicted final score: Manchester United 3-1 Burnley
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that United could return to action with a bang on Wednesday night, winning 3-1 against Burnley in the Carabao Cup. A win would send United to the quarter-finals of the competition, with the likes of Martial, Van de Beek and Maguire all impressing in the simulation.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!
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