Newcastle could potentially move three points clear of the relegation zone on Tuesday night as they host Everton in the Premier League.
It's expected that Eddie Howe could start all five of his January signings for the first time against the Toffees, with Dan Burn, Matt Target and Bruno Guimaraes all in contention to make their debuts.
The Magpies' last outing in the Premier League saw Jonjo Shelvey score the only goal in a vital 1-0 win against bottom half Leeds United, and a win against Everton on Tuesday could see Howe's side move just one point behind the Toffees in the table.
Due to the new additions at Newcastle, Isaac Hayden, Ciaran Clark and Jamal Lewis have all been left out of the Magpies' 25-man squad for the rest of the season. Matt Ritchie is still absent with a knee injury whilst Callum Wilson remains absent, meaning Wood is expected to lead the line again as he searches for his first Toon goal.
Federico Fernandez is nearing a return, whilst Joelinton Paul Dummett should both return to contention on Tuesday
So, what line-up will the Magpies select? And, what could the final score be? We used FIFA 22 to get a score prediction for Newcastle vs Everton on Tuesday and this is what happened...
Newcastle vs Everton score predicted by FIFA 22 simulation
We used kick-off mode in FIFA 22, but didn't select a team to control, we then selected the teams and watched the match play out by itself, to give us a score prediction.
We predict that Howe could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Dubravka; Trippier, Lascelles, Burn, Targett; Guimaraes, Shelvey, Joelinton; Fraser, Wood, Saint-Maximin.
Whilst we predict Frank Lampard's side could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Pickford; Coleman, Holgate, Keane, Mykolenko; Gomes, Allan; Gordon, Alli, Gray; Richarlison.
After Wood stung the gloves of Jordan Pickford early on, the Magpies continued to test Everton, and they took a deserved lead after 10 minutes through Allan Saint-Maximin.
Joelinton picked up possession on the edge of box, waited for the bursting run of Saint-Maximin into the box and threaded the Frenchman through. Saint-Maximin got the wrong side of Seamus Coleman and drilled a powerful effort into the far corner for the lead.
Everton equalised not long after though, with Dele Alli netting on his debut.
After latching onto a pull-back into the box, Alli patiently waited for a sight of goal as he evaded a couple of challenges, and once the midfielder found some space he fired into the top corner to level the scoring.
The game died down for a while, but a piece of magic from Saint-Maximin regained the Magpies' lead just before half-time.
The winger picked up the ball out wide, cut into the box and beat two defenders with an outrageous piece of skill before wrong-footing Pickford and finding the bottom corner.
Everton came out the second half as the stronger side and had the majority of chances, but they couldn't find an equaliser, with the Toffees hitting the post twice in the second half, including a sitter from Richarlison.
Lampard's side grew more desperate in the latter stages of the game, and this allowed Newcastle to hit the Toffees on the break, with Wood grabbing his first goal for the Magpies.
Kieran Trippier led the break down the right, playing a give and go with Ryan Fraser before sending a dangerous cross into the box.
The ball fell in an awkward position for the Everton backline with Pickford hesitant to come out and collect the cross, allowing Wood to drift into space and fire past. the 'keeper on the volley to confirm all three points for the Toon.
FIFA 22 predicted final score: Newcastle 3-1 Everton
Here are the full-time match stats:
FIFA 22 predicts that despite creating less chances than Everton, Newcastle could emerge victorious on Tuesday night, with Saint-Maximin and Wood prolific in front of goal.
What do you think the final score will be in the real game? Let us know in the comments below.
FIFA 22 is the latest game in EA's popular FIFA video game franchise, which was released worldwide on Friday, October 1, 2021. The game is available now on all platforms including Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Stadia and PC..
