Newcastle United will be looking to secure their third consecutive league win this weekend, as they host Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.
After going 1-0 down against Everton in midweek, the Magpies fought back and earned themselves a 3-1 victory in their last league outing, with an own goal, and goals from Ryan Fraser and Kieran Trippier, sealing the win. The result against Everton was Newcastle's second consecutive league win, and a win or draw against Villa on Sunday would extend Eddie Howe ’s unbeaten run to five Premier League games, potentially moving the Toon four points clear of the relegation zone.
With Matt Targett on loan at Newcastle from Villa, the left-back is unavailable for selection on Sunday, meaning Dan Burn could be handed his Newcastle debut against Gerrard's side at left-back.
Howe has confirmed that he will make a 'late call' on whether Kieran Trippier will be fit enough to face Villa, with the defender coming off injured in the last few minutes against Everton. January signing Bruno Guimiares could also make his full Magpies debut on Sunday, with Howe confirming the Brazilian is 'ready to play'.
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 Villa on Sunday and this is what happened...
Newcastle vs Aston Villa 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; Manquillo, Lascelles, Schar, Burn; Guimaraes, Shelvey, Joelinton; Fraser, Wood, Saint-Maximin.
Whilst we predict Steven Gerrard's side could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Martinez; Cash, Chambers, Mings, Digne; McGinn, Luiz, Ramsey; Buendia, Watkins, Coutinho.
It was the worst possible start for Newcastle, with a lapse in concentration in defence allowing Villa to take the lead after just two minutes.
Phillipe Coutinho breezed past Javier Manquillo on the left and fizzed a ball across goal for Emiliano Buendia, and his original shot was well saved by Dubravka, but the rebound fell back into the path of the Argentine, and he headed into an empty net from close range.
Coutinho then hit the crossbar from distance with a thunderous strike, with the Magpies struggling to deal with his threat down the left.
Villa found themselves 2-0 up after 20 minutes, with a mix up between Burn and Dubravka gifting Watkins a goal.
Manquillo failed to deal with the deep cross as he looped a header back into danger, and as Dubravka came out of his goal to deal with the wayward header, Burn also challenged the ball along with Ollie Watkins.
The Villa forward took advantage of the mix-up and leapt highest, heading over the 'keeper and into the net.
A disaster first-half was topped off with a Villa third just before half-time, with Buendia finding the top corner from the edge of the box as the Magpies struggled to get a hold of the game.
Newcastle came out a completely different side in the second half though, and they pulled a goal back after 55 minutes through Chris Wood.
Wood was brought down in the box by Douglas Luiz, who was subsequently sent off for a second yellow card, as he charged through the back of the striker. Wood stepped up and fired into the left-hand side of the goal, leaving Emiliano Martinez stranded in the middle of the net.
The goal and the red card handed the Magpies a huge momentum boost, and Howe's side earned another penalty with 20 minutes remaining when Fraser was challenged late by Tyrone Mings.
Wood stepped up to take again, but the New Zealand international failed to find the net, blasting his effort over the crossbar at a vital moment of the game.
Martinez was having an incredible game in goal for Villa, denying Jonjo Shelvey and Saint-Maximin on multiple occasions, but a fantastic strike from Wood with minutes remaining handed Newcastle some hope.
A loose pass from Mings was intercepted by Guimaraes and the Brazilian found Wood outside the box. Instead of driving towards goal, Wood caught Martinez out by shooting earlier than anticipated, finding the top corner from decent range to make it 3-2.
It did prove too little too late though, with Villa scraping past Newcastle for three points.
FIFA 22 predicted final score: Newcastle 2-3 Aston Villa
Here are the full-time match stats:
FIFA 22 predicts that an abysmal first-half could potentially hand Aston Villa three points on Sunday afternoon, despite an incredible second-half performance from Newcastle which saw Chris Wood net twice.
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.
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