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We simulated Manchester United vs Chelsea to get a score prediction

Manchester United face a massive test in their hunt for a top-four spot in the Premier League on Thursday night, as they welcome Chelsea to Old Trafford.

A 3-1 defeat to Arsenal put a massive dent in United's Champions League hopes last weekend, with the win taking the Gunners into fourth place and six points ahead of United with a game in hand. The defeat meant United have won just two of their last eight Premier League matches, leaving Ralf Rangnick's side sixth in the table.

If United were to lose to Chelsea on Thursday, it would leave them six points off fourth place having played two games more than Arsenal. A win is a must for United, but Rangnick will be missing some key players for the clash.

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Harry Maguire, Fred and Jadon Sancho have joined Edinson Cavani, Luke Shaw and Paul Pogba on United's long injury list. Maguire and Fred are both injured, whilst Sancho is out with tonsillitis. Aaron Wan-Bissaka is also a doubt for Thursday, with Rangnick claiming to only have 14 senior players available. So, what line-ups will both teams select? And what could the final score be?

To find out, we used FIFA 22 to get a score prediction for Manchester United vs Chelsea on Thursday. This is what happened.

Man United vs Chelsea score predicted by simulation

To get a score prediction, 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.

We predict that United could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Lindelof, Telles; Matic, McTominay; Elanga, Fernandes, Rashford; Ronaldo.

We predict that the Blues could set up in a 3-4-1-2 formation, with their line-up as follows: Mendy; James, Silva, Rudiger; Loftus-Cheek, Kante, Jorginho, Alonso; Mount; Havertz, Werner.

United used the home advantage to start on top at Old Trafford, and Rangnick's side came close to taking the lead early on. Cristiano Ronaldo was sent one-on-one with Edouard Mendy and fired an effort towards the near-post, but the goalkeeper made a fantastic save with his foot to deny Ronaldo.

Edouard Mendy denied Ronaldo from close range
Edouard Mendy denied Ronaldo from close range

United started the better, with Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford both looking dangerous in attack. Despite their dominance in the early stages, some poor defending saw Chelsea take an early lead. As the ball approached Kai Havertz on the edge of the box, the German let the ball run through his legs as he turned towards goal, skipping past Raphael Varane and Diogo Dalot very easily.

Kai Havertz made it 1-0 to Chelsea
Kai Havertz made it 1-0 to Chelsea

Havertz's original shot was saved well by David de Gea, but as the ball rebounded back into play, no United player was on-hand to clear as Havertz tapped into an empty net. The goal saw Chelsea enter the break ahead, despite United doubling the Blues' shot count. Not long after the break, United found a deserved equaliser through Ronaldo. The Portugal international missed a simple chance moments earlier, but he finished the difficult one.

Ronaldo made it 1-1 for United
Ronaldo made it 1-1 for United

A long ball from Dalot fell into the path of Ronaldo who peeled off the shoulder of the defender, and as Mendy charged out of his goal, Ronaldo drilled a perfectly-placed shot into the bottom corner. Chelsea found themselves slowly creeping into the game later on but neither side could find a winner.

FIFA 22 predicted final score: Man United 1-1 Chelsea

Here are the full-time match stats.

FT stats from Man United 1-1 Chelsea on FIFA 22
FT stats from Man United 1-1 Chelsea on FIFA 22

FIFA 22 predicts that after going behind early on, a much-improved performance than has been seen recent weeks could see United earn a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. Both 'keepers made some excellent saves in what was a very close encounter, though a draw may not be enough for United in their hunt for the top four.

FIFA 22 is available now on all platforms, including PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 4 (PS4), Xbox One, PC and Stadia.

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