Manchester United begin their Carabao Cup campaign on Thursday night when they host Aston Villa at Old Trafford.
Both teams will be very familiar with each other after facing off in the Premier League on Sunday, with Villa beating United 3-1 in Unai Emery's first game in charge. It was a disappointing loss for United, with the defeat leaving Erik ten Hag's side in fifth place.
Now, United will be looking for revenge, this time in the Carabao Cup third round. Last season saw United crash out in the third round of the competition after losing 1-0 to West Ham United at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag is expected to rotate his side on Thursday night, whilst Anthony Martial could make his long-awaited starting return up front. Jadon Sancho and Antony could be back for United, whilst Bruno Fernandes will return to the squad after serving his suspension.
So, could United make it to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Thursday? We simulated the game to find out.
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
Man United started the first-half slow, with Villa creating some dangerous chances that United were lucky to not be punished from. Just as it looked like United would be happy to enter the break level, they were awarded a penalty in the 45th minute.
Anthony Elanga skipped past his marker as he attempted to reach the byline, but the referee judged Ludwig Augustinsson to have tripped his fellow countryman, with a penalty being awarded. Against the run of play, United took the lead as Bruno Fernandes fired into the top corner.
United came out in the second half a much-improved side, with Ten Hag's side creating plenty of chances, controlling play and camping in the visitor's half as they looked for another goal. United had to be patient, but they finally got their second when Fernandes found the net with 20 minutes to go.
Fred did brilliantly to chase down Morgan Sanson and deny a counterattack, and as soon as he turned over possession, the Brazilian found Fernandes in the box with a fantastic through ball. Unmarked, Fernandes hit his shot first time, drilling a powerful strike across goal and into the far corner.
Elanga went into a 50/50 challenge with Danny Ings on the halfway line with 10 minutes to go but caught the striker extremely late, with the referee showing the winger a straight red card, leaving United to play the rest of the game with 10 men. Ten Hag's side coped until the 92nd minute, but Ings scored to wipe out the United clean sheet.
A long ball forward was met by Ings, with the striker peeling away from Victor Lindelof with ease before surging towards goal. The striker curled his shot around Martin Dubravka at his near post to halve the deficit, but it was too late for a comeback as United advanced to the next round.
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that United could take revenge on Aston Villa on Thursday, beating them 2-1 in the Carabao Cup third round. United controlled the second half, with the likes of Garnacho, Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire all playing well as they look to play more regularly.