FIFA 18 simulation: Newcastle United vs. Manchester United
As we look forward to the end of another international break, we simulate the Newcastle United vs. Manchester United match scheduled for tomorrow.
Thankfully, the international break is coming to an end. We will have Newcastle United soccer back tomorrow, when they travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United. Ahead of that fixture, we turn to another trusty FIFA 18 simulation to give us a glimpse of how things may go.
I kept the lineups unchanged from the club’s previous fixtures, other than sitting the injured Christian Atsu in favor of Rolando Aarons. It was the speedy winger that created the first chance of the match. A couple minutes in, he sent a cross into the box that required a last-second punch away from David de Gea.
Dwight Gayle was a major player early, combining with fellow forward Joselu to add some danger to the NUFC attack. On the other end, Florian Lejeune did a great job of stifling a couple opportunities for Romelu Lukaku. Henrikh Mkhitaryan got the match’s first shot, easily saved by Rob Elliot. Moments before halftime, Jonjo Shelvey was booked for a hard tackle on Ander Herrera. Man United led in possession at the half and had the match’s only shot.
More from Newcastle Toons
- AC Milan predicted lineup vs Newcastle United – UEFA Champion League 2023/24
- “What a player” Arsenal and Real Madrid stars hype up this Newcastle ace
- Newcastle United 1-0 Brentford: 3 Catalyst Players Who Were Key To The Result
- Newcastle United 1-0 Brentford: 3 things Eddie Howe learned from the match
- Newcastle player ratings vs Brentford: Harvey Barnes impresses
It didn’t take long for Newcastle to get a shot in the second half. A Joselu pass found Matt Ritchie alone with the keeper, but his effort was deflected away by de Gea. In the 56th minute, both clubs made a change. Rafa Benitez brought on Aleksandar Mitrovic for Dwight Gayle, with Jose Mourinho calling on Jesse Lingard.
The next time a keeper was tested came in the 72nd minute when Rob Elliot collected a cross from Ashley Young. Two more routine saves from Elliot kept out Lukaku and Nemanja Matic late. A last-gasp chance for the visitors came to substitute Jacob Murphy, but his strike went directly to de Gea.
The match finished 0-0 with both clubs getting off five shots. Rob Elliot was the highest rated player for Newcastle United, who lost the battle for possession 53% to 47%.