Manchester United and Erik ten Hag will be hoping they can secure a positive result in the Europa League on Thursday, as they face FC Porto at the Estádio do Dragao.

United manager Ten Hag is under real pressure following the Reds’ 0-3 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday, but with the Dutchman still in situ for now, he surely needs to avoid defeat against Porto. United will still be without of Leny Yoro, Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw, while Mason Mount has also not travelled.

To find out how United could do against the Portuguese side, we simulated the game to get a score prediction, and this is what happened.

FC Porto vs Man United score predicted

To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 25 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.

We predict that FC Porto could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Costa; Mario, Pedro, Perez, Moura; Eustaquio, Grujic, Gonzalez; Jaime, Omorodion, Galeno.

We predict that United could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Dalot; Ugarte, Mainoo, Fernandes; Garnacho, Hojlund, Rashford.

United did not get off to a good start in this simulated game, with the home side taking the initiative in the opening stages and looking comfortable, albeit they weren’t creating many clear-cut chances. The Reds weathered this initial storm and grew into the game, and just before half-time Ten Hag’s side got the goal they sorely needed.

On the transition, Bruno Fernandes picked up the ball and picked out Marcus Rashford just outside the area, and the English striker produced a stunning finish into the far corner to make it 1-0. After the break United grew in confidence and it was Matthijs de Ligt who made it 2-0.

Fernandes was the creator once again, with his brilliant free-kick delivery finding the Dutch defender, who outjumped his marker and headed home. The Reds found themselves dominating possession in the final stages and could have gone further ahead if not for poor misses by Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho.

EA FC 25 predicted final score: FC Porto 0-2 Man United

EA FC 25 predicts that United could give Erik ten Hag the win he needs on Thursday evening, with Rashford and De Ligt on target for the away side. The game predicts United have more than enough quality to get the three points in Portugal, so let’s see what happens in real life!