We simulated Man City vs Sporting to get a score prediction for Champions League clash

09.03.2022 - 12:57 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Manchester City return to Champions League action on Wednesday, with the Blues having a huge 5-0 aggregate lead over Sporting.

But despite their commanding advantage, City boss Pep Guardiola has revealed that he only has 14 fit players to select from. Joao Cancelo is out with illness, whilst Kyle Walker is still suspended following his three-match ban for a red card against RB Leipzig, meaning Guardiola has no recognised first-team right-back available.

Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake are still unavailable for selection too, meaning John Stones and Aymeric Laporte are the only senior centre back's fit for the Round of 16 tie. Kevin De Bruyne picked up a knock in the 4-1 derby win against Manchester United at the weekend and is not expected to be risked, especially since the Belgian playmaker is just one yellow card away from missing the first leg of the quarter-final should City progress into the next round.

Read more: Pep Guardiola disagreed with Man City appeal over 'stupid' Kyle Walker

Young defender Luke Mbete is being considered after making the squad against United on Sunday, which could see Stones play at right-back once again. So, what line-up will Guardiola select? And, what could the final score be?

We used FIFA 22 to get a Champions League score prediction for Man City v Sporting CP on Tuesday and this is what happened...

We used kick-off mode in FIFA 22, but didn't select a team to control, letting the AI control both teams. We then selected the teams and watched the match play out by itself, to give us a unique score prediction.

We predict that Man City could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Ederson; Stones, Mbete, Laporte, Zinchenko; Fernandinho, Silva, Gundogan; Jesus, Grealish,