We simulated the final Champions League matchday to discover Arsenal's Round of 16 clash
by Lewis Barton · football.londonArsenal will be looking to secure their spot in the Champions League knockout stages later today when the Gunners take on Girona in the final game of the Champions League League Phase.
After beating Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 in their last Champions League outing, Arsenal have all but confirmed their place in the Round of 16, so unless the Gunners lose heavily to Girona and every result goes against them, Mikel Arteta's side can already prepare to advance automatically to the knockout stages. A 1-0 win against Wolves on the weekend sends the Gunners into the clash looking for a third consecutive win, while Arsenal fans will be keeping an eye on results elsewhere to figure out who they could face in the Round of 16.
There are no new injury concerns for Arteta's side, while Lewis Myles-Skelly will also be available, with his controversial red card from the weekend not applicable in the Champions League. So, can Arsenal pick up another three points later today? Let's take a look...
Girona vs Arsenal score predicted
To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 25 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that the hosts could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Gazzaniga; Martinez, Juanpe, Lopez, Blind; Herrera, Romeu; Tsyganov, Van de Beek, Danjuma; Ruiz.
We predict that Arsenal could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Raya; Timber, Kiwior, Gabriel, Calafiori; Jorginho, Merino, Odegaard; Sterling, Havertz, Martinelli.
Arsenal dominated the first-half in Spain, but despite having 14 shots in the opening 45 minutes, they were struggling to find the net thanks to a mix of good goalkeeping and poor finishing. But, in the 67th minute, a moment of brilliance fired the Gunners ahead.
Raheem Sterling did well to beat his man on the right and surge towards the box, with the winger picking out Kai Havertz who dropped deeper to receive the ball. The German took one touch out of his feet before aiming for goal, and a perfectly-placed shot found the top corner to make it 1-0.
Strong defending from Arteta's side saw them hold out in the closing stages of the game, picking up another three points and clean sheet in the Champions League.
EA FC 25 predicted final score: Girona 0-1 Arsenal
We simulated every other result from the final Champions League League Phase gameweek to predict how the final table would look, and who Arsenal could face in their Round of 16 clash. These were the results:
- Inter 2-0 Monaco
- Bayern Munich 5-1 Slovan Bratislava
- Sturm Graz 2-0 RB Leipzig
- Borrusia Dortmund 1-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
- Barcelona 3-2 Atalanta
- Brest 1-3 Real Madrid
- PSV 0-1 Liverpool
- Bayer Leverkusen 5-2 Sparta Prague
- Stuttgart 2-2 Paris Saint-Germain
- Juventus 1-0 Benfica
- Man City 3-1 Club Brugge
- Dinamo Zagreb 1-1 Milan
- Lille 2-1 Feyenoord
- Sporting 0-0 Bologna
- Young Boys 1-1 Crvena Zvezda
- Aston Villa 3-1 Celtic
- RB Salzburg 1-2 Atletico Madrid
Based on these results, Arsenal finished third in the Champions League table, ahead of Inter on goal difference. Third and fourth in the League Phase will face either 13th, 14th, 19th or 20th in the Round of 16, meaning Arsenal would face either Atalanta, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City or PSV in the RO16 based on these results.
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