TOTW 4 Predicted Starting XI
While there is plenty of fodder in this week’s side, there are also several top-end players to get excited about, with the likes of Guimarães, Vini Jr, and Caicedo standing out.
GK: Pau Lopez (Real Betis) - 79 OVR -> 82 OVR:
EA have shown a clear preference for penalty-saving goalkeepers so far this season. Under that logic, the goalkeeper this week should be Pau López. With Betis winning 2-1, Espanyol were awarded a penalty in the 103rd minute, but Pau López became the hero, making the save and securing all three points.
LB:Jordi Alba (Inter Miami) - 78 OVR -> 82 OVR:
Once again, Messi stood out, providing three assists as Inter Miami won 4-1. After consecutive snubs for the Argentine, it feels like EA are waiting for a hat trick from him. Alba was also superb in the same match, scoring two of those four goals from LB.
CB:Lynn Wilms (Aston Villa) - 80 OVR -> 83 OVR:
There were a couple of defensive options from the WSL this week, but it’s Wilms who stands out for me. The Dutch defender scored once and assisted another from CB as Aston Villa went on to beat West Ham 2-0 away from home.
RB: Jose Carmona (Sevilla) - 76 OVR -> 81 OVR:
One of the biggest surprises of the week came as Sevilla comfortably beat Barcelona 4-1. I would be shocked if an IF was omitted from this match, but with no clear standout option, it’s not an easy decision. Defenders were limited, however, and Carmona’s goal from RB could be enough to sneak him in.
CM: Aleix Garcia (Leverkusen) - 83 OVR -> 85 OVR:
There were extremely limited options from the Bundesliga this week, with Díaz likely ruled out due to his cornerstone inclusion. As a result, I would expect a random inclusion or two. One of my punts is Garcia, who received a 1.5 from Kicker for his display in Leverkusen’s 2-0 win over Union Berlin.
CDM: Moises Caicedo(Chelsea) - 87 OVR -> 88 OVR:
Liverpool lost their third consecutive match this weekend, with Chelsea coming away with a 2-1 win. Caicedo was superb throughout, scoring a fantastic strike to open the scoring and showing excellent all-round midfield play. He went on to be named Sky MOTM, and in such a big match, that should be enough for his IF to be awarded.
CM: Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle) - 86 OVR -> 87 OVR:
Another central midfielder for the Premier League comes in the form of Guimarães. The Brazilian was heavily involved during Newcastle's 2-0 home win over Forest, scoring the opener before winning the penalty for the second. Ange’s days look limited already.
RM: Donyell Malen (Aston Villa) - 79 OVR -> 82 OVR:
Still sticking with the Premier League, we move to Malen. Some may be wondering where Kudus is, but due to his recent objective card, I can’t see EA including him in TOTW. Malen gets the nod for his double this weekend as Villa look to be picking up form with back-to-back wins secured.
LM: Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth) - 80 OVR -> 85 OVR:
We are now approaching the stage where we can start considering the first SIF. Semenyo is the first player in contention, and a three-week gap could be enough for it to become a reality. The Ghanaian international has been among the best performers in the Premier League this season, and his two-goal, one-assist performance against Fulham continued that on Friday evening.
LM: Vini Jr(Real Madrid) - 89 OVR -> 90 OVR:
Onto the star player this week, Vini Jr looks set to headline, giving you something to dream about packing. The Brazilian scored twice from LM for Real Madrid as they recorded a 3-1 home win over Villarreal.
ST: Yoan Bonny (Inter Milan) - 76 OVR -> 84 OVR:
As you can see from the formation selected this week, gold strikers were few and far between. Bonny was the only one really standing out, and with his base card being just 76, I would expect the featured IF to go his way. Regardless of what happens, he will feature after scoring once and assisting another three during Inter’s 4-1 win.
TOTW 30 Predicted Subs & Reserves
LB: Anthony Markanich (Minnesota) - 65 OVR -> 80 OVR:
With EA's tendency to opt for silvers on the bench alongside the reserves this season, there is much more leeway to include players who actually deserve it. This works in Markanich's favour after his brace from RB in a 3-0 win, as he may have otherwise missed out.
RM: Vivien Endemann (Wolfsburg) - 80 OVR -> 83 OVR:
In another dominant performance in the women’s game, Wolfsburg put eight past Essen without reply. As expected, several IF candidates emerged from the match. Endemann stands out as the strongest option, having scored twice and provided two assists from RM.
LW: Sofiane Diop (Nice) - 76 OVR -> 81 OVR:
Monaco and Nice played out a tight 2-2 draw, with both teams sharing the spoils. Fati and Diop both scored twice for their sides, but with Fati already featured in TOTW, Diop looks set to take the nod, particularly after earning an 8 from L’Équipe.
CDM: Matt O'Riley (Marseille) - 78 OVR -> 82 OVR:
Marseille climbed to the top of the Ligue 1 table on Saturday with a 3-0 away win over Metz, marking their fourth consecutive league victory. The IFs have been rolling in for them, and another could be on the way this Wednesday. O’Riley, playing in a deeper CDM role, excelled by contributing a goal and an assist to claim MOTM.
LM: Matteo Cancellieri (Lazio) - 72 OVR -> 80 OVR:
Lazio and Torino played out a six goal thriller with the score ending level at 3-3. Cancellieri excelled in that match, scoring twice from LM to claim Gazzetta's MOTM award with an 8/10.
LW: Rayan Philippe (Hamburg) - 72 OVR -> 80 OVR:
Non-golds among the top divisions in Europe excelled this week, which would have made TOTW difficult to predict had EA not trended towards more silvers. Philippe is another who benefits from this, with the Frenchman scoring twice during an impressive 4-0 win for Hamburg.
ST: Emersonn (Toulouse) - 65 OVR -> 80 OVR:
Emersonn may have missed out on an official L’Équipe rating, but his impact was undeniable. Coming off the bench in the 71st minute with Lyon ahead 1-0, he turned the game around in just over twenty minutes, scoring twice to clinch a stunning 2-1 away victory for Toulouse.
CB: Cedric Kipre (Ipswich) - 74 OVR -> 80 OVR:
A long-standing unwanted rivalry record was broken by Ipswich this week, as their 3-1 home win marked their first victory over Norwich in 16 years. It was a comfortable performance, with Kipre opening the scoring and looking assured in the Ipswich backline throughout.
CM: Fran Alvarez (Lodz) - 69 OVR -> 80 OVR:
Ending the week with the hat-tricks, the first comes from Fran Alvarez. The Spaniard scored three times from central midfield to help Lodz secure a 4-2 victory.
CAM: Jack Payne (Colchester) - 65 OVR -> 80 OVR:
Colchester recorded a convincing 6-2 home win over Chesterfield, with Payne standing out by scoring a hat-trick from the CAM role.
ST: Liana Joseph (Lyonnes) - 66 OVR -> 80 OVR:
There were a few options from Lyonnes’s 8-1 thrashing of Lens, but with limited striker choices this week, I’ve gone with Joseph. She came off the bench to add to the misery with a hat-trick.
ST:Theo Bair (Lausanne) - 71 OVR -> 80 OVR:
Young Boys have been one of the top sides in Switzerland for a while, so it was quite a shock to see Lausanne score five without reply this weekend. Bair stood out, netting three of those five goals.
That concludes this week's Team of the Week predictions! What do you make of these predictions? Is there anyone else who should have made the TOTW? Let us know below!
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