Hey Guys! It's international break now with a ton of games coming in the next two weeks and international break usually means stacked Team of the Weeks as a lot of highly rated national teams are playing against much weaker sides.
We once again had an eventful week of football with MLS having two matchdays and heading into their final weeks of the regular season so we can definetly expect at least one player coming from these games last week. La Liga was a bit disappointing with so many draws but we still had some very decent performances from some of the usual big boys while we saw an upset caused in the Premier League where Arsenal surprisingly took all three points agains Manchester City which was their first win against City in 15 games so we could also expect an inform from this game. Apart from that there is a promo rumored to come this friday which should feature the best performing players so far this season so you could expect some surprises in this week's TOTW, some big names might miss out like Stuttgarts Guirassy who would have been tough to include anyways with a gap of just 3 weeks. That being said, there are a lot of options as usual so if you think we've missed someone tell us in the comments who you think should get an inform on Wednesday!
TOTW4 Predicted Starting XI
GK: Manuel Riemann (Bochum) - 77 OVR -> 81 OVR:
The biggest suprise in the German top-flight the past weekend was caused by Bochum away at Leipzig as the visitors picked up a 0-0 draw. Man of the Match was Bochum's shot-stopper Manuel Riemann who made 5 saves but more importantly saved two penalties from Xavi Simons and Forsberg. Kicker rewarded him with a 1 match rating and Man of the Match and the fact he prevented Leipzig from scoring with his saves and two saved penalties should be enough for him to make it.
CB: Micky Van De Ven (Spurs) - 78 OVR -> 82 OVR:
Tottenham jumped to the summit of the Premier League table for the first time this season but had to do it the hard way after the sending-off of midfielder Yves Bissouma. Van de Ven scored the winning goal with a nice finish and was rock solid defensively. His pace made sure he could snuff out any runs in behind from Adebayo and Morris. Looks one of the signings of the summer and even if he only gets the standart inform and not a featured one, this card looks crazy good.
CB: William Saliba (Arsenal) - 83 OVR -> 85 OVR:
Arsenal finally broke their Manchester City curse as a deflected Gabriel Martinelli strike late on handed the Gunners all three points and the victory sees Arsenal move level on points with north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur atop of the Premier League table and condems Man City to their first set of back-to-back defeats since 2018. When Arsenal looked uncertain of themselves in the first half, the one man who stood out like a sore thumb for his calmness was Saliba. The Frenchman put on another masterclass of of how to deal with Erling Haaland and I feel we will see an Arsenal inform this week, with Saliba standing a good chance to be the one although Martinelli was named MOTM.
RB: Achraf Hakimi (Paris SG) - 84 OVR -> 86 OVR:
PSG moved up to third place in the Ligue 1 table on 15 points, two behind leaders Monaco, after they produced a fine performance to beat Rennes 3-1 away from home and recovered from their Champions League humbling in midweek against Newcastle. Hakimi had a great game as he scored one and assisted one goal. He won four duels, making two interceptions and one tackle. Rennes struggled to handle the Moroccan international throughout. The run for his headed goal was not picked up by Rennes' defence, and was finished with composure. He continued to contribute to the offensive effort and deservedly got himself an assist. Hakimi has now been involved in six goals in his last seven PSG games (four goals, two assists). L'Equipe awarded him with an 8 match rating and MOTM, if EA goes against him it should be Vitinha who also had a great game.
CDM: Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Al-Hilal) - 86 OVR - 87 OVR:
Saudi Professional side Al-Hilal remains the only unbeaten side in the league after recording a comfortable 3-0 victory against Al-Akhdood and that was mainly thanks to Serbian international Milinkovic-Savic who pulled the strings from a deeper midfield role and scored two of his side's three goals.
CM: Federico Valverde (Real Madrid) - 88 OVR -> 89 OVR:
Real Madrid cantered into the international break atop La Liga after a 4-0 rout of Osasuna on Saturday afternoon, with Jude Bellingham once again the star attraction at the Santiago Bernabeu. Bellingham has been the most decisive this season, but Valverde has been among the most impactful. The Uruguayan was everywhere and did a bit of everything. Finished the game with 5 key passes, 2 assists, 2 completed dribbles, and 4 tackles. His pace, power, physique, and technical skills are all coming together at the peak age of 25-years-old.
CAM: Jonas Hofmann (Leverkusen) - 83 OVR -> 85 OVR:
Bayer Leverkusen secured a 3-0 victory and bragging rights in the Rhine derby, a result which returns Xabi Alonso's side to the top of the Bundesliga table. Leverkusen have been irresistible so far this campaign and they came into the game with an unbeaten streak of nine games in all competitions. Jonas Hofmann, who joined the Werkself from Gladbach this summer, once again showed his qualities and his worth for his club as the German international recorded a goal and an assist. Grimaldo got named Man of the Match but with the Portuguese fullback currently being in TOTW I'm happy to inlcude Hofmann.
LW: Denis Bouanga (LAFC) - 78 OVR -> 82 OVR:
The Black & Gold stormed to a 4-2 win at Austin FC on Saturday night, following up on their 5-1 demolition of Minnesota United FC at home midweek. Denis Bouanga is in red hot form at the moment as the Gabonese international scored three times midweeka and added another two goals and assist to his tally on the weekend, now being at 19 goals and 7 assists in the Golden Boot race.
LW: Raheem Sterling (Chelsea) - 83 OVR -> 85 OVR:
Mauricio Pochettino's side came from behind to record a 4-1 win at Turf Moor for their second successive victory on the road. It wasn't a pretty showing from Chelsea against Burnley on Saturday, but a dominant second hal showed what Mauricio Pochettino's squad is capable of. Sterling looked to make things happen early on, and he was close to opening the scoring with a curling effort that went just past the post. An element of luck saw his left-footed cross deflected off Al-Dakhil and into the back of the net. Won the penalty that Palmer converted for Chelsea's second, and then scored Chelsea's third.
ST: Romelu Lukaku (Roma) - 84 OVR -> 86 OVR:
AS Roma made it two consecutive wins in the Serie A and probably lifted the pressure on Mourinho for at least the international break, beating Cagliari Calcio with 4-1. Belgian forward Lukaku seems to have found (once again) his destination as the striker once again put himself on the scoresheet, adding another two goals to his tally this season, and was awarded with an 8 match rating and POTW from Gazzetta.
ST: Teemu Pukki (Minnesota Utd.) - 75 OVR -> 84* OVR:
Minnesota kept their MLS Playoffs hopes alive, bounced back from their defeat midweek and ended a 7-games winless streak, beating LA Galaxy with 5-2. The veteran striker produced a stunning performance Saturday evening at Allianz Field, tallying four goals that ended the LA Galaxy's own postseason dreams. Pukki, the all-time leading scorer for Finland and a Norwich City legend, was a clear man-of-the-match pick.
TOTW 4 Predicted Subs & Reserves
RB: James Tavernier (Rangers) - 78 OVR -> 82 OVR:
Rangers finally ended their poor run of form on both the domestic and continental scene after beating second-placed St Mirren 3-0 on a testing day in Paisley. Everything Rangers did came through their main man. Top notch penalty to open the scoring, and one of the goals of the season for his second. He's one of the few players Rangers have in their ranks who can stand up to be counted when the chips are down.
CDM: Scott McTominay (Man Utd.) - 79 OVR -> 82 OVR:
Manchester United earned an hard 2-1 victory at home to Brentford on Saturday in the Premier League. The Red Devils had trailed for most of the game, in what was another disappointing display but Erik ten Hag's side, but two injury-time goals from Scott McTominay somehow saw United take a crucial three points.
LM: Louise Fleury (Paris FC) - 79 OVR -> 82 OVR:
I'm expecting at least one women in TOTW every week and most people expect to see Barcelona's Hansen this week but with competition being really hgh in the middle of the park I don't think she'll be in. Instead, I'm predicting Paris FC's Fleury to be featured after she scored three goals and also registered an assist in her side's 4-1 win against Le Havre.
CDM: Stefan Teitur Thordarson (Silkeborg) - 66 OVR -> 80 OVR:
Silkeborg went back on winning ways after, recording a 5-0 win against Lyngby. Defensive midfielder Thorsdarson was the main man this day, scoring three goals from the CDM position and could be in this week.
RW: Andreas Gruber (FK Austria Wien) - 70 OVR -> 80 OVR:
FK Austria recorded a 4-0 victory against BW Linz who came into the game with an unbeaten streak of five games across all competitions but the visitors weren't able to find any solution to stop Andreas Gruber who finished the game with a hat-trick.
ST: Héctor (GD Chaves) - 68 OVR -> 80 OVR:
Portuguese side GD Chaves made it back-to-back wins in the league and recorded an important three-pointer, beating Gil Vicente with 4-2. Spanish forward Hector Hernandez was the star of the show as the Spaniard scored three of the four goals for his side and picked up Man of the Match.
ST: Kevin Denkey (Cercle Bruges) - 69 OVR -> 80 OVR:
Cercle Brugge can breathe a sigh of relief after a spectacular victory at home against OH Leuven, beating the visitors with 3-2. The Association gave up the lead twice but after Denkey completed his hat-trick the three points have been sealed and Denkey could pick up the inform this week for his performance.
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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