Hello and welcome to our prediction for Team of the Week 2 which will be released on Wednesday this week!
Team of the Week 3 is coming on Wednesday and these player will be our first red player pick as rewards for the upcoming Weekend League! We've seen a lot of interesting games the past weekend such as the Manchester derby from where we could see two informs coming, late goals to secure a point and a ton of hat-tricks! Before you now check the potential players let me quickly remind you that it is possible for players who currently have an OTW in packs to pick up an inform on Wednesday, this inform will be in packs as soon as the OTW event has ended (Locatelli in FIFA22 for example). It's also possible, even though it's very rare, that two players from the same game could get an inform, it already happened in the past! (Blind & Ziyech in FIFA19, Messi & Sergi Roberto in FIFA21 or De Bruyne and Mahrez in FIFA22). Anyways, even though I expect some weird inclusions like every week, the overall side should be pretty good for our first red player picks but go ahead and check it out!
STARTING XI
GK: Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt) - 86 OVR -> 87 OVR:
Mario Götze helped Eintracht Frankfurt bring an end to Union Berlin's club record unbeaten run, and close to within three points of Urs Fischer's league leaders. Frankfurt had to survive the last 30 minutes with 10 men when Kolo Muani was send off after his second yellow card but they managed to keep the clean sheet and all three points thanks to Kevin Trapp who made a total of five saves. Sadly there are no Kicker ratings available due to bank holiday today here in Germany, it could also be a defender.
LWB: Jonathan Clauss (Marseille) - 80 OVR -> 83 OVR:
With Nuno Tavares suspended, Sead Kolasinac was expected to get the nod at left wing-back on Friday, but instead Kaboré came in on the right with Clauss switching flanks. The right-back by trade started both of France's games in the UEFA Nations Leagzue recently, but showed no sign of fatigue, nor discombobulation playing on his unnatural side, and put in an absolute masterclass that night, finishing the game with his first Marseille goal alongside his third and fourth assists. L'Equipe awarded him with an 8 match rating and should be one of the safest informs for Wednesday.
CB: Chris Smalling (Roma FC) - 81 OVR -> 84 OVR:
AS Roma sealed a 2-1 comeback victory away from home at San Siro in the Serie A on Saturday afternoon against Inter in what was a tactical masterclass from Jose Mourinho's side. Smalling played as the most central defender and had a fantastic performance. He won a few aerial challenges and took care of the ball when in possession. Late in the match and most important, he out-jumped Skriniar on a free kick, heading home the game-winning goal and picked up a 7.5 match rating and MOTM from Gazzetta.
CB: José María Giménez (Atlético de Madrid) - 83 OVR -> 85 OVR:
Goals from Marcos Llorente and Alvaro Morata saw Atletico Madrid claim a 2-0 victory away at Sevilla and put more misery on their opponents. Érik Lamela has been one of Sevilla’s best attackers this season and Giménez kept him very quiet. Had more clearances than any Atlético player (9 in total) and looks great beside Savić. If those two can stay healthy, Atlético don’t have to worry about central defense. This is a bit of a punt due to the few options for defenders, another one could be Pau Torres from Villareal.
CM: André-Franck Zambo Anguissa (Napoli FC) - 81 OVR -> 84 OVR:
Napoli strengthened their hold on the Serie A summit with Saturday's 3-1win over Torino which put them three points clear of their title rivals. An early brace from Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa put Napoli on winning ways and Gazzetta awarded him with an 8 match rating and MOTM which should be enough for an inform on Wednesday.
CM: Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Latium) - 86 OVR -> 87 OVR:
The Biancocelesti looked confident as they cruised to a 4-0 win over the Aquilotti in their first game back from the international break, maintaining the momentum seen in the early stages of the season. Two of the goals came from Serbian international Milinkovic-Savic who could pick up his first inform this week after he got named MOTM by Gazzetta.
CAM: Jamal Musiala (FC Bayern) - 81 OVR -> 84 OVR:
Defending champions Bayern Munich ended their four-game winless run in the Bundesliga and got back on winning ways with a thumping 4-0 win over struggling Bayer Leverkusen at the Allianz Arena on Friday night. It was a simply stunning performance from the youngster, who continues to see his reputation go through the roof. One goal and two assists in the first half all but settled the game, giving Bayern their first win in five league matches. His ability to seamlessly create and score is scary at times, and it is clear that the German is a superstar in the making.
LM: Timo Werner (RB Leipzig) - 82 OVR -> 84 OVR:
Bochum began life under new coach Thomas Letsch looking to get their first win of the season but they were outplayed from start to finish in Leipzig when the hosts took all three points with a comfortable 4-0 win. Timo Werner got his 100th goal for RB Leipzig, the first ever player to reach this mark for Leipzig, and scored two in total for his club which could result in his first inform this week. Nkunku is also a candidate but with one of this two goals being a penalty I think Werner gets the nod.
LW: Rafael Leão (Milan) - 84 OVR -> 86 OVR
AC Milan claimed all three points away at Empoli in a very dramatic fashion as they scored two goals late into injury time. Leao continued to be sensational for AC Milan on Saturday. While most of his other teammates blew hot and cold, he constantly put Empoli under pressure, playing a game- high five key passes. Leao somehow failed to score early on, but he netted a deserved goal in the game's final moments with a classy chip and also served the ball on a platter for Ante Rebic for the goal that broke the deadlock. Gazzetta awarded him with an 8 match rating and we might see him in the team this week, would be a class card!
ST: Wissam Ben Yedder (AS Monaco) - 84 OVR -> 86 OVR:
AS Monaco cruised to a 4-1 win over FC Nantes at the Stade Louiss II on Sunday and overtook their opponents in the standings to claim fifth place. The Monaco captain's response to being left out of the latest France squad has been excellent, with his first goal of the season coming in the 3-0 win at Stade de Reims last time out before he netted a hat-trick against Nantes and also claimed the assist for Embolo's opener. A 9/10 match rating from L'Equipe should see him getting an inform on Wednesday.
ST: Erling Haaland (Manchester City) - 88 OVR -> 89 OVR:
Despite missing John Stones, Ruben Dias and Rodri - as well as losing Kyle Walker to injury – Pep Guardiola's side were irresistible inside the Etihad Stadium, tyoing with United at will, sending another ominous warning to the rest of the Premier League with a 6-3 embarrassment of rivals Manchester United. Erling Haaland is just something else. At this rate, Haaland will break Salah's record for most goals in a single Premier League campaign before everything shuts down for World Cup finals. He finished the game with his third consecutive hat-trick and on top of that he registered two assists and received a 10/10 match rating and a joint Man of the Match.
SUBS & RESERVES
SUBS
GK: Illan Meslier (Leeds United) - 77 OVR -> 81 OVR:
Leeds United welcomed Aston Villa at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon and both played out a goalless draw with Leeds being down to ten man for the whole second half. French shot-stopper Meslier made a handful of important saves at the back and will be quite happy with the clean sheet.
CB: Kevin Danso (RC Lens) - 75 OVR -> 81 OVR:
Florian Sotoca found the net with a late penalty as Lens inflicted a fourth straight defeat on troubled Lyon on Sunday with a 1-0 win that preserves the northerners' unbeaten start to the 2022/23 Ligue 1 Uber Eats season and leaves them just a point outside the top three. The Austria international Danso was immense at both ends of the pitch. He could have found the net twice as he dominated in the air at set-pieces, and was equally imperious is keeping Lacazette quiet and picked up an 8 match rating from L'Equipe.
CDM: Granit Xhaka (Arsenal) - 79 OVR -> 84 OVR*:
Arsenal regained bragging right in the North London Derby with a dominating win over Tottenham at the Emirates and secured a foothold at the top of the Premier League table. Granit Xhaka continued his impressive performances and got another goal to his name, his first derby strike in England. Overall, he was fantastic in midfield and deserved the accolade for his leadership on the pitch.
CAM: Leandro Trossard (Brighton & Hove) - 79 OVR -> 82 OVR:
Liverpool still struggles to find their form this season, sharing points with Brighton & Hove in a dramatic 3-3 on Saturday. The Belgian Trossard was magical in attack, especially in the first-half, as he scored two near-identical goals with his left foot. He ran circles around Liverpool's defence and was a constant nuisance to the home side. Brighton pushed for a goal late on and have been rewarded thanks to Trossard who completed his hat-trick and rounded off his incredible performance.
RW: Miguel Almiron (Newcastle Utd) - 78 OVR -> 82 OVR:
Newcastle United picked up a comprehensive 4-1 win against 10-man Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon, going into the game with only one win in the Premier Leagze this campaign. Newcastle supporters have criticised Almiron for not utulising his right foot more often, stating that the opportunity generally slips away by the time he switches to his preferred left foot. But you can't blame the Paraguayan for doing so, given that he scored wonder goals with his left foot. A magnificent volley and a smooth tap-in – both left-footed - capped off a great performance with two well-deserved goals, and he was cruelly denied a hat-trick by an offside flag.
ST: Alexander Sørloth (Real Sociedad) - 76 OVR -> 81 OVR:
The most entertaining game in La Liga the past weekend took place between Girona and Real Sociedad, with the better outcome for the visitors who took all three points with a 5-3 victory. Norwegian international Alexander Sørloth was on fire that day, ending the game with two goals and one assist to his name.
ST: Niclas Füllkrug (Werder Bremen) - 75 OVR -> 81 OVR:
Werder Bremen ran riot against a poor Borussia Mönchengladbach side on Saturday evening, winning 5-1 at the Weserstadion. Niklas Füllkrug was the oustanding player that day, scoring twice and assisting another for Bremen and is now the leading German goalscorer in this season's Bundesliga and also leads the overall top scorer's race.
RESERVES
GK: Moustapha Zeghba (Damac FC) - 73 OVR -> 79 OVR:
Usually and very few times we see a third goalkeeper being included in the side, that usually only happens when the keeper either had an incredible performance between the stick or when he scored a goal. Damac's shot-stopper Zeghna did exactly the second thing, he scored his side's second goal from his own box what was planned to be a simple kick and on top of that kept a clean sheet.
CAM: Dino Hotic (Cercle Brugge) - 73 OVR -> 79 OVR:
Cercle Bruges recorded their just second win of the 2022/23 1A Pro League campaing, beating Gent 4-3 in a thrilling encounter. Three of the goals, with the decisive one being from the penalty spot, came from Dino Hotic and we should him in the side on Wednesday.
ST: Danylo Sikan (Shakhtar Donetsk) - 65 OVR -> 75 OVR:
Shakhtar Donetsk remains unbeaten in the Ukrainian Premier League and recorded their fourth consecutive league win before heading into the UEFA Champions League week, trashing Metalist with 6-1. There are two serious options from this game for an inform, one is Sikan who scored three of the goals for Shakhtar. If it's not him it will most likely be Mudryk who got himself a hat-trick of assists.
ST: Victor Adeboyejo (Burton Albion) - 64 OVR -> 74 OVR:
We haven't had more than one hat-trick last week which made it harder to predict the reserves so I'm glad it changed for this week. That being said, Burton recorded a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Forest Green and Adeboyejo was the one to decide this game, scoring all three goals and should be a no-brainer.
ST: Daniel Rios (Charlotte FC) - 61 OVR -> 71 OVR:
We had a couple of hat-tricks this week but also one standout performer who scored four times. Charlotte FC handed Philadelphia their first loss in seven matches with a 4-0 win and Charlotte striker Daniel Ríos was spectacular, scoring all four goals for his side.
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