LA LIGA TEAM OF THE SEASON SO FAR PREDICTIONS

While the La Liga side has numerous expected names with the likes of Rodrygo, Bellingham, Kroos and Rudiger there are also several surprises, mainly thanks to Girona. Will Real Madrid lift another title or will Girona be able to cause a massive upset?

Alex Remiro - GK - 84 > 92 OVR

The starting goalkeeper for this side was a difficult choice to make. With injuries to the likes of Courtois, Kepa and ter Stegen while Oblak is performing well but in a possession-based side the usual suspects don’t stand a chance. Remiro has been vital for Sociedad though and with only 19 goals conceded he helps towards the joint third-best defence in the division.

Joao Cancelo - LB - 86 > 95 OVR

I still need to understand why Manchester City opted to offload Cancelo as the Portuguese defender is undoubtedly among the best wingbacks in the world. Barcelona have been able to sort out a void left since Alba was past his peak and are now set for the next few seasons at least. Cancelo has easily been the best LB in the division so far this season and would become one of the best LB cards in the game, making even his pep legacy card look average.

Antonio Rudiger - CB - 85 > 94 OVR

With just one game for Militao so far Madrid fans would have been worried about the gap left by the Brazilian who has been superb for them in recent seasons. Rudiger has stepped up though commanding from the back to help the best defence in the league with just eleven goals conceded so far.

Carvajal - RB - 82 > 93 OVR

It's been a while since we have seen Carvajal be at his best with the Spaniard previously being among the best RB’s in the world. While he is still not at that same level he has done more than enough for a position in this side. We have already mentioned Real Madrid’s defensive record while Carvajal has also chipped in with both two goals and two assists.

Ilkay Gundogan - CM - 89 > 93 OVR

This one is a little rogue but with Barcelona sitting in third place as it stands you would expect a couple of names to be in the 18-man squad. Cancelo is the obvious choice and outside of that there are only a couple of fringe options Gundogan is one of those. With both three goals and three assists the German has settled into life at Barca well after his 20m move in the summer

Toni Kroos - CM - 86 > 94 OVR

Toni Kroos has been without a TOTS inclusion for three seasons now. The German is still an unbelievable player on his day though. With six assists he is the league's leading assiter as it stands which within a dominant Madrid side would have probably been enough should a side have released at the midway point.

Jude Bellingham - CAM - 86 > 94 OVR

Everyone is aware of just how good Bellingham is going to be at this point with the Englishman set to dominate the game for the next decade. He has become an early front-runner for the 2024 Ballon d’Or after a phenomenal start to the season for Real Madrid. With 13 goals to his name already he is the current leader for the Golden Boot and when you consider that his game was never previously based on goals is there anything this lad doesn’t have?

Inaki Williams - RM - 81 > 92 OVR

Williams has been playing a deeper role than previous campaigns so far for Bilbao at RM opposed to the familiar ST role. It’s one he has performed well in though with eight goals and three assists being his numbers so far. Athletic Club could find themselves back in Champions League football should their season continue its current path.

Rodrygo - ST - 85 > 94 OVR

While Rodrygo fails to compete on numbers with several other strikers I still believe he has done enough to sneak in. Seven goals and four assists are what the Brazilian can boast about but Madrid plays a system with both their strikers being wingers on paper. Rodrygo has started to adapt well and has been one of Madrid’s main threats going forward.

Artem Dovbyk - ST - 70 > 93 OVR

The main source of goals for Girona has come via their Ukrainian striker, Dovbyk. Relatively unknown before the 2023/24 Dovbyk is now being tracked by several European sides and a transfer is extremely likely to happen come the end of the season. With two TOTW and a POTM already it's a season to remember regardless of what happens during the second half of the season.

Antoine Griezmann - ST - 88 > 96 OVR

After an underwhelming stint at Barcelona Griezmann returned to Atletico to continue where he left out. With eleven goals and three assists to his name already he has secured his status as one of Atletico Madrid's best over players. On top of that, he has also written history to become their highest-ever goalscorer with his 174th goal for the side.

Alvaro Valles - GK - 76 > 90 OVR

Las Palmas currently sit midtable in tenth position and while they are not lighting anything up their defence has stood out. Sometimes it is the defence in front of you but Valles deserves a lot of credit for the surprising stat of 17 conceded in 19 matches. Expected goals aren’t everything but going off that stat there would have been another ten conceded without him.

Mario Hermoso - CB - 82 > 91 OVR

Atletico is usually known for their defence over the attack but in general, it has been the other way around this season with the Spanish side being the third highest scorers in the division while the defence sits midtable. That being said Hermoso has still shone. His pace at the back always gives him an advantage and he uses it well.

Aleix Garcia - CM - 80 > 92 OVR

While Garcia is without a doubt within the best 11 in La Liga this season he is on the bench due to his card rating. The Girona midfielder has excelled so far, being one of the main reasons the club are currently competing for the title. The Spaniard controls games from the middle of the park while also contributing with three goals and four assists.

Takefusa Kubo - RW - 80 > 91 OVR

This was one of the last players onto my side with options starting to shallow towards the final few positions. Kubo’s early POTM award was the deciding factor. Kubo does have a respectable six goals and three assists with a few sides now tracking his signature as a result.

Savio - LW - 70 > 90 OVR

The final addition from Girona comes with Savio, starting the game as a modest 70-rated silver the Brazilian is set for a huge upgrade on next year's game. With five goals and five assists Savio is among the highest goal contributors outside of strikers. Will Girona manage to maintain this for the second half of the season? Only time will tell.

Borja Mayoral - ST - 74 > 89 OVR

Mayoral is not your standard attractive TOTS item but the Getafe forward makes a strong claim for a spot. With exactly 50% of their goals this season (12 of the 24) being scored by Mayoral, without the Spaniard Getafe would have seriously struggled for goals.

Alvaro Morata - ST - 83 > 92 OVR

Morata has always been a bit hit-and-miss during his career but the Spaniard is performing at his best for Atletico Madrid currently. With 12 goals already this season he has created a deadly duo with his strike partner Griezmann. Between them, they have scored over half of Atletico’s goals so far.