TOTW 12 Predictions

There's really not much to get excited for this week with so many upsets occurring the big name players are largely ruled out of this side, so those who opt against WL will be very happy to see that the main players for the TOTW 12 Prediction are Vardy, Kroos and Bamba.
 

Goalkeeper

Nick Pope – GK - OVR 79>>82
There were numerous Premier League keepers that stood a chance this week, with multiple upsets occurring and from those several keepers excelled with the likes of Pope, Martinez, Areola, and Guaita all being strong candidates for the side. Pope seems to be the favourite however after making six saves to keep a clean sheet during Burnley’s 1-0 win over the struggling Arsenal, taking them out of the relegation zone as a result.

Defenders

James Tavernier – RB - OVR 75>>84
We saw Tavernier get snubbed last week which can only be down to the new gap rule that EA has so far been strict about this year. Once again, the Rangers RB has a chance of making the cut though and with a now five-week gap surely that will be sufficient for his inclusion. The Englishman scored once and assisted another as Rangers managed a 2-1 win over Dundee United.

Michael Keane – CB - OVR 78>>81
After a strong start to the season, Everton looked as though they were dropping off but a strong performance against Chelsea saw them beat the in-form side by one goal to nil. Inflicting just their second loss of the season so far. Sigurdsson scored the only goal, but it was the defensive display that shone, specifically from Keane who was a rock at the back throughout.

Matthias Ginter – CB - OVR 82>>84
With the Bundesliga options being difficult to select it makes Ginter’s MOTM performance that much more attractive, despite only getting an assist during a 1-1 draw. Kicker awarded him a 2 match rating alongside a spot in their TOTW and with the Bundesliga always getting a few selections he seems an obvious one to me.
 

Midfielders

Jonathon Bamba – LM - OVR 78>>84
Bamba has really shown his quality so far this season with early performances making him one of the most watched players in Ligue 1 this season. With an IF and a player of the month card to his name already everyone already knows the name and with a goal and assist on Sunday during Lille’s 2-1 win over Bordeaux another IF could easily be on the way, especially after L’equipe awarded him an 8/10.

Nicolo Barella – CM - OVR 80>>83
Inter Milan climb up the table once again with their fourth consecutive win, this time a 3-1 victory away at Cagliari, with three late goals helping them to overcome a one goal deficit. Barella claimed MOTM for his role in the comeback, scoring once and assisting another.

Toni Kroos – CM - OVR 88>>89
With a clear lack of big named players this week it was always likely that one or two would get in for performances that seem forced. Kroos is one of those after he assisted one of Madrid’s two goals in a 2-0 win. His case is helped with it being the Madrid derby but usually this simply wouldn’t be enough.

Lorenzo Pellegrini – CM - OVR 79>>82
After a couple of disappointing results for Roma, it was important that they got back to winning ways when traveling to Bologna and they did it with ease. Managing to score five goals while only conceding once. I would expect an IF to occur from the match and it looks as though Pellegrini is the best option with one goal and one assist.

Antony – RW - OVR 78>>81
Ajax walked their way to another comfortable win, this time a 4-0 win at home to Zwolle. When it comes to TOTW options there were a couple, but the best looks to be Antony who scored once and assisted another two, a performance which saw VI award him with an 8/10.

Forwards

Jamie Vardy – ST - OVR 86>>88
Obviously, Maddison is the best option from this match but with the midfielder featuring in TOTGS, even as an SBC I don’t feel that EA will include him as a result. Instead, we look down the line for Vardy, who will help EA include a big name as well. Vardy was involved in all three Leicester goals with one of his own alongside both assists on Maddison’s goals. The proximity to the RB item does pose a little risk but EA needs big players in this side and with Maddison seemingly ruled out Vardy is an easy pick for them.

Youssef Poulsen – ST - OVR 78>>81
With a clear lack of both Bundesliga and gold striker options it made sense to include a Bundesliga striker if possible. Weghorst is too close to his previous IF but Poulsen is another option. The Danish striker claimed MOTM for his two assists during the 2-0 win.
 

Substitutes

Andrea Consigli – GK - OVR 81>>84
Consigli is seemingly nailed on for a spot in Wednesday’s side after the Italian made four vital saves to keep Sassuolo’s clean sheet as they battled their way to a 1-0 win over Benevento while playing most of the second half with just 10 men. Gazzetta awarded Consigli with an 8/10 which basically means he is locked in.

Lukas Masopust – RB - OVR 75>>81
It’s rare that we see an inclusion from the Czech Republic so to see it in consecutive weeks would be rather bizarre, but it could easily happen after another top performance from a Slavia Prague player. Masopust, who was seemingly playing a RB role provided two assists and helped towards the clean sheet in Slavia’s 3-0 win at home to Liberec 

Lucas Zelarayan – CAM - OVR 76>>81
With the MLS final being played this weekend it was always likely that we were going to see a hero item from it and thankfully for me that decision was an easy one to make with Zelarayan stealing the show with two goals and one assist to allow Colombus crew to lift the trophy via a 3-0 win over favorites Seattle.

Paqueta – CM - OVR 76>>81
Lyon showed they are serious title contenders with a 1-0 win over reigning champions, PSG. Kadwere scored the only goal of the game but it’s hard to look away from the MOTM here with Paqueta being awarded an 8/10 from L’equipe for his brilliant overall performance. Lyon now sits joint top of the table with Lille, both one point ahead of PSG.

Jens Toornstra – CM - OVR 75>>81
This week’s Dutch player of the week went the way of Jens Toornstra. The Dutch central midfielder picked up an 8/10 from VI after scoring a brace, allowing Feyenoord to record a 3-0 away win over Venlo

Dario Benedetto – ST - OVR 79>>82
With the top of Ligue 1 so tightly contested every point is huge at this moment in time, as they look to see who not only will battle for the title but also for the European positions. Marseille’s 2-1 win over Monaco this weekend could be looked back on as one of the biggest three points this season. Benedetto played a huge role in that win, scoring once and assisting another, before picking up MOTM with a 7/10.

Shon Weissman – ST – OVR 75>>81
After a season over in Austria saw Weissman score 30 goals in 31 appearances for Wolfsburger, Valladolid decided to take the punt on Weissman and until this weekend he had seriously struggled to make an impact. Two goals for the Israeli striker saw Valladolid pick up all three points in their 3-2 win over Osasuna and both player and club will be hoping that he can return to the form shown in 2019/20 from this performance.
 

Reserves

James Collins – ST - OVR 70>>78
The rise of Luton Town this past decade has been astronomical with the now Championship side playing their trade in the conference in 2013. Collins has been the spearhead of their attack since 2017 with an impressive goalscoring record. He added another three to that tally on Saturday as Luton managed a 3-0 win over Preston.

Jonson Clarke-Harris – ST - OVR 68>>76
Peterborough continued their battle to gain promotion back to the Championship this season with a 4-1 home win over Rochdale. Clarke-Harris found himself among the goals, scoring three of those four. I think Collins is a better option from the ELL but if EA is willing to include two Jonson also stands a strong chance.

Kasper Junker – ST - OVR 69>>77
Junker has been overdue an IF for a few weeks now, with Bodo continuing to record impressive results, with Junker and Zinckernagal ripping up the division. Junker recorded another hat trick this week during a 4-0 away win over Haugesund, taking him to 25 goals and 10 assists from the 26 games he has played this season!

Sascha Molders – ST - OVR 66>>75
On a normal week, there were actually four Bundes 3 players which I would have selected. Realistically we will only see one of them make EA’s side though and thus Molders looks to be the favorite with the striker picking up player of the week in the division after scoring a hat trick in 1860’s 5-0 win. Steinhart can feel hard done by with two goals, one assist and a clean sheet from the same match though.

Mancuso – ST - OVR 70>>78
There was a ridiculous amount of hat tricks scored this week which makes selecting between them difficult but one player who is nailed on for this side is Empoli’s Mancuso after he went one better and bagged himself 4 in Empoli’s 5-2 away win over Entella