TOTW 18 Predictions

When you consider that this side will be running alongside TOTY meaning both Mbappe and Kimmich are ruled out its still a strong side. A Bundesliga heavy side sees five players rated 86 or above and an upgrade for Headliner Benzema!                                                                                                                                                                      

Goalkeeper

Nick Pope – GK - OVR 82>>84                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
This spot was always going to be a close call between both Pope and Mee who were outstanding in the shock 1-0 win over Liverpool. Mee was officially named MOTM but after recently picking up an IF it looks as though Pope will be the player getting the nod. Pope made six saves in total to deny Liverpool before Barnes scored a late winner. A win that inflicted Liverpool’s first home defeat in 68 games something which is inevitably going to be noticed by EA.                                                

Defenders

Marcelo – CB - OVR 76>>84
Lyon are looking more and more like title contenders this season with both Depay and Kadewere scoring for fun so far this campaign. This week was no different with both previously mentioned on the scoresheet but additionally, Marcelo found himself within the goals, scoring twice from CB. An 8 from L’equipe only cements his already expected place in the side.                                                                                                                                                    

Nico Elvedi – CB - OVR 78>>84
Gladbach recorded two wins this weekend, the first being a 1-0 win over Werder Bremen and the second being a 4-2 win over Dortmund. Elvedi would have been IF this week from either of those games so if he misses out it would be one of the biggest robberies I have seen to date. He scored the only goal of the game during the 1-0 win before then scoring a brace against Dortmund. Easily one of the most deserved this week.                                                                                       

David Alaba – CB - OVR 84>>86
With two obvious Bundesliga CB’s already there is a chance that Alaba is ignored but with Munich winning 4-0 and both Kimmich and Muller being unavailable, Alaba is a strong option for the side. The Austrian was awarded a 2-match rating after scoring one of Munich’s four goals and putting in a strong defensive display.                                                                                                                                                                                           
                                      


Midfielders

Filip Kostic – LM - OVR 83>>85
Frankfurt continues to push their way up the table with a 5-1 win over Arminia this weekend. A result which gave them their fourth win from the last five played. Kostic impressed throughout, providing the assist on two goals to go alongside a wonderful strike of his own. It was enough to be awarded player of the week from Kicker which in a week full of brilliant performance is quite special.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Neymar – CAM - OVR 91>>92
Due to Mbappe being on the cover it looks as though he managed to beat Messi to EA’s TOTY but in turn, I am expected that to result as Messi being the 12th man on the player vote. That would be a snub for Neymar. The Brazilian however recorded an 8/10 for his goal during PSG's 4-0 win this weekend, a perfect opportunity for EA to include the Brazilian in a promo as well. This is a chance I am expecting them to take and somewhat ease the decision of a Messi TOTY, especially with Neymar playing centrally.

Nabil Fekir – CAM - OVR 81>>84
Many predictors will be going down the Canales route for this one after the Spaniard scored twice but it was Fekir who ended up being awarded MOTM after providing both assists on those goals during a 2-1 win over Celta Vigo. There is high competition in the midfield this week which does make it difficult for Fekir to make the cut but I can see it happening.
                                                                                                                                                   
Rodri – CDM - OVR 85>>86
With the Premier League not having a full set of fixtures it is unlikely that we will see many included this week but from those few fixtures I do expect a few to be forced in. One of those is Rodri, who claimed MOTM during City’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa which temporarily put them at the top of the table. He was heavily involved in the match with a superb defensive performance with nine aerial battles won and four tackles to his name, going along an assist for Silva’s opener.
                         
Frenkie De Jong – CM - OVR 85>>86                                                                                                                                                                                        
De Jong is a player numerous people have been calling for the past few weeks with the Dutchman on good form and scoring regularly. This looks to finally be the week he gets some recognition after scoring once again but also adding an assist during Barcelona's 2-0 win over Elche.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
Moussa Diaby – RW - OVR 81>>84                                                                                                                                                                                      
A nice potential positional change here with Diaby switching sides to RW for the match again Dortmund. It turned out to be a good one with the Frenchman recording both a goal and an assist in a 2-1 win over Dortmund. With it being a big fixture alongside a strong 1.5 match rating from Kicker I can see this being enough for Diaby to secure his first IF of the season.                                                                                                                                           

Forwards

Karim Benzema – ST - OVR 89>>92
With Real Madrid winning 4-1 away at Aalves this weekend it resulted in several IF options from the club. Kroos with two assists and Hazard with one goal and one assist both narrowly miss out for me with Benzema being the player to get the nod. The Frenchman recently acquired a headliner item which will only work in his favor. With him being awarded MOTM for his brace he really doesn’t even need any help though and thus should walk into the side on Wednesday                                         
 

Substitutes

Florian Muller – GK - OVR 76>>81                                                                                                                                                                                            
As far as goalkeeping performances go, they don’t come much better than Mullers. The German stopper made a total of eight saves, which included a penalty save during Freiburg's narrow 2-1 win over Stuttgart. There is no doubt that the game would have been completely different without the input from Muller and this is shown with a perfect 1 match rating from Kicker.
                                                                                                                                            
Moussa Niakhate – CB - OVR 75>>81                                                                                                                                                                      
One of the biggest shocks this weekend came with Mainz recording just their second win of the season when playing against second placed Leipzig. Central defender Niakhate became the hero, scoring two of Mainz’s three goals during the surprise 3-2 home win, a result which they will hope can help to spur them out of the relegation zone.
                                                                                                                                                                          
James Maddison – CAM - OVR 81>>84                                                                                                                                                                              
Leicester have picked up some real form as of late which is only gaining traction as they continue to climb the table with an impressive 2-0 win over Chelsea. Maddison is a large part of their good form as he looks to be back at his best with several important goals over the past few weeks. He scored the second Leicester goal on Tuesday after Ndidi picked up an early opener and claimed MOTM with a 9/10 for doing so. Going from Pogba’s inclusion last week this should easily be enough for him.      
    
Mattia Zaccagni – CAM - OVR 75>>81                                                                                                                                                                            
Verona recorded a shock 3-1 win over Napoli on Sunday, a result which leaves them just behind the top seven. Zaccagni was the main man from the match, scoring once and assisting another. It was a performance that saw Gazzetta award him an 8/10 which was the joint highest of the week from the division.                                                                                                                                                                                                            
Andrej Kramaric – CF - OVR 82>>84                                                                                                                                                                                        
The Bundesliga offered a ridiculous number of suggestions for this week’s side. Especially with the division playing twice. Those that claimed POTW really shouldn’t be missing out though. Kramaric was awarded the honor from midweek after scoring twice during Hoffenheim’s 3-0 win over Hertha Berlin.                                                                                                                                                                                                               
Borja Mayoral – ST - OVR 76>>81                                                                                                                                                                                  
Mayoral was snubbed recently from TOTW but after another two goals for Roma this week he once again stands a good chance. There were only a few striker options this week, many of which scored twice but I feel that with limited options from Italy that Mayoral could be the one who gets the nod.                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
Simeone Zaza – ST - OVR 77>>81                                                                                                                                                                                
Although Torino failed to pick up all three points against Benevento, Zaza’s brace allowed them to come away with something and with a lack of strikers available once again this week a 7.5 from Gazzetta probably won’t be overlooked.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Reserves

Cristian Romero – CB - OVR 73>>81                                                                                                                                                                    
I’m not entirely sure how this IF will work with Romero featuring in silver stars previously, but I would imagine it would go from his 74 rated item rather than his base 73. Either way, the Argentine easily deserves a spot in the side after a very strong performance from himself and his side Atalanta saw them come away with a convincing 3-0 win over AC Milan. Romero both scored and assisted in the match, seeing him awarded an 8/10.    
                                                                    
Josan – RB - OVR 70>>78                                                                                                                                                                                    
There were a few non gold defenders in with a shout of making TOTW and as is usually the case I will give preferential treatment to those in the main leagues. Josan scored twice for Elche in their 2-2 draw with Valladolid and it is rare that you will see a defender with two goals miss out from the top five leagues.                                                                                                                                                                                               
Hali Akbunar – LM - OVR 68>>76                                                                                                                                                                                      
There were a couple of options from Turkey this weekend, but I find it unlikely that they will be awarded more than one and thus I have opted for Akbunar over Mensah simply due to being a silver, something which we were few and far between of this week. Akbunar claimed a perfect 10 from Whoscored after scoring twice and assisting another during a 4-0 home win for Goztepe.  
                                                                                                                                  
Phillip Hosiner – ST - OVR 67>>76
It's been a long time since we have seen a Hosiner IF and way back in his Austrian Wien days his IF’s were among the usable silver ones he had. Times have changed though and his two goal and two assists this weekend in the third division of Germany will see a discard gold item arrive. He was named player of the week and with not many hat tricks occurring is an obvious choice.

Ghoochannejhad – ST - OVR 67>>76                                                                                                                                                                                      
The Eredivisie hat tricks just keep on coming. Last week saw three Dutch league players make the cut and a hat trick missing out. Ghoochannejhad adds to the run of IF’s from the division after scoring all three of Zwolle’s goals during a 3-1 away win.