TOTW 28 Predictions

It looks to be a good week to be a Headliner owner with Fabinho, Goretzka and Ings all looking likely to receive another upgrade, outside of that however there’s no hiding from the fact the side looks awful. Thankfully with a strong current promo there is other content to look forward to!
 

Goalkeeper

Kevin Trapp – GK - OVR 83>>85
As far as punts go this one is right up there, not only am I predicting what EA will do but also Kicker. Both keepers and Bundesliga options were few are far between this weekend and thus I am gambling on the keeper which Kicker select as their keeper of the week. I can see that being Trapp after Frankfurt managed to beat Dortmund 2-1 with Trapp making a total of four saves to ensure they took all three points. Honestly, though this could be anyone.

Defenders

Marcos Acuna – LB - OVR 83>>85
Looking at the predicted IF stats on Acuna if anything it will just make those who opted against the showdown SBC feel that much worse about not doing him with the IF’s pace being a major turn off for most. Either way, he will likely be making the side on Wednesday after he scored the only goal of the game in Sevilla’s impressive 1-0 win over league leaders Atletico Madrid, making the title race even tighter between the top four sides.

Benjamin Mendy – LB - OVR 81>>86
I almost snubbed Mendy with the Frenchman not being awarded MOTM but considering the match, I simply couldn’t ignore him. Mendy scored the opening goal and helped defensively throughout as City continued their dominance of the division with a 2-0 win over Leicester.

Denzel Dumfries – RB - OVR 79>>84
Although Pena was named Eredivisie player of the week with an impressive 8.5 from VI I can’t see him making it into a highly competitive reserves section this week. Instead, we have another decently rated option with Dumfries picking up a 7.5 for his goal in PSV’s 3-0 win. With a lack of obvious defenders, this should work in the Dutchman’s favour and thus seeing him awarded a SIF.

Midfielders

Leon Goretzka – CM - OVR 84>>88
The first of potentially three headliner upgrades we could see this week is Goretzka. Munich played a top of the table clash with Leipzig this weekend which both teams would have placed a lot of pressure on. Munich was the side to come out on top with Goretzka scoring the only goal of the game. We could easily see one of the defenders get in should EA decide Goretzka is too close to his previous IF but with no Kicker ratings available this seems like the sensible decision to me.

Fabinho – CM - OVR 87>>88
Just like last week many will be calling for an IF Jota and although yes, he was brilliant there are factors pointing against him and thus, I don’t expect him to be included. Instead, I expect Fabinho to be the Liverpool player. The Brazilian was back in the middle of the park instead of a CB role he has played in parts this season and looked significantly more comfortable while back in midfield. Liverpool recorded an impressive 3-0 win over Arsenal and looked back to their best with Fabinho being named MOTM and thus I expect him to make it over a Jota with only a few weeks gap despite scoring twice.

Benjamin Andre – CDM - OVR 80>>85
I wanted to include Fonte as my player from Lille but with a recent IF from him, the decision is made significantly more difficult. Half of L’equipe’s side was Lille players but none received more than a 7/10 which makes the decision very difficult. I fully expect there to be one though after they recorded a 1-0 win over PSG in a top of the table clash which could well have decided the title with it now being Lille’s to lose. Andre was crucial in the middle of the park helping to stop PSG’s attack.

Marcus Thuram – RM - OVR 80>>83
With no Bundesliga ratings due to the Easter holidays this week my job was made significantly more difficult. One player that was easy to pick however was Thuram. The Frenchman scored both Gladbach goals as they recorded a 2-1 home win over Freiburg, which in a low scoring week in Germany will inevitably put him amongst the highest ratings

Forwards

Gerard Moreno – ST - OVR 83>>88
Moreno has been nothing short of magnificent the past few months with the striker scoring practically week in week out. There is some doubt cast around this IF after the Spaniard recently picked up a MOTM card but with him scoring a hat trick this weekend I simply couldn’t ignore him, especially with it getting difficult to find options towards the end.

Danny Ings – ST - OVR 80>>85
It looked to be running away from Southampton, who fell two behind to Burnley early on, but an inspired team performance saw them not only recover a point but also to take all three with a 3-2 win. Both Danny Ings and Redmond scored once and assisted another, but it was Ings who went on to claim MOTM with a 9/10 match rating. That alongside a headliner upgrade makes me believe that Ings will be making TOTW 28.

Iago Aspas – ST - OVR 84>>88
Aspas received his second IF for a single assist which as a striker is a rarity. It does however mean I am more than comfortable predicting his TIF for less than I would usually take. The Spaniard was involved in all three Celta Vigo goals, scoring once and assisting another two as they went on to beat Aalves 3-1 away from home. Nolito is the other option with a goal and an assist but I feel Aspas is the favourite here.

Substitutes

Marco Silvestri – GK - OVR 77>>81
Once again goalkeepers were difficult to predict and although I dislike opting for a Serie A option in net due to them seemingly never making it. Silvestri was the only realistic option I had noted down. The Italian made a total of five saves to keep Verona’s clean sheet in their 2-0 away win over Cagliari.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo – RB - OVR 76>>81
Napoli played out a seven-goal thriller against Crotone with the former coming out on top 4-3. There was no obvious IF with a seven being the highest match rating from Gazzetta but with both a goal and an assist from RB I find it difficult to overlook Di Lorenzo.

Trezeguet – LW - OVR 75>>81
Despite dropping off in form over the past couple of months, largely due to the absence of Grealish, Aston Villa still have an outside chance of qualifying for Europe. Fulham opened the deadlock in the second half but late goals from Trezeguet in both the 78th and 81st minutes turned the game around before Watkins finished off the match late on securing all three points via a 3-1 win.

Matheus Pereira – LM - OVR 76>>81
It was all going to plan in the early stages of Chelsea v WBA with Chelsea gaining an expected early lead but a Thiago Silva red card in the first half turned the match on its head with WBA taking advantage of the extra man to run away with a 5-2 win. Pereira has been snubbed of an IF a few times but with two goals and two assists to his name this week it is inevitable that Wednesday will be his time.

Luis Muriel – ST - OVR 79>>86
Despite Muriel’s live item only reaching the heights of 84 the Colombian is still a more than usable card. We could now be in line for another upgrade, although not to the live item but in the form of a TIF. That is after he scored twice in Atlanta’s 3-2 home win over Udinese while claiming a 7.5 from Gazzetta for doing so.

Kasper Dolberg – ST - OVR 79>>82
There were only a few candidates from Ligue 1 this week with Dolberg being the only one I could fit in easily. Due to that I fully expect him to be one of the substitute forwards after he scored twice for Nice in a 2-1 away win over Nantes. L’equipe awarded his performance with an 8/10 which was the joint highest of the week.

Patson Daka – ST - OVR 76>>81
No matter what Daka seems to achieve EA somehow always snub the striker, he has featured in numerous predictions now but is still yet to receive an IF. TOTW 28 should finally be the week he gets in though after scoring all three Salzburg goals in their 3-1 home win, taking the Zambian’s tally to 23 in 19

Reserves

Ladislav Krej – CDM - OVR 71>>78
There are bizarrely two Slavia Prague players both with the exact name of Ladislav Krej with one playing as a CB and the other a CDM. They recorded a very convincing 7-2 win over Teplice this weekend as they continue to chase the impossible gap behind Slavia. Krej scored three of those seven making him a certainty for the upcoming TOTW.

Roberto Gonzalez – RM - OVR 67>>76
Las Palmas need a strong run of results to have any hope of reaching La Liga once again and they will be hoping that this 6-1 win at home to Lugo will be the momentum they need to make it happen. Roberto Gonzalez scored three times from RM during their Thursday fixture which hopefully won’t get lost within the international matches. With the lack of fixtures, I would fully expect him to make the team on Wednesday though.

Taxiarchis Fountas – CAM - OVR 72>>79
Continuing the theme of ridiculously high scoring matches we move on to Rapid Vienna, who traveled to Wolfsberger and came away with an 8-1 win. Various players got multiple goals or assists but it was Fountas who stood out, scoring three of those eight goals. He would make an interesting silver star, but I think he will make it as a low rated gold instead, especially with the current promo going on.

Aaron Hunt – RM - OVR 73>>79
An Aaron Hunt hat trick gave Hamburg a three-goal lead as they chase first placed Bochum in the second tier of Germany. It wasn’t enough though with Hannover managing to level the score at 3-3 and as a result a four-point gap is now between the two sides. Hunt should have done enough to still remain in EA’s side though as after all what more could he have done?

Antonio Sanabria – ST - OVR 74>>80
If the title wasn’t already out of Juventus’s hands it surely is now. The Old Lady dropped even more points this weekend as they only managed a 2-2 draw with Torino. Sanabria was named POTW in Italy with an 8/10 from Gazzetta and with all other hat tricks coming deeper on the pitch I can see his two goals being enough for him to secure the fifth reserve spot.