TOTS Bundesliga Predictions

The third league on the agenda is the Bundesliga. Often an underused league in FIFA but with more inclusions into TOTY recently, largely thanks to Munich. It seems to be getting some more traction. Munich also dominates this side but with gems such as Haaland, Wamangituka, Upamecano and Kostic, there is much more to get excited about than just Munich.
 

Goalkeeper

Manuel Neuer – GK - OVR 89>>95
It’s brilliant to see Neuer back at his best after struggling with injuries for a few seasons. There is no debate about the best keeper while he remains fit though with the German offering something extra to many other keepers with his somewhat sweeper ability. He is the top-rated keeper on Kicker despite Munich having only the fifth best defensive record, conceding 36 in 28, which in comparison to others at the top of their retrospective leagues is not great. Neuer has still excelled though and without him, that record would be significantly worse

Defenders

Angelino – LWB - OVR 80>>90
Leipzig has managed to maintain the best defensive record in the division with just 23 goals being conceded from the 28 games they have played. Angelino could easily be classified as a LM but with Kicker listing him as a LWB I am going to predict that EA will follow suit. Not only has the Spaniard been crucial for the defence but also going forward providing both four goals and four assists. When it comes to defender’s Angelino has the highest average Kicker rating at 2.81 which when you consider that 1 is the best with 5 being the worst that’s a very high average for a defender, to put it into comparison Lewandowski’s average is 2.46.

Willi Orban – CB - OVR 79>>91
I would go as far as saying that Orban has been the best CB in the Bundesliga this season, which is a bold claim in a division from which many youngsters have shone. Orban has used his experience to help guide what is a young Leipzig defence to the best defensive record in the league though. With many of those youngsters now linked with transfers away, while others have already signed, Leipzig will be more than happy to see that Orban has put pen to paper and signed another deal with the club. Additionally, with Orban's defensively displays he also offers a threat at the other end of the pitch with four goals and one assist.

Dayot Upamecano – CB - OVR 79>>92
I could have used the entire Leipzig defence from what has been a superb display from them throughout. Like many other youngsters that perform well in the Bundesliga, the Frenchman will be joining Munich over the summer, which has been a well justified decision based on his performances. I would say however that Upamecano has been somewhat outperformed by defensive partner Orban for large parts of the season but with the hype surrounding him and the fact his FIFA card is very good, there is no way that EA will not include him, making him the third Leipzig defender to make the side.

Guerreiro – LB - OVR 84>>92
With Guerreiro beginning the year as a LM he would become a very interesting LB on FIFA. The Portuguese international has excelled since making the move for Dortmund developing into a very capable defender. His attacking numbers do help with his selection as three goals and eight assists from LB is very attractive when it comes to selecting these sides and with Dortmund not really offering many options for TOTS with a disappointing season for them Guerreiro comes in as one of their best players after Haaland

Midfielders

Filip Kostic – LM - OVR 83>>92
Another player who could be classed as either a LWB or LM is Kostic. I’m going the other way with this one though and placing Kostic as a LM. Alongside Silva Kostic has been one of Frankfurts star players in their success. Regularly being named in Kicker’s TOTW while also picking up POTW on a number of occasions. In total, the Serbian has registered four goals and eleven assists from the left-hand side. With him being joint sixth overall on average Kicker ratings it shows just how influential he has been for the club this season.

Joshua Kimmich – CDM - OVR 88>>95
A place in TOTY shows just how highly rated Kimmich is in world football, which when you consider he plays a deep CDM role shows just how good he is. Although it seems like Kimmich has done it all he is still just 26 years of age and thus now entering his prime years. He was one of the first players in my side here and with ten assists his creativity from a deep role really helps Munich shine. He is joint third in the assist rankings and that’s from CDM. I would expect the German to continue entering both TOTY and TOTS for the next five years at least with his talent showing no signs of slowing down.

Thomas Muller – CAM - OVR 86>>94
Muller’s 86 rating coming into the season caused a lot of uproar with the German providing a crazy number of assist in the previous season, but you have to remember that he is coming away from scoring goals and turning into more of a provider. Once again this has been the case with Muller leading the assist total with 16 but what is perhaps more surprising is that he also has 10 goals. That’s 26 goal contributions for the 31-year-old who continues to hold down his spot in Munich’s side convincingly. 

Serge Gnabry – LM - OVR 85>>94
Gnabry could go down as either a RM or a LM with an equal number of matches played in each position but the majority of his success has come while playing down the left-hand side and thus I believe that is where EA will select him. Although the German has a lot of competition for his position with the starting eleven coming down to a fan vote I can’t see him missing out. Although Gnabry has played somewhat of a rotation role with nine goals and one assist he has still been one of Munich’s main wide players and will likely get the nod ahead of both Sane and Coman for this side.

Forwards

Robert Lewandowski – ST - OVR 91>>97
Lewandowski was robbed of a Ballon D’or due to the suspension of football during coronavirus with the decision to suspend the award being made. Should Poland make a push during Euro 2020 I believe that he still has a chance to pick up the 2021 award. As for TOTS Lewandowski is as certain as they get with a miraculous 35 goals being scored from 25 matches for Munich, making him the top goal scorer in the division by quite some distance. Bayern now looks set to lift the title after a hard-fought battle at the top and that is largely down to the brilliance of Lewandowski.

Erling Haaland – ST - OVR 84>>95
Another player who needs little introduction is Haaland. For the past two seasons, he has been setting the league alight with the Norwegian storming onto the scene with Dortmund while maintaining an absurd goalscoring record for them. With 21 goals and five assists to his name during the 2020/21 campaign, the 20-year-old continues to break records. He is now heavily linked with a move away from Germany with City being the favourites and should he make the move I would expect him to dominate world football with the likes of Mbappe for years to come.

Substitutes

Koen Casteels – GK - OVR 83>>91
The substitute keeper was significantly more difficult than Neuer to select with numerous keepers standing out. Wolfsburg has excelled this season though and if they do manage to hold onto a third-place finish, they are likely to pick up a fair few TOTS items. There are not that many options for the club though and thus the likes of Casteels is an easy one to sneak in. Wolfsburg maintains one of the best defensive records in the division while Casteels is also among the best average ratings for a keeper this season. Mixing the two together he looks to be a good bet to make the cut.

Matthias Ginter – CB - OVR 82>>90
A central defender from a side placed eighth with the tenth best defensive record in the division is not what you would expect in this sort of side, especially with just one goal and one assist. Ginter has excelled for the second consecutive season at the back for Gladbach though and there’s a good reason as to why you will see him selected in the majority of predictions. Reports of a 50 million bid from Inter was turned down by Gladbach and with a contract renewal, it's obvious how much he means to the club and without him at the back things could have been significantly worse for the German outlet.

Leon Goretzka – CM - OVR 84>>93
Goretzka has played fewer games than the majority in this predicted squad which does put him at a slight risk but in the 17 games, he has started for Munich this season I am confident that his performances justify a position in this side. With both five goals and five assists, the German has been more involved offensively than previous years and this has helped him to stand out in the division. Kicker actually has him as second in the overall ratings, showing the importance he has had to the side, despite other midfielders for the club all impressing.

Silas Wamangituka – RM - OVR 70>>89
There has been a fair few breakthrough seasons in the Bundesliga during the 2020/21 campaign but Wamangituka’s has perhaps been the most impressive. The 21-year-old Stuttgart winger has managed to score 11 times while also recording four assists for Stuttgart this season. An injury has cut his campaign short, but he has already done more than enough to be included in the side for me. He has picked up interest from all over Europe but looks set to sign a new contract with Stuttgart. I do expect a high profile move for him should he continue his form once back from injury though.

Marcel Sabitzer – CM - OVR 83>>90
All of the central three from Leipzig make a case for inclusion in this side although I believe it can be narrowed down to either Sabitzer or Nkunku. I debated this one for a while but in the end, went for Sabitzer as EA obviously already rate him highly seeing as he picked up a TOTY nominee. The Austrian has recorded seven goals and two assists for the club this season and although those statistics don’t beat other competitors for this side you only have to watch him play to see his influence on the side.

Lars Stindl – CAM - OVR 80>>91
Although Gladbach has somewhat disappointed in the Bundesliga this season there have still been a few players who have managed to stand out for them. Stindl is one of those, with an impressive 12 goals and six assists from a CAM role. The German also managed to pick up a POTM award which with him not being a desirable FUT card nor being a big name shows how well he has been performing.  Will we see all three selected Gladbach players feature? That is up for debate but Stindl has a strong chance.

Andre Silva – ST - OVR 79>>92
We have seen the obvious Lewandowski and Haaland dominate in the Bundesliga this season, but Silva has gone under the radar at just 25 years of age the Portuguese striker is likely to be snapped up over the summer with links to both Manchester United and Barcelona being made. What is perhaps even more surprising is the fact that he has more domestic goals than Erling Haaland with 23 from 26. These stats have helped propel Frankfurt into European contention with the club currently sitting up in fourth. Obviously, both Haaland and Lewandowski will feature in the main eleven but should the squad have only been 11 players Silva would have made a huge claim to snub Haaland

Reserves

Ridle Baku – RWB - OVR 72>>88
We were given a big indication on EA’s stance with Baku with the Wolfsburg man making their shortlist for the community TOTS. With Baku being a silver item, I don’t expect him to be selected for that side and thus is very likely to go on and make Bundesliga TOTS in my eyes. The youngster has played both RB and RW rolls this season, with a mixture of both positions being played I can see EA opting for a RWB role. I have already mentioned Wolfsburg’s defensive record but with six goals and four assists on top of those statistics, Baku is a must for this team.

Jonas Hofmann – CAM - OVR 77>>89
The hardest part about this prediction is where Hofmann will be classified as playing with no less than eight positions being operated in during the Bundesliga season, despite only featuring in 19 matches to date. Although that figure is also quite low with five goals and ten assists during that time, he becomes very difficult to ignore. I have opted for a CAM role simply due to it being a rough guide of his overall play but alternatively, we could see a RM/RW role opted for. One way or another I would expect to see Hofmann featuring though.

Daichi Kamada – CAM - OVR 76>>89
The third and final player from Frankfurt to make my side is Kamada. Coming into the season very few would have expected Frankfurt to compete at the top but over the past couple of seasons, they have managed to develop into a very dangerous side. Kamada has recorded five goals and ten assists for them this season and has played a very creative role for them and is perhaps a big reason as to why Silva has managed to score as many goals as he has. Only three players from Frankfurt is modest considering what they have achieved but the three I have selected I am very confident on.

Andrej Kramaric – CF - OVR 82>>91
Kramaric does not get the respect he deserves for his performances for Hoffenheim this season, playing in just 23 matches the Croatian has managed 14 goals and three assists and without him, they would have likely been in a relegation battle. I have not seen many predictions that include him but when you consider that his average rating is higher than that of Haalands surely, he must make the official side?

Wout Weghorst – ST - OVR 81>>91
Wolfsburg has seriously impressed this season, currently sitting in third position behind both Munich and Leipzig. This has largely been down to their defence which is the second best in the division. Weghorst however has been crucial at the other end of the field scoring 18 of their 49 goals this season while also providing seven assists. This means that the Dutch striker has been directly involved in over half of Wolfsburg’s goals while also being the fourth highest scorer in the division. He has always been a talented goal scorer, but this is by far his most successful season to date, at least while in Germany.