TOTW 1 Predictions

After an extended break from TOTW we are back ready for the hype to begin as we look ahead to the web app release on the 22nd and in turn a probable TOTW 1. With FP available from the get-go, I would expect to see a few big names and with easy selections such as Kimmich, Haaland and Martinez all making the side.
 

Goalkeeper

Yassine Bounou – GK - OVR 82>>84
We start off the bench with a keeper who stood out last campaign and once again is dominating between the sticks for Sevilla early on. It was a goalless draw when Sociedad hosted Sevilla on Sunday but had it have not been for the heroics of Bounou it would have been a different story. The Moroccan made a total of four saves with one being from the penalty spot in order to keep his clean sheet intact.

Defenders

David Garcia – CB - OVR 78>>82
Onto another Spaniard now with Garcia getting the nod from Osasuna. There were a lot of low scoring matches in La Liga this week which was always likely to then result in a defensive option or two. One of the better ones came with Garcia scoring one of Osasuna’s two goals in a 2-0 win over Alaves as they made it eight points from five.

Thiago Silva – CB - OVR 85>>86
Chelsea have looked very strong so far this season and have cemented themselves as one of the title favourites. A 3-0 win over Tottenham on Sunday only further demonstrated how far they have come as a team. There were a few options for who could receive the IF but with Silva claiming MOTM from practically every site possible I would be surprised if it was anyone other than him.

Jonathan Gradit – CB - OVR 75>>81
It’s been a strange start to the season for defending champions, Lille. Of whom after a 1-0 loss to Lens this weekend now sit in 15th with just five points from their opening six. Lens on the other hand have excelled and currently sit way up in third. Gradit seems to be a strong contender after picking up a 7/10 from L’equipe and with limited options from the division linked in with Lille being a big name I can see Gradit sneaking into this side.

Midfielders

Vinicius Junior – LM - OVR 80>>83
This could finally be the season that we see the best of Vinicius, the quality has been there to see in glimpses, but it has often been his finishing which lets him down. With five La Liga goals already this season he looks to be coming into his own. The Brazilian youngster gets the nod after his goal and assist helped Madrid to a 2-1 win over Valencia. There is also a chance that Vinicius gets nominated as the first featured TOTW player

Joshua Kimmich – CDM - OVR 89>>90
One of the big hitters this week comes from Germany with Munich recording a 7-0 demolition of Bochum it was inevitable that we would see at least one player featuring in the opening side. I feel that Kimmich has to be the favourite after being the only player to score more than once, while also playing in the deeper role of CDM. Sane also stands a chance with a goal and assist but I would be surprised if we saw more than just Kimmich in TOTW 1 from Munich.

Florian Wirtz – CAM - OVR 78>>82
The Bundesliga was a very straight forward decision after Kicker released their ratings with several 1.5’s. Wirtz was one of those after he scored once and assisted another during Leverkusen’s 3-1 away win over Stuttgart, putting them up to fourth in the table. Wirtz’s card last year was a mid-rated silver however I have reason to believe that he will be included as a base card going into 22.

David Neres – RW - OVR 79>>82
Another potential option for a featured TOTW inclusion however I feel that Neres falls down the pecking order simply for not playing in one of the top five divisions. Ajax could have half the side including in TOTW 1 though after recording a 9-0 win over Cambuur on Saturday. Neres looks to be the prime candidate with two goals and one assist but alternatively we could see central defender, Timber, of whom was outstanding throughout.

Ismaila Sarr – RM - OVR 78>>84
We are still not certain on what the featured TOTW players will bring in terms of numbers, but Sarr looks a very strong candidate to get one of the first ones. It was a battle of two promoted sides in Norwich and Watford with the visitors coming out on top with a 3-1 win. Sarr scored two of those three goals continuing his strong start to life in the top division. With his potential stats being promising and the fact he plays in the BPL I would expect him to be high on EA’s list for this new feature.

Forwards

Lautaro Martinez – ST - OVR 85>>86
With Inter Milan recording a 6-1 home win over Bologna they were always likely to pick up an IF but with four different goal scorers and Dzeko being the only one to score twice, however off the bench, there was no easy selection. Perhaps a single goal is pushing it for a Martinez IF considering his NIF rating but as we saw multiple times last season a high Gazzetta rating can seriously help your claim and with Martinez picking up an 8/10 it’s something he definitely has.

Erling Haaland – ST - OVR 88>>89
I think the main issue with Haaland is that he could feature almost every week and thus there is a chance that he will miss out on the opening side but with the announcement of FP’s being available from the get-go I can’t see why Haaland, who would sell packs on his own, won’t be included as a result. The Norwegian scored twice for Dortmund, spearheading them to a 4-2 win over Union Berlin.

Substitutes

Timo Horn – GK - OVR 76>>81
Both keepers seem pretty nailed on to me and although there will be claims for DDG, who did indeed save a last-minute penalty his performance as a whole simply does not compare to both Bounou and Horn. Horn was awarded player of the week in Germany for his performance in Koln’s 1-1 draw with Leipzig, making a total of eight saves to keep his side in the game.

John Egan– CB - OVR 75>>81
With Egan being a gold item this year he has the edge in terms of being selected for TOTW. Although he would have already been a strong contender as a silver with two goals to his name, he is practically nailed on while being a gold. Sheffield United came away with a 3-1 away win over Hull with Egan scoring both the second and third goals.

Pedro Rebocho – LB - OVR 75>>81
There were a lot of defenders performing to a high standard this week and thus although it is often rare to see a fifth gold defender is a side it does happen from time to time, and I feel that this week has a strong chance for exactly that. Rebocho playing for Poznan does not help his cause if one was to miss out however with one goal, one assist and a clean sheet, as a gold defender he really should be making EA’s side.

Jens Toornstra – CM - OVR 76>>81
The first of two inclusions from the Eredivisie, which is a rarity in itself, is Toornstra. You simply cannot ignore Feyenoord’s 4-0 away win over PSV though and with Toornstra being named MOTM after scoring two of those four goals he seems almost certain to be included on Wednesday.

Ivan Toney – ST - OVR 76>>81
Most including myself expected Bretford to struggle this season but so far, they have defied the odds, currently sitting up in the top half of the table. Mainly thanks to how well they are performing defensively but they continue to impress regardless. Their latest result was a 2-0 win over Wolves from which Toney scored once and assisted the other within.

Habib Diallo – ST - OVR 75>>81
Ligue 1 was a very difficult league for predicting this week with limited options coming from the division. One player who did stand out however, was Habib Diallo, of whom scored twice for Strasbourg as they recorded a 3-0 home win over Metz. With Diallo picking up an 8/10 from L’equipe for his performance.

Francesco Caputo – ST - OVR 78>>82
Both Caputo and Candreva can make a claim for a spot in this side, with Caputo scoring twice while Candreva managed both a goal and an assist in Sampdoria’s 3-0 away win over Empoli. Gazzetta gave Caputo the MOTM though and with limited strikers available to be I would expect Caputo to be given the nod.

Reserves

Yukhym Konoplya – RB - OVR 65>>75
Now this ones a bit out there considering that Konoplya was not involved in FIFA 21 and thus there is no guarantee that he will be in the new edition of the game, especially with no actual database released as of yet. The opening week always results in a lot of guesswork though and with three assists and a clean sheet during a 5-0 win if the Ukrainian is in the game he will feature without a doubt.

Fabio Vieira – CAM - OVR 72>>79
The only other player not in the database from FIFA 21 is Fabio Vieira. A youngster from Porto who has seen interest from some elite clubs in Europe, mainly Liverpool. He is already showing why that interest has occurred with a few top string performances for Porto. His latest saw him claim three assists as they went on to win 5-0.

German Berterame – RM - OVR 72>>79
The Mexican division is an interesting one this season so far with eight sides recording a maximum of one loss after the opening eight fixtures. With Club America being the only undefeated side. That has resulted in a lot of draws and thus 4-1 win for San Luis has been one of the more exciting results of the campaign thus far. Berterame nailed himself on for the opening side after being involved in all four of his side’s goals, with three for himself before setting up Waller for the fourth.

Douglas Vieira – ST - OVR 70>>78
Over to the J-League now where Brazilian striker, Douglas Vieira, managed to score all three of Hiroshima’s goals during their 3-0 away win in a midtable clash against Kashiwa. There were a lot of hat tricks this week from lower rated strikers but with the majority including penalty goals I feel that Vieira has the edge over many of them.

Douglas Vieira – ST - OVR 70>>78
We are yet to see if EA will operate under a similar format to last year when it comes to TOTW but with the only announcement being surrounding an additional feature I would imagine it would be similar. The only strong silver shout this week comes from Sweden after Turgott scored all three Ostersund goals in their 3-1 home win over Elfsborg