TOTW18 Predictions

Starting Eleven

Last years league winners were hosts to the winners from the year before when Chelsea met Leicester on the weekend. In an incredibly tight game, neither team could edge out the opposition with the match ending in a 0-0 draw. Despite Chelsea’s best efforts, Schmeichel was simply too good on the day, pulling off a total of 7 saves and ensuring a clean sheet was kept.

FC Cologne were hosts were hosts to Borussia M’Gladbach for their Bundesliga fixture and in an incredibly tight game, it was the hosts who emerged as the 2-1 victors. Sorensen at RB is the player who gets the nod today, a goal and solid performance at the back could very well be enough.

West Brom were at home to Brighton for their weekend fixture and with the relegation battle really heating up, three points were something both sides really wanted. This time it was the hosts who secured the points, in a 2-0 victory it was the defensive line that scored both while keeping a clean sheet. Evans is the man who takes this spot, with a goal from the CB role.

Defenders can be tough to predict and we usually see EA through a couple in to simply pump up the quality in this area. Using this logic, we move onto our next match between Dortmund and Wolfsburg. The match ended 0-0, and while Sokratis may not have scored or assisted, the solid display may just be enough.

This next pick is a controversial one, and with Son being featured later in these predictions, it makes this selection even more of a long shot. Tottenham obliterated Everton 4-0, and Aurier with a clean sheet and an assist, gives himself a chance of squeezing in due to lack of competition from defenders elsewhere.

Over to the Bundesliga now where league leaders Bayern were away to Leverkusen. The match provided us with 4 goals, which sadly for Leverkusen were not split evenly. In a 3-1 win for Bayern, Rordriguez gets the selection today. With 1 goal, 1 assist and a fantastic performance, could we see this OTW card finally receive a boost?

West Ham were away to Huddersfield on the weekend and with the relegation battle really heating up, three points was once again a minimum requirement here. Luckily the whole team understood this and in a fantastic performance they left as 4-1 winners. Lanzini playing at CAM was fantastic on the day, scoring twice and taking the man of the match award.

Marseille were away to Rennes in Ligue 1, and once again it was the travelling side who stole the show. Thauvin is our selection from this match, after missing from the spot, he went on to score, assist and dominate the match. Could we be seeing a second Inform just in time for TOTY?

Tottenham played hosts to an out of form Everton on the weekend where in a dominating display and a 4-0 victory, it was once again Kane who stole the show. With him likely to be in this TOTY and with a POTM card currently up for grabs, it is unlikely to see him make the cut and hence we turn our attention to Son. With 1 goal and an assist, could we be seeing or lord return once more?

Unbeaten and according to most unbeatable Manchester City were away to Liverpool for their weekend fixture, where in a 7 goal thriller, the impossible finally happened. Liverpool took the game to the league leaders and in a 4-3 victory finally ended hopes of an unbeaten season. Chamberlain was the player who shined the brightest, scoring the first, assisting another and simply putting forward one hell of a performance.

Barcelona were on the road again for their La Liga match and after Real Sociedad took a 2-0 lead, things were looking bleak. A superb second half performance saw Barcelona win the game 4-2, with Suarez scoring twice and assisting a third. With it looking extremely unlikely he makes the TOTY, maybe a second Inform will be the next best thing.

Substitutes

Saint-Etienne were at home to Toulouse for their Sunday fixture in Ligue 1, and in a 2-0 victory for the hosts, it wasn’t those who scored the goals that ensured the win. Moulin, standing tall in goal, was the real hero of the night. With a total of 8 fantastic saves, he really ensured that the clean sheet was kept and that the home side took all 3 points.

Lille were away to Caen for their Ligue 1 fixture, and during their 1-0 triumph, there was one man who ensured they left with the points. With a total of 15 shots for the hosts and 7 saves for Maignan, the clean sheet was secured and hence he has rightfully earned his spot in these predictions.

Getafe were hosts to Malaga for their La Liga clash on Friday, and in a game consisting of a single goal, it was the Home side who took all the points. Cala at the back was the man of the hour, a clean sheet and the winning goal might just be enough to see him take his place in this week’s team.

Back to Portugal now where Boavista hosted Portimonense in the Liga Nos. in a comfortable 2-0 performance, Talocha at LB managed to not only keep a clean sheet but also got his name on the scoresheet to really help boost his chances this week.

Stuttgart were at home to Hertha Berlin for their Bundesliga clash on the weekend, and in a match of very few chances, a single goal won the game, an own goal. Kaminski however was extremely solid at the back for the hosts and due to this, he has his space in these predictions.

Cardiff were hosts to Sunderland in the second tier of English football and in a dominating performance they took all the points in a 4-0 victory. Paterson from the CM spot was the star of this show, scoring twice and controlling the midfield with ease.

Over to the Portuguese league now, where Tondela were hosts to Feirense. In a controlling performance, Tondela left as 3-1 winners with Murilo from the midfield scoring two of the three goals.

Southampton were away to Watford for their Premier League match and in a game of four goals, neither side could quite edge out a victory. Ward Prowse however did everything he could, and after scoring twice to put his side 2-0 up, he must be devastated to not take the three points.

Chaves were hosts to Vitoria De Guimaraes for their Friday night fixture and in a 7 goal thriller, it was the home side who took all the points. Goals were split evenly for Chaves, with Tiba scoring two from the spot and Davidson scoring two from open play.

Valencia were away to Deportivo for their weekend La Liga clash, and in a 2-1 victory we are left with two possible TOTW candidates. Both Guedes and Moreno secured a single goal and assist in the match, but as Guedes already has an Inform, our selection is with Moreno and his Path To Glory card.

Bournemouth were hosts to a struggling Arsenal for their weekend fixture and after going down 1-0 it looked like their weekend was going to be a poor one. Fate had other ideas though, and a struggling Arsenal found themselves with yet another loss after Bournemouth turned things around and picked up a 2-1 victory. Ibe was sensational, scoring one of the goals and bossing the attack.

Over to the Bundesliga now where Hannover were hosts to Mainz in a 5 goal thriller. Hannover took the points in a 3-2 victory, with one man scoring each and every goal for the hosts. With 2 from open play and 1 from the spot, Fullkrug secures his spot in this week’s predictions.