TOTW 7 Predictions

This week saw hat trick after hat trick with no less than six players having to be ignored despite scoring three times. Although there is potential for an IF Ronaldo I have opted against it and instead have the likes of Angel Di Maria, Carrasco and a SIF Vinicius Junior headlining the side.
 

Goalkeeper

Kevin Trapp – GK - OVR 82>>86
The first of three players selected to gain a SIF this week is Kevin Trapp. Bundesliga as a whole was a very difficult division to select from with next to nobody even remotely close to the side. Trapp fills not only this but a lack of obvious goalkeeper options too. In total the German made five saves in order to keep the scores level as Frankfurt took a point off Leipzig via a 1-1 draw.
 

Defenders

Reece James – RWB - OVR 81>>84
Chelsea took a convincing lead at the top of the table this weekend with both Manchester City and Liverpool dropping points while the blues continue to impress with a comfortable 3-0 win over Newcastle. James scored both the first and the second from a RWB role before a Jorgino penalty put the game beyond reach. James went on to receive an 9/10 match rating to solidify his spot in this side.

Gabriel – CB - OVR 79>>82
A lot of you will be expecting Ramsdale from Arsenal for what was a magnificent performance and yes, he does deserve to be in for his nine saves however with Ramsdale being a silver option it becomes so difficult for him to be included and thus I would expect to see Gabriel instead. The Brazilian is still a strong candidate after scoring one of Arsenal’s two goals during a 2-0 win over Leicester as they climb to fifth in the table after being mocked during the early stages of the campaign. 

Simon Kjaer – CB - OVR 83>>85
It’s a rarity that a defender makes the cut without an offensive contribution these days and even less likely when there is no clean sheet either. That is what I am predicting with Kjaer this week though. The Danish defender was superb for Milan at the back this weekend during their 2-1 win over Roma. The 8/10 Gazzetta awarded him really stands out in terms of options despite having nothing else to his name on paper.

Midfielders

Vinicius Junior – LW - OVR 80>>85
Now that we have seen a SIF occur, we have a base rate of what EA are going to accept this year of 5 weeks. Vinicius is set to become another week 1 IF to pick up a second after he scored twice for Madrid as they beat Elche 2-1 away from home. Vinicius has always looked to be a talented player but it was his finishing which let him down. He now looks to have improved that area and looks set to become one of the best wingers around as a result.

Angel Di Maria – RW - OVR 87>>88
Both PSG options this week are big name players with ADM and Marquinhos both receiving an 8/10 from L’equipe. I feel as though with a recent RTTK card the way of the Brazilian alongside ADM doing more on paper that it will end up going the way of Di Maria though. The Argentine winger scored once and assisted another as PSG went on to beat Lille 2-1

Connor Gallagher – CM - OVR 74>>83
I am opting for something a little bit different here in terms of featured TOTW. With the reserves section being full of hat tricks it was impossible to then fit Gallagher into the side and with a silver star likely to be a rulebreaker option I just couldn’t bring myself to ignore Crystal Palace as a whole. If Gallagher was to the receive the featured TOTW spot it would result in the Palace midfielder taking up a gold spot instead, which I feel he deserves. Gallagher has been outstanding for Palace this season, a goal and an assist this weekend helped to record the biggest upset of the weekend, beating Manchester City 2-0.

Thomas Muller – CAM - OVR 87>>89
Now that we know SIF’s are being given out its time to test the game week limit. In the past it’s been a three-week gap which would let Muller be included but often towards the beginning of the game EA are strict on it. That being said after Muller was awarded POTW for his goal and three assists during Munich’s 5-2 win over Union Berlin it's difficult to go on and ignore him. Lewandowski’s brace is the other option but with the Polish striker managing that every week I feel that Muller is still the best option here.

Yannick Carrasco – LM - OVR 84>>86
The biggest debate surrounding Carrasco is his position with him seemingly playing a LWB role, in previous years EA have opted to keep him as a LM though and thus I am going down the same route here. Regardless of his position I would expect the Belgian to be included. That is after he scored once and assisted another to help Atletico to a 3-0 home win over Real Betis.

Forwards

Joaquin Correa – ST - OVR 81>>84
The next OTW in line to be upgraded is Correa after the Argentine scored both of Inter Milans goals in a 2-0 home win over Udinese. Correa was awarded MOTM with a strong 8/10 match rating from Gazzetta, practically confirming his inclusion in the side and has already over doubled in price on the transfer market.

Andy Delort – ST - OVR 81>>84
Either Delort or Diallo will likely end up featuring in TOTW 7 but with Delort still yet to receive a special item this year I feel that the sensible option is to opt for him. Both strikers received an 8/10 from L’equipe for their braces but Delort looks to be the stronger option of the two for the above and the fact one of his goals was a magnificent strike.

Substitutes

Matthew Ryan –GK - OVR 77>>81
There were two ways I could have gone for the Sociedad IF with both Ryan and Elustondo standing out. Goalkeepers are often so difficult to select though and with Elustondo already picking up an IF this yea I felt the sensible decision was to go for Ryan. The Australian made six saves in total to keep his clean sheet, helping Sociedad to a 2-0 win away at Celta Vigo.

James Tavernier – RB - OVR 77>>81
Tavernier was somewhat of a fan favourite on last year's FIFA ad although he has a long way to go in terms of his FIFA card on 22, this is going to be the start of what could be a repeat of 21. Tavernier could have been included from either of his matches this week, first getting a goal and assist in a 2-2 draw. It’s the second match which ultimately secures his place however, with a goal and two assists during Rangers 6-1 away win over Motherwell.

Junya Ito – CM - OVR 77>>81
With 4-star week foot and skills Ito would have made an interesting featured TOTW option had he been playing his trade in a top five league but over in Belgium I doubt he will get anything more than a regular upgrade. He gets the inclusion after Genk cruised to a 6-2 win with Ito claiming a goal and two assists while also being awarded very high match ratings.

Lucas Zelarayan – CAM - OVR 76>>81
Although TOTW is awarded for individual games Zelarayan gets the inclusion over other options such as Diaz due to having two stand out performances this week. Scoring once and assisting another two during his midweek fixture Zelarayan was already on the radar but after topping off that performance with another two goals he then became impossible to leave out of the side.

Dusan Vlahovic – ST - OVR 78>>82
Another Serie A striker now, this time Gazzetta’s player of the week in Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic. The Serbian really stood out last season after scoring a lot of goals and was linked with several moves away but after opting to stay at Fiorentina he is continuing to score goals. He grabbed all three of their goals against Spezia as they ran away with a 3-0 home win.

Aleksandar Mitrovic – ST - OVR 75>>81
Mitrovic has been snubbed on a couple of occasions already but this time around surely must see him included. The Serbian is far too good for the Championship and added another three goals to his name, spearheading Fulham to a 3-0 win over WBA. Goals which take his total to 18 in just 15 appearances.

Carlos Vinicius – ST - OVR 77>>81
While playing his trade for Benfica Vinicius was always a prolific striker so to see his lack of gametime for spurs, despite them already having Harry Kane was a tad surprising. Now at PSV the Brazilian is getting the gametime but has struggled to find the net. On the seventh time of asking his performance has turned up, scoring twice and assisting another during PSV’s 5-2 home win over Twente. VI went on to award him MOTM with an 8/10 which should see him into TOTW 7

Reserves

Andrei Ivan – LW - OVR 68>>77
This was probably the most competitive reserves section I have ever seen and on a normal week there would have been at least 10 players would have walked into the side. As it stands players with even a hat trick and an assist are missing out. One player who won’t miss out however is Andrei Ivan. The Romanian managed to score four times from the wing as his side recorded a 5-2 home win as they continue the chase on first place.

Anthony Lozano – LM - OVR 74>>80
There are a few factors going against the inclusion of Lozano, first and foremost the fact that it was a Tuesday fixture. We saw Arango snubbed last week because of this and the amount of hat tricks available for selection but with Lozano being a top five league player rather than an MLS option I just can’t see him missing out. Cadiz also failed to win the match, another thing which goes against him. However, without the three goals from Lozano Cadiz would have walked away empty handed but largely thanks to him they managed a 3-3 draw. 

Bart Ramselaar – CAM - OVR 72>>79
The Dutch player of the week went the way of Utrecht’s Ramselaar this weekend after VI awarded him an impressive 8.5 rating. The Dutchman scored the first three Utretch goals during their eventual 5-1 home win over Willem and being a division with concrete ratings will end up helping him get the inclusion over other options I feel.

Paul Lewis – CAM - OVR 61>>71
The theme of hat tricks now continues for the remainder of the side, Lewis gets preference over others for me simply for being a midfielder. Northampton recorded a 3-0 win at home to Carlisle with the Englishman scoring all three of those goals from CAM, adding yet another English silver IF to the game.

Aaron Drinan – ST - OVR 61>>71
We have seen EA opt for two silver IF’s on numerous occasions now and this is another easy week for them to do so with Lewis, who is already mentioned and Drinan. The Leyton Orient striker put in one of the performances of the weekend after being directly involved in all five of their goals. Scoring three of his own and assisting the other two Drinan walks into this side.