TOTW 28 Predictions

International weeks are always tricky to predict and this was no different. Unfortunately, it is not as strong as we often see from the internationals however there are still multiple usable options present in the side with Bale, Alba, Tchoumeni and Navas all featuring. Plus, if EA really wanted to Messi, Diaz and Neymar could all be forced in although that really is a push.

Goalkeeper

Keylor Navas – GK - OVR 88>>90
Top placed Canada was unbeaten heading into a match that was must win for Costa Rica and their hopes of World Cup qualification. Despite Canada being the favourites Costa Rica managed a 1-0 win. Goalscorer Borges is not in the game and thus we must look elsewhere as is often the case Navas looks set for an international break IF. Despite only making three saves his performance means that Costa Rica are still in with a shout with just two games remaining

Defenders

Kieran Tierney – CB - OVR 80>>83
A makeshift back three of Tierney, Hanley and Mctominay is what Scotland opted for against Poland this weekend and although they were without Lewandowski, I wouldn’t have held my hopes high going into that one. A respectable 1-1 draw is what was accomplished though and with Tierney grabbing the goal we could be in for an interesting positional change come Wednesday.

Jordi Alba – LB - OVR 86>>88
I have decided to take a couple of punts on the defenders with very few options being available. One of those punts is Alba, the Spaniard would make the TOTW more appealing and with an assist during Spain's 2-1 win over Albania I have seen worse inclusions from EA.

Luke Shaw – LWB - OVR 84>>86 
The real question is, is it an international TOTW without an England player? Often, they don’t deserve to be there but practically always get included. This is perhaps another scenario where we will see that in practice with Shaw scoring the first of England’s two goals as they recorded a 2-1 win over Switzerland

Midfielders

Milot Rashica – LW - OVR 77>>84
Despite being one of the newer nations in international football Kosovo has recorded some impressive results from their small history. It’s perhaps their dominance over the smaller nations which is more impressive though and a 5-0 win over Burkina Faso this week can be added to that list. Rashica looks set for inclusion in TOTW after scoring once and assisted another two in said win.

De Paul – CDM - OVR 82>>84
It’s been a long wait for the De Paul OTW upgrade but the wait could finally be over on Wednesday with the Argentine midfielder providing two assists during a 3-0 win over Venezuela to maintain their unbeaten record in the group stage. Messi was named MOTM although for just one goal as a striker I can’t see him being included. ADM is another option having one goal and one assist off the bench but I feel as though Paul edges it there.

Aurelien Tchouameni – CM - OVR 79>>86
Although Tchouameni is somewhat of a fringe option with clear ratings available from L’equipe for France’s 2-1 win over Ivory Coast it increases his chances. The Frenchman was awarded a 7/10 as he scored the winner in the 93rd minute to secure the friendly win for France. With not many strong options this week it gives EA a chance to boost the side.

Christian Pulisic – LW - OVR 82>>84
A late addition to the side comes with Pulisic after his hat trick practically confirmed USA’s qualification to the World Cup with a 5-1 home win over Panama. He won’t be close to his freeze card but at least it gives players who missed out on his SBC a chance to use an upgraded version of him.

Otavio – RM - OVR 81>>86
There were a couple of surprises during the World Cup qualifier matches but this was not one of them with Portugal securing their place via a 3-1 win over Turkey. Otavio is the obvious selection from the match having scored once and assisted another. With it being likely that all of these matches see a player feature he is one of the easiest selections this week.

Forwards

Gareth Bale – ST - OVR 82>>84
Wales secured their spot for the 2022 Qatar World cup via a 2-1 win over Austria and of course, it was their talisman, Gareth Bale that allowed them to do so. Scoring both their goals, one of which was a simply magnificent freekick. His recent live card won’t be enough to deter this IF, especially with the rating gap being so significant.

Steven Bergwijn – ST - OVR 80>>85
A second IF for Bergwijn looks set to be on the ay and once again it comes while he is being played as a ST which starts to ask the question of where he is at his best? In a game that saw Eriksen make his return to international football and score just two minutes later, the Netherlands recorded a 4-2 win. Bergwijn scored two of those four and although Ake would be easy to include with a lack of defensive options being present realistically it will be Bergwijn who gets the nod.

Substitutes

Guillermo Ochoa – GK - OVR 80>>83
USA v Mexico was a huge fixture this week with a lot of importance and it was always likely to be a close affair. 0-0 was the eventual result with neither side really wanting to commit themselves with the fear of losing. That being said Ochoa did make several top saves to keep the scores level and with goalkeepers always being difficult during international breaks he is a strong candidate for a TOTW inclusion.

Sam Stubbs– CB - OVR 62>>72
Exeter’s latest three points during their quest for promotion came via a 2-1 win at home to Stevenage. The goals came from an unlikely source however with Stubbs scoring both the goals from CB. The result leaves them just four points off the top of the table while also being five points ahead of the play off zone. A good position to be in with just a few games remaining.

Kaoru Mitoma – LM - OVR 73>>82
A vital match between Japan and Australia which ultimately was the game to decide automatic qualification to the World Cup was as closely contested as you would imagine for the most part. That was until Japan made the decision to bring Mitoma on for Minamino. The Japanese winger then went on to score twice and in turn secured Japanese qualification while also putting them into first with one game to play via a 2-0 away win over Australia.

Levi Garcia – RW - OVR 75>>81
There is limited coverage of this one to say the least but what I do know is that Garia scored three times during a convincing 9-0 win for Trinidad when they hosted Barbados. I don’t even know the position of Garcia and thus I have used the base card to simply guess. Hopefully, EA doesn’t miss this one and it will be easily done.

Jae Sung Lee – CM - OVR 75>>81
Both South Korea and Iran have dominated the group stage with the two standing a remarkable 12 points clear of third placed UAE, which when you consider only nine games have been played is a colossal tally. It was an important fixture however seeing as it was likely to determine which side would top the group. Korea came out on top with a 2-0 win and Jae Sung Lee provided both the assists. Central defender Gwon Kim scored but with Sung Lee being gold I can see EA giving the preference his way.

Chris Wood – ST - OVR 79>>82
New Zealand recorded an expected comfortable victory over New Caledonia coming out on top as 7-1 winners on Thursday. A score line like that usually makes for an easy inclusion however with multiple subs and many not in the game there are only a few that can physically be included. Wood is one of those and with two goals to his name he is actually one of the stronger gold forward options this week.

Uros Durdevic – ST - OVR 75>>81
You have to give them competitive domestic fixtures the preference over Internation friendlies in these scenarios in my honest opinion and thus Durdevic should be a lock for the upcoming TOTW. The Montenegrin striker scored twice and assisted another for Gijon as they recorded a 4-1 home win on Saturday

Reserves

Will Smith – CB - OVR 62>>72
Harrogate managed a 3-0 win this weekend with Smith scoring two of those three goals, although under normal circumstances two silver defenders is a push, we saw a ridiculous number during the last international break so it's not something that’s unrealistic. Smith looks to be quite a good silver card too.

Sergio Camello – CAM - OVR 66>>75
One of the few leagues in action this week was the second division in Spain and as is often the case during international weeks I expect to see one IF from their matches. Camello is seemingly the obvious candidate after the Spaniard scored twice and assisted another from CAM as Mirandes recorded a 3-1 home win.

Aleksandar Trajkovski – LM - OVR 68>>77
We have all seen it by now but North Macedonia beat all odds to knock out the reigning European Championship winners Italy via a last-minute goal to win 1-0. Trajkovski was the man to score, with a strike from outside the box being the difference between the two sides. Goalkeeper Dimitrievski also stands a chance but under the circumstances, I find it difficult to ignore the goal scorer.

Wilson Morelo – ST - OVR 71>>78
We have seen some major inconsistencies when it comes to EA using these Conembol cards for TOTW inclusions with only a couple going on to make it despite many more deserving a place. With a week full of players gaining entry for a singular goal I am more than happy to take the punt with Morelo here. The Colombian scored three times on Tuesday, helping Santa Fe to a 3-1 home win.

Robin Quaison – ST - OVR 74>>80
Much like the inclusion of Trajkovski, Quaison gets the nod solely due to the importance of his goal, scoring the only goal of the match as Sweden beat the Czech Republic 1-0 AET. The goal saw Sweden qualifying for the Qatar 2022 World Cup and with a lack of reserve options anyway I can’t see any reason as to why Quaison gets snubbed here.