FIFA 18 arrives on Friday and we are buzzing. If you are fortunate enough to have early access you will have experienced the first Team of the Week on Ultimate Team, but this Wednesday the party really starts. It was an exciting weekend’s worth full of football across Europe, and with the fixtures slowly piling up, the season is almost in full flow.
In the Premier League, there were big wins for Manchester City (5-0 over Crystal Palace) and Chelsea (4-0 at Stoke) as the title race takes shape after six fixtures so far this season. Real Madrid’s slow start the season continued as they edged past Alaves in a 2-1 win, but there were no such struggles for Barcelona as they dispatched Girona 3-0. Over in France, the PSG train was finally stopped by Montpellier who held them out to a 0-0 draw, and in Germany Bayern Munich dropped point again in a 2-2 draw with Wolfsburg, whereas Borussia Dortmund swept aside Borussia Monchengladbach in a 6-1 thrashing.
RealSport takes a look at which eleven players could make FIFA 18’s Team of the Week after some superb performances.
Simon Mignolet (OVR 81 – 83)
Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet looks to have finally nailed down his place as their number one, and his penalty save against Leicester did him no harm. With the game at 3-2 in Liverpool’s favour, Mignolet brought down Vardy in the box, which was harshly given as a penalty. Vardy smashed the spot-kick by Mignolet stood tall and kept it out as The Reds held on for the three points. The Belgian Mignolet could see his overall jump up by two to 83 after that performance.
Cesar Azpilicueta (OVR 85 – 87)
One of the most consistent performers in the Premier League, Cesar Azpilicueta was surprisingly more influential going forward than in defence in Chelsea’s 4-0 win over Stoke. The Spanish centre back provided two assists for countryman Alvaro Morata, with the first a sublime pass over the top of the Stoke defence. Chelsea are now unbeaten in seven matches across all competitions, and things are starting to come together very nicely at Stamford Bridge. Azpilicueta’s performance is deserving of an overall increase of two to 87 this week.
Hilton (OVR 78 – 81)
How do you stop Paris Saint-Germain? Ask Montpellier centre back Hilton. The Brazilian and his teammates reduced PSG to just one shot on target as they put on a defensive masterclass. PSG were without the injured Neymar and Angel di Maria, but they still had Edinson Cavani, Kylian Mbappe and Julian Draxler in their side. The 40-year-old showed complete composure at the back, with a pass success rate of 93%, barely giving Paris a peak. Hilton should receive an in-form rating in the 80s this week, an increase on his 78-rated card of at least two.
Alex Sandro (OVR 86 – 87)
One of the best left backs in the world, Juventus man Alex Sandro was at it again in the 4-0 win over Torino. The Brazilian notched a goal to go with his clean sheet as Juve made it six wins out of six in Serie A so far this season. Sandro will need to maintain his performances if he wishes to go to the World Cup next summer, with both Marcelo (OVR 87) and Filipe Luis (OVR 85) ahead of him in the pecking order. His 86-rated gold card should just jump up one overall point to 87 this week.
Daniel Didavi (OVR 80 – 82)
Wolfsburg attacking midfielder Daniel Didavi grabbed a big goal as Wolfsburg held Bayern Munich to a 2-2 draw in the Bundesliga. The German popped up with less than 10 minutes to play to head in the equaliser which means champions Bayern are now three points behind Borussia Dortmund. Didavi’s goal means he could improve by two or more this week, upgrading his 80-rated gold card.
Dani Ceballos (OVR 78 – 82)
With Luka Modric on the bench and Toni Kroos injured, Real Madrid central midfielder Dani Ceballos was given his first start by Zinedine Zidane. The centre mid did not disappoint, grabbing both goals as Real edged out Alaves 2-1. With four competitions to contend with this season, Zidane will be relieved that he has a large squad to call on. Ceballos’s star performance should see his 78-rating jump up to at least 82 this week.
Remo Freuler (OVR 75 – 78)
Another man who grabbed an important late goal is Atalanta’s Remo Freuler. The central midfielder found the bottom corner in the 94th minute to steal a point at Fiorentina, with the score finishing 1-1. The point means that Atalanta stay above Fiore in the Serie A table with a respectable eight points from six games, lying in ninth position. After his strike, the Swiss Freuler should be eying an in-form rating of around 78, which would be an increase of three.
Philippe Coutinho (OVR 86 – 88)
After trying to force through a move to Barcelona over the summer, Philippe Coutinho is now back in the Liverpool side, and he showed exactly what he has to offer in the 3-2 win over Leicester. The Brazilian star scored a wonderful free-kick and a sublime assist, and you could see why Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp were so desperate to keep hold of him. Coutinho’s 86 rating could easily reach 88 this week and don’t rule out anything higher.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (OVR 88 – 90)
A hat-trick for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang means he is a shoe-in for the Team of the Week, as the striker fired Borussia Dortmund to a 6-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach. The result means Dortmund sit atop the Bundesliga table, with arch-rivals Bayern Munich down in third and three points behind. If BVB put all their eggs in one basket and concentrate solely on the league, they could just upset Bayern’s apple-cart and life the Bundesliga trophy. Aubameyang’s 88 rating looks sure to hit 90 this week, after netting his 12th goal of the season already.
Oumar Niasse (OVR 75 – 79)
With Romelu Lukaku leaving Everton in the summer, there was an outside chance that outcast Oumar Niasse could find himself with first team minutes this season. The Senegalese international came off the bench for The Toffees and grabbed two goals as they came from a goal down to defeat Bournemouth 2-1. His match-winning performance is deserving of a serious upgrade on Ultimate Team, with a boost of four to 79 a likely outcome.
Alvaro Morata (OVR 84 – 86)
The Premier League is already spoilt for strikers with Romelu Lukaku, Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero bagging in the goals this season. With Diego Costa heading out of Chelsea, The Blues needed a new a goal scorer, and boy have they found one. Alvaro Morata grabbed his first Chelsea hat-trick at the weekend, as The Blues swept aside Stoke 4-0 at the bet365 Stadium. Morata now joins Aguero and Lukaku at the top of the PL goal scoring charts with six goals so far this season. The Spanish international is deserving of at least an overall boost of two this week, which would leave him with 86.
RealSport's FIFA 18: Team of the Week 2 Predicted Line-up
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