The German Bundesliga has produced one of the most exciting league campaigns across Europe this season. Unlike most of the other top European leagues, there is a genuine title race with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich separated by just two points. With Der Klassiker to come next week, more ups and downs are on their way.
The relegation battle looks to be fizzling out, with Hannover and Nurnberg losing all four matches in March and are six and four points adrift at the bottom, respectively. Stuttgart lie in the relegation play-off spot, and they would need an almighty effort to drag Schalke and Augsburg into the mire who are within six points.
There is plenty of jostling for positions in and around the European places with nine teams all in the running for at least Europa League football next season. RB Leipzig should have Champions League action secured with a five-point buffer, but it is between Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Monchengladbach for that fourth spot. Werder Bremen, Bayer Leverkusen, Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim will all know that if they can string results together, European football could be theirs.
There were some superb individual performances in March as players were looking to do everything they could to get their sides in the best position and build momentum for the Bundesliga run-in. The Player of the Month award will be put to a public vote, with the winner receiving a boosted POTM FIFA 19 Ultimate Team card. These cannot be bought or sold on the transfer market, with the only way to get hold of the player is to unlock them though a Squad Building Challenge (SBC). This makes the POTM very difficult, time consuming and expensive to get hold of, but they will have the ability to be the main man in your Ultimate Team.
RealSport looks at the contenders for this month’s prize.
Max Kruse (OVR 82 – POTM 87)
Max Kruse is the frontrunner for the Player of the Month award, with the Werder Bremen captain bagging six goals and three assists in four games. The forward or attacking midfielder netted in all four matches, including back-to-back braces against Bayer Leverkusen and Mainz (both 3-1). If Werder’s star man can maintain his form, they should hold on to a Europa League place.
Kruse’s 82 overall should rise to an 87 Player of the Month rating if he wins the award, with his position likely to move from centre forward to attacking midfield. The German’s base card costs just 850 coins on both consoles in Ultimate Team, but his 84 in-form ST card is worth 27,250 on both PS4 and Xbox One.
Filip Kostic (OVR 77 – POTM 85)
Filip Kostic’s goal influence this month has been extraordinary when you consider the Serbian often plays as a wing-back. The Eintracht Frankfurt man scored three times and added two assists in four games for the club, lifting them into the Champions League spots, Eintracht won all four of their clashes in March, scoring in the 3-2 win over Hoffenheim and a brace as they defeated Stuttgart 3-0.
Kostic’s 77 overall could rise to around 85 if he claims the POTM, with his base card costing 850 coins on PS4 and 650 on Xbox One. An 81 in-form from TOTW 25 is worth 19,500 on PS4 and 19,000 on Xbox One.
Robert Lewandowski (OVR 90 – POTM 94)
Robert Lewandowski is another big contender, thanks to his six goals for Bayern Munich. A draw and two misses for the Pole may in their final game of the month against Freiburg may weigh him down, but the striker scored in that game as well as braces against both ‘Gladbach (5-1) and Wolfsburg (6-0). With a 6-0 win against Mainz in March also, the ease of Bayern’s victories could count against him, however.
A base rating of 90 for Lewandowski is likely to rise to a 94 Player of the Month card if he wins, with his normal gold card priced at 89,500 on PS4 and 73,000 on Xbox One. A 92 Champions League item costs 190,000 on PS4 and 195,000 on Xbox One, whilst a 93 in-form from TOTW 25 is worth 469,000 on PS4 and 499,000 on Xbox One.
James Rodriguez (OVR 88 – POTM 92)
James Rodriguez may not have been the same sensational player he was for Bayern last season, but judging by his form in March, he may be back to his best at just the right time. The Colombian bagged a hat trick in the 6-0 win over Mainz, scored one in the 6-0 against Wolfsburg and picked up an assist as they defeated ‘Gladbach 5-1. Given how good their POTM cards would be if they won the award, you can see Lewandowski and Rodriguez receiving plenty of votes.
James should see his 88 overall improve to around 92 if he is the Player of the Month, and you can claim the attacking midfielder’s base card for 50,000 coins on PS4 and 45,000 on Xbox One. A 90-rated Champions League item is worth 85,000 on PS4 and 87,000 on Xbox One with a 91 in-form card setting you back 235,000 on PS4 and 390,000 on Xbox One.
Benito Raman (OVR 73 – POTM 83)
A left-field choice would be Fortuna Dusseldorf’s Benito Raman, but the left midfielder had a fantastic month. Fortuna may have suffered two defeats to go with their two wins March, with the Belgian Raman netting two goals and adding four assists. The 24-year-old scored and created one in the 4-0 win over Schalke and assisted all three of his side’s goals as they saw off fourth-placed ‘Gladbach 3-1.
Raman’s 73 overall rating could rise to 82 or more if he picks up a surprise POTM award, with his base card priced at 2,000 coins on PS4 and 2,700 on Xbox One in Ultimate Team.