Just three rounds of action remain in Italy’s Serie A, but it has been a stroll in the park for the giants of Juventus. The Old Lady have secured their eighth league title in a row, aided by the prowess of Cristiano Ronaldo. Juve lead the division by 16 points over Napoli, who are thus far the only other side to have secured Champions League football for next season.
Inter Milan and surprise package Atalanta are in control of their own fate as they look to stay in the top four, but with nine points still to play for, AC Milan and Roma are hot on their tails. Torino and Lazio are still in the mix in seventh and eighth, setting up a grandstand finish for the campaign.
Down at the bottom, Chievo and Frosinone have had their fates sealed in Serie B next season, but there are plenty of candidates who could join them. It looks set to be Empoli, but with Udinese just two points ahead and the likes of Bologna and Genoa not out of the mire, keep an eye on the developments over the next three weekends.
So with so much fine action over the course of the campaign in Italy, who deserves to be in the Serie A Team of the Season? A squad of 23 players is set to be released on FIFA 19 Ultimate Team, with those selected receiving a TOTS boost to their rating. You can find these players in packs from the FUT Store or trade them in the transfer market.
RealSport looks at who is set to make the side for the Serie A Team of the Season.
Samir Handanovic (OVR 88 – TOTS 94)
Inter Milan just need to keep it together to finish in the top four, but with Samir Handanovic having such a fine campaign, they are in safe hands. The Slovenian international has kept a league high 16 clean sheets with the best save percentage at 69%, with his performances earning him the captain’s armband at Inter.
An 88 overall for Handanovic should improve to a TOTS rating of 94 with his base card priced at 39,250 on PS4 and 36,500 on Xbox One in Ultimate Team. An 89 Champions League Team of the Group Stage item is worth 76,000 on PS4 and 87,000 on Xbox One.
Under threat from: Salvatore Sirigu (OVR 82)
Kalidou Koulibaly (OVR 88 – TOTS 95)
One of the finest centre backs in the world, but has the time come for Kalidou Koulibaly to move to a European heavyweight and fight for silverware? The Senegalese international has played every minute of Napoli’s league campaign this season, barring the two matches and nine minutes he missed for suspension, to which he responded with four consecutive clean sheets.
Koulibaly’s 88 overall deserves to rise to 95 for the TOTS, with his base card costing 42,500 on PS4 and 38,500 on Xbox One. A 90-rated Champions League Team of the Group Stage card is worth 122,000 on PS4 and 114,000 on Xbox One, and a 92 FUT Birthday defensive midfield item requires 170,000 on both consoles. A 92 third in-from card from TOTW 31 comes in at 260,000 on both consoles.
Under threat from: Joao Cancelo (OVR 83)
Giorgio Chiellini (OVR 90 – TOTS 94)
Juventus have had the best defence in Serie A season, with top class defender Giorgio Chiellini the central cog in the defensive unit. Juve have conceded just 25 goals in the league, with Chiellini now leading the side following the summer departure of club captain Gianluigi Buffon.
A 90 overall Chiellini should improve to a 94 Team of the Season rating, with his base card worth 66,500 coins on PS4 and 67,000. A 91 Champions League item will set you back 103,000 on PS4 and 107,000 on Xbox One, and a 91 in-form from TOTW 12 costing 222,000 on PS4 and 425,000 on Xbox One.
Under threat from: Mile Skriniar (OVR 86)
Aleksandar Kolarov (OVR 83 – TOTS 91)
The evergreen Aleksandar Kolarov is still going strong aged 33, with the Roma left back netting am impressive eight goals this season. That is the most the Serbian international has ever bagged in a league campaign, but it still may not be enough to take his club into the top four, with both Atalanta and AC Milan ahead of them.
Kolarov has an 83 overall on the game, which should rise to a TOTS 91. His base rating will set you back 2,800 coins on PS4 and 3,200 on Xbox One, whilst an 84 Champions League card costs 11,250 on PS4 and 13,000 on Xbox One. An 85 in-form from TOTW 10 comes in at 44,000 on PS4 and 55,500 on Xbox One.
Under threat from: Kostas Manolas (OVR 85)
Stephan El Shaarawy (OVR 81 – TOTS 90)
It will surprise many that Stephan El Shaarawy is still just 26, with the Roma winger making his Serie A bow back in 2008. This season he has been back to his best, picking up 11 goals in Roma’s bid to qualify for the Champions League in an up-and-down campaign.
An 81 overall for El Shaarawy looks set to improve to 90 for the Team of the Season, with his base card valued at 950 coins on PS4 and 1,500 on Xbox One. An 82 Champions League card costs 5,900 on PS4 and 8,900 on Xbox One with an 84 LM in-form from TOTW 9 priced at 42,750 on PS4 and 42,00 on Xbox One.
Under threat from: Suso (OVR 83)
Alejandro Gomez (OVR 84 – TOTS 92)
Atalanta are just three games away from securing a Champions League place for the first time in their history. The dangerous Alejandro Gomez has been a key reason for their success this season, with the Argentine scoring six times and picking up 11 assists as the club recovered from one win in their first eight games, to now being unbeaten in their last 10 – a run that includes seven victories.
Gomez, or Papu as he is better known, should see his 84 Ultimate Team rating rise to around 92 for the Team of the Season, with his position possibly moving back from centre forward to attacking midfield. His base card costs 5,400 on PS4 and 6,000 on Xbox One with an 88 CAM third in-form from TOTW 34 worth 150,000 on both consoles.
Under threat from: Radja Nainggolan (OVR 85)
Luis Alberto (OVR 82 – TOTS 90)
Luis Alberto was one of the finest Serie A player of last year’s campaign, and although he hasn’t reached the same heights of 27 goal involvements, three goals and seven assists still makes him the second-most influential midfielder in the Italian top-flight.
Lazio man Alberto is set to improve from 82 to 90 for the Team of the Season, with his position moving also moving from centre forward to attacking midfield. The Spaniard’s base card costs 800 coins on PS4 and 900 on Xbox One, with an 84 CM in-form priced at 34,500 on PS4 and 40,000 on Xbox One.
Under threat from: Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (OVR 85)
Cristiano Ronaldo (OVR 94 – TOTS 98)
Cristiano Ronaldo has had an impressive first season in Italy, but despite winning the league title, the superstar has not it the heights we all thought he would. 21 goals is not a bad return at all, especially when coupled with 11 assists, but that goal tally is the worst record he has had since he joined Real Madrid back in 2009. Perhaps Serie A is a tougher nut to crack?
The 34-year-old is rated at 94 on the game and this still deserves to improve to a 98 rating in Ultimate Team, with his position likely to shift from striker to left wing. The Portuguese’s base card costs over 1 million coins on PS4 and 885,000 on Xbox One, with a 95 in-form from TOTW 21 valued at 1.5 million on PS4 and 1.4 million on Xbox One. A 96 Hero card will set you back 2.7 million on PS4 and 2.5 million on Xbox One, with a 98 Ones To Watch priced at 3.3 million on PS4 and 3 million on Xbox One. An LW 98-rated Champions League Team of the Tournament card costs 2.9 million on PS4 and 3.9 million on Xbox One and lastly, his 99 Team of the Year item requires 7 million on PS4 and 6.5 million on Xbox One.
Under threat from: Ivan Perisic (OVR 86)
Duvan Zapata (OVR 79 – TOTS 94)
Another Atalanta star, Duvan Zapata is the first of two men to have outscored Cristiano Ronaldo this season, with the striker bagging 22 goals and seven assists this campaign. There is still time for change however, and with Atalanta having to go through Juventus before the season’s end, the race for the top four and for the top scorer could still have a twist.
Zapata’s 79 overall should improve to a 94 Team of the Season card, with the Colombian’s base item priced at 800 coins on PS4 and 700 on Xbox One. An 86 Man of the Match card requires 48,000 on PS4 and 95,000 on Xbox One, whilst an 87 third in-form item from TOTW 29 costs 75,000 on PS4 and 69,000 on Xbox One. Lastly, his 88 Headliners card is worth 116,000 on PS4 and 144,000 on Xbox One.
Under threat from: Francesco Caputo (OVR 75)
Fabio Quagliarella (OVR 82 – TOTS 95)
A real contender for Player of the Season is Fabio Quagliarella after netting 25 goals at the age of 36. The striker’s fine campaign for Sampdoria, featuring a further eight assists, earned him a recall to the Italian national team for the first time in nine years.
Quagliarella’s 82 overall could rise to 95 for the Team of the Season, with his base card costing 950 coins on PS4 and 1,000 on Xbox One. An 88 third in-form card from TOTW 25 is priced at 66,000 on PS4 and 61,000 on Xbox One.
Under threat from: Arkadiusz Milik (OVR 82)
Krzysztof Piatek (OVR 76 – TOTS 93)
Krzysztof Piatek has bagged 21 Serie A goals this season after being dominant for two clubs in Serie A, Genoa and AC Milan. 19 goals in 21 games across all competitions meant the summer arrival at Genoa moved to Milan in January for £30 million, and he continued to impress with 10 more goals for his new club since the turn of the year.
Piatek’s 76 overall is set to improve to around 93, a remarkable achievement with his first card on FIFA 19 rated just 70. His base card is worth 700 coins on PS4 and 750 on Xbox One, with a 78 Man of the Match item priced at 15,000 on PS4 and 17,000 on Xbox One. An 82 in-form costs 25,500 on PS4 and 50,000 on Xbox One whilst an 82 Ones To Watch card is priced at 13,250 on PS4 and 12,750 on Xbox One.
Under threat from: Ciro Immobile (OVR 87)
RealSport's Serie A Team of the Season prediction
