The fixtures are rolling in now, with December the busiest month in the footballing calendar. For the first time this season, Premier League sides had to deal with midweek fixtures, and with the final round of the Champions League group stages, EFL Cup quarter-finals and more league action around the corner, teams are now rotating their squads. This opens the door for upsets, with Wolves coming from behind to beat Chelsea, but then the Blues became the first team to defeat Manchester City just a few days later.
Over in Spain, things are edging back to normality with Barcelona top of the table by three points, and Real Madrid sneaking back into the top four after a sticky period. The Bundesliga is all about Borussia Dortmund, with a 2-1 victory in the Revierderby against Schalke keeping them unbeaten at the top of the table.
PSG did have a minor slip up in Ligue 1, drawing 2-2 with Strasbourg, but they too remain unbeaten with 44 points from their opening 16 games. It’s much the same in Italy, with Juventus claiming a 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in the Derby d’Italia to keep the Old Lady eight points clear in Serie A.
So in all this action, who deserves a spot in the FIFA 19 Team of the Week? A squad of 23 players will be released on Wednesday, 12 December, with those men receiving an in-form boost to their ratings on Ultimate Team. You can challenge the squad for a coin bonus, or if you wish to get them into your squad, you have seven days to find them in packs from the FUT Store. Alternatively, you can buy and sell them on the transfer market.
RealSport looks at who could be in the side this week.
Loris Karius (OVR 79 – IF 82)
With no obvious goalkeeping options, we’ve looked to Turkey after Loris Karius made an impressive five saves in Besiktas’ poor 0-0 draw with Alanyaspor. Karius is rebuilding his confidence and reputation with the Turkish giants after his high-profile errors in the Champions League final for Liverpool against Real Madrid last season and has made a great start to life in Eastern Europe.
Karius should rise from a 79 overall rating to 82 this week, and you can claim the German’s base card for 2,400 coins on PS4 and 2,100 on Xbox One in Ultimate Team.
James Tarkowski (OVR 80 – IF 83)
Burnley have had a tough season so far, falling into the relegation zone, but a much needed 1-0 victory over Brighton has seen the Clarets climb out of the bottom three. Centre back James Tarkowski grabbed the goal in a fantastic performance at both ends of the pitch, giving Burnley, who finished seventh last season, something to build on over the festive period.
England international Tarkowski has an 80 rating on Ultimate Team, can this could now hit 83 with an in-form boost. His normal gold card will set you back 600 coins on PS4 and 750 on Xbox One.
David Luiz (OVR 83 – IF 85)
A couple of weeks ago David Luiz was taking criticism for a poor performance against Tottenham, but he more than made amends with a man of the match display for Chelsea versus the powerhouse of Manchester City. The Brazilian first played the long ball that started the Blues’ attack for N’Golo Kante’s goal, before grabbing one for himself in a brilliant, and needed, 2-0 for Chelsea.
Luiz’s 83 rating should improve to 85, with his base card costing 3,000 coins on PS4 and 3,300 on Xbox One.
Faouzi Ghoulam (OVR 81 – IF 83)
Ashley Young was a contender for the final defensive spot for his goal against Fulham, but Faouzi Ghoulam just pips him with two assists for Napoli. The Gli Azzurri defeated Frosinone 4-0, with Ghoulam twice setting up Arkadiusz Milik, keeping Napoli in the title race, but still eight points behind Juventus.
Ghoulam’s 81 overall rating could go up to 83 this week, with his base card worth 1,300 coins on PS4 and 1,200 on Xbox One. An 82 Champions League item costs 3,800 on PS4 and 5,500 for the Algerian.
Mohamed Salah (OVR 88 – SIF 90)
He’s back. Mohamed Salah ended claims he was a one-season wonder this week, with a hat trick against Bournemouth. Liverpool picked up a 4-1 victory as they became the only Premier League side still unbeaten this season, with Salah now joint-top of the goal scoring charts.
Right winger Salah could receive a second in-form card, with his 88 overall set to rise to 90. The Egyptian’s base card will set you back 247,000 coins on PS4 and 206,000 on Xbox One, with his 89 Champions League item priced at 329,000 on PS4 and 300,000 on Xbox One. An 89 right midfield in-form from TOTW 10 will cost 378,000 coins on PS4 and 340,000 on Xbox One.
N’Golo Kante (OVR 89 – IF 90)
With a shortage of options in central midfield this week, N’Golo Kante’s strike against Manchester City could sneak him into the Team of the Week on Wednesday. It was a quality finish by the French World Cup winner, and after a few weeks of criticism and questions over whether he’s playing in the correct position or not, this should keep them quiet for a while.
Kante, who already holds a fantastic 89 overall rating on FUT, should just creep up to 90 and his CDM positioning should now become CM. The two-time Premier League champion costs 422,000 on PS4 and 348,000 on Xbox One.
Erick Gutierrez (OVR 77 – IF 80)
That lack of midfield stars this week gives Erick Gutierrez a shot, with the PSV Eindhoven man picking up two assists. His side thumped Excelsior 6-0 in the Dutch Eredivisie, keeping them top of the table.
The Mexican Gutierrez should see his 77 overall climb to 80, with his base card priced at just 500 coins on PS4 and 900 on Xbox One.
Heung-Min Son (OVR 84 – IF 86)
Heung-Min Son has had a fantastic season so far, and should finally claim a spot in the Team of the Week. The South Korean shone in both Tottenham’s games this week, scoring in the 3-1 win over Southampton, before notching another as well as an assist in a 2-0 victory against Leicester.
Left midfielder Son deserves for his 84 overall rating to improve to 86, with his base card costing a reasonable 18,000 coins on PS4 and 16,500 on Xbox One. His 85 Champions League card will set you back a heavier 91,000 on PS4 and 89,000 on Xbox One.
Lionel Messi (OVR 94 – IF 95)
It’s the big one. Lionel Messi’s brace of free kicks for Barcelona in the local derby against Espanyol should see him reach the Team of the Week. The Argentine also picked up an assist in the 4-0 win, which opens up a three-point gap at the top of La Liga between them and chasing pair Sevilla and Atletico Madrid.
Messi’s first in-form of the season will take him from a 94 to 95 TOTW rating, with his position likely to move from centre forward to right wing. His base card is valued at 935,000 coins on PS4 and 892,000 on Xbox One, with a 95 Champions League item costing close to 1.5 million on PS4 and 1.6 million on Xbox One. Another 95 rated Team of the Group Stage card costs 2 million on both consoles.
Robert Lewandowski (OVR 90 – SIF 92)
A quality number 9, Robert Lewandowski is still banging in the goals in a difficult season for Bayern Munich. The Pole bagged a brace this week as Bayern put in a much more routine 3-0 victory against Nurnberg, taking his tally to nine for the season.
Lewandowski could pick up a second in-form card this Wednesday, where his 90 overall would reach 92. His base card is priced at 71,500 coins on PS4 and 69,000 on Xbox One, with a 91 Champions League item costing 147,000 on PS4 and 140,000 on Xbox One. His 91 in-form from TOTW 6 costs 175,000 on PS4 and 180,000 on Xbox One, with his Team of the Group Stage 92 rating worth 382,000 on PS4 and 400,000 on Xbox One.
Josef Martinez (OVR 81 – IF 83)
With the MLS Cup final taking place last weekend, it would be hard to leave out Josef Martinez, who had a hand in both of his side’s goals as Atlanta United defeated Portland Timbers 2-0. The Venezuelan’s goal and assist took his tally for the season to 35 goals in 39 games, delivering Atlanta their first MLS title in just their fourth season of existence.
Martinez should see his 81 overall rating reach at least 83, and you could see this become a Hero card. The striker’s base card costs 700 coins on PS4 and 800 on Xbox One, a bargain for a player with 91 pace.
RealSport's TOTW 13 prediction
