In a key stage of the season, the results have been rolling in. With Manchester City and Chelsea competing in the EFL Cup final, there was an opportunity for the rest of the top the top six to stake their claims in the race for the title and Champions League places. In the heavyweight clash between Manchester United and Liverpool, a flurry of injuries reduced the tie to a stale 0-0, with Spurs also slipping up in a shock 2-1 loss to Burnley. Arsenal were the only side to take advantage with a routine 2-0 victory over Southampton.
Elsewhere in Europe, a Lionel Messi masterclass (again) saw Barcelona see off Sevilla and maintain a seven-point advantage in La Liga even with both Madrid sides also victorious. Paulo Dybala came off the bench to pick up a 1-0 win for Juventus over Bologna, and Kylian Mbappe shined for PSG as they won twice in Ligue 1 this week.
A title race is hotting up in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich briefly moving level on points with Borussia Dortmund after defeating Hertha Berlin, but BVB overcame the tricky tie of Bayer Leverkusen to move three points clear.
In all the action across Europe this week, places will be highly contested in FIFA 19’s Team of the Week. 23 in-form players will be selected on Wednesday, 27 February at 6pm, and you will be able to challenge the side on Ultimate Team for a coin bonus. You can look to get the players for your own team by purchasing packs from the FUT store, or buy and sell them individually on the transfer market.
RealSport looks at who could make the Team of the Week this time around.
Alisson (OVR 87 – SIF 89)
In a game of few chances between Manchester United and Liverpool, it was the visitors’ Alisson who made sure they left Old Trafford with a point. The Brazilian may have only had to make four saves in the victory, but his stop to deny Jesse Lingard was a crucial intervention.
If Alisson was to receive another in-form card, his 87 base card would rise to 89. His normal gold card is worth 24,000 coins on PS4 and 25,000 on Xbox One in Ultimate Team, with an 88 Champions League item costing 50,000 on PS4 and 54,000 on Xbox One. An 88 in-form from TOTW 10 will set you back 64,000 on PS4 and 67,500 on Xbox One, with his 88 Ones to Watch card priced at 77,000 on PS4 and 79,000 on Xbox One.
Kaan Ayhan (OVR 75 – SIF 83)
Fortuna Dusseldorf’s Kaan Ayhan lines up in defence after bagging the all-important goal in the 1-0 win over Nurnberg. The victory is one step closer to top-flight survival for the newly promoted Dusseldorf, with the club now 12 points clear of the relegation spots.
The Turkish should improve from 75 to a second in-form card of 83 this week, with his base card priced at 2,300 coins on PS4 and 3,400 on Xbox One. An 81 in-form card from TOTW 14 costs 26,250 on PS4 and 46,000 on Xbox One.
Aissa Mandi (OVR 79 – IF 81)
Real Betis got back to winning ways and kept their European football hopes alive with a 2-0 victory over Real Valladolid. Centre back Aissa Mandi was on the scoresheet, with the result seeing Los Verdiblancos moving up to seventh in La Liga, just a point outside of the Europa League places and three away from the top four.
Mandi’s 79 overall should improve to an in-form 81 this week, with his base card costing just 800 coins on PS4 and 850 on Xbox One.
Layvin Kurzawa (OVR 79 – IF 83)
An injury ruled Layvin Kurzawa out until January, with fitness restricting the left back to just 62 minutes since. He returned the staring line up for both of PSG’s fixtures this week, and picked up a goal and two assists in the 5-1 victory over Montpellier, showing the fans at the Parc des Princes just what they’ve been missing this season.
Kurzawa’s 79 overall should rise to an impressive 83 for the Team of the Week, with his base card costing 1,200 coins on PS4 and 1,000 on Xbox One. An 80 rated Champions League item is worth 4,600 on PS4 and 5,500 on Xbox One.
Lionel Messi (OVR 94 – SIF 97)
Lionel Messi just keeps providing the goods, and the 31-year-old Argentine was on-song again in Barcelona’s 4-2 win over Sevilla. The forward bagged a hat trick in the victory, including a sumptuous volley, and notched an assist to strengthen Barca’s grip on the La Liga title.
Lionel Messi’s 94 overall is set to rise to a second in-form card of 97 with his position likely to move from centre forward to right wing. His base card costs 658,000 on PS4 and 600,000 on Xbox One with a 95 Champions League item worth 1.5 million on PS4 and 1.1 million on Xbox One. A 95 right wing UCL Road to the Final live card will set you back 1.6 million on PS4 and 2.4 million on Xbox One, with a 96 ST in-form card from TOTW 14 requiring 1.9 million on PS4 and 2 million on Xbox One. A 99 Team of the Year card costs 5.6 million on PS4 and 5.1 million on Xbox One.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (OVR 84 – IF 86)
Henrikh Mkhitaryan doesn’t always start for Arsenal, but the Armenian took his opportunity against Southampton, scoring one and assisting another in the 2-0 victory. The result sees the Gunners jump above Mkhitaryan’s former club Manchester United and into the top four.
Mkihtaryan’s performances should see his 84 overall climb to an in-form 86 and his attacking midfield role should move out wide to the right. His base card costs 5,700 coins on PS4 and 6,300 on Xbox One.
Hakim Ziyech (OVR 84 – TIF 89)
Hakim Ziyech is rapidly improving his market value, and after a string of brilliant performances, don’t be surprised if the Ajax man moves club in the summer. Moved into central midfield, the Moroccan scored twice as the Amsterdam club thrashed Den Haag 5-1 and close the gap on PSV to just two points at the top of the table.
An 84 overall for Ziyech should improve to a third in-form card of 89 this week and his position should move from attacking to central midfield. His base card costs 4,500 coins on both consoles, with an 88 RM second in-form card worth 65,000 on PS4 and 72,000 on Xbox One.
Wilfried Zaha (OVR 82 – IF 84)
It’s a surprise Wilfried Zaha has not made the Team of the Week this season, but it looks like the Ivorian will this time around after netting a brace against Leicester. The Crystal Palace man looks to be forming a relationship with new loan signing Michy Batshuayi, with the result not only seeing the Eagles rise to 13th in the Premier League but also costing Leicester manager Claude Puel his job at the King Power.
Zaha’s 82 overall rating should improve to 84 this week, with his position moving from centre forward to left wing. His base card costs just 1,200 coins on PS4 and 1,500 on Xbox One.
Kylian Mbappe (OVR 88 – TIF 91)
PSG are still without Neymar and Edinson Cavani, but it doesn’t matter when they have Kylian Mbappe. The French champions could only name five substitutes against Montpellier due to their injury worries, but Mbappe got on the scoresheet in the 5-1 victory and then added a brace in the 3-0 win over Nimes.
Mbappe’s 88 overall is set to rise to a third in-form card of 91 and we can expect his position to move from right wing to striker. His base card costs 400,000 coins on PS4 and 350,000 on Xbox One, with an 89 Champions League item valued at 629,000 on PS4 and 620,000 on Xbox One. A 90 ST in-form from TOTW 19 costs 1.6 million on PS4 and 1.4 million on Xbox One, with his 97 Team of the Year card setting you back a massive 4.3 million on PS4 and 4.9 million on Xbox One.
Edin Dzeko (OVR 85 – SIF 88)
Edin Dzeko keeps producing the goals, with a brace for Roma against Frosinone taking his tally for the season to 12. I Giallorossi won the Serie A clash 3-2, meaning they have now won three on the bounce and are just one point off AC Milan in the top four.
Dzeko’s 85 overall should improve to a second in-form card of 88, and you can pick up the Bosnian’s base card for 10,000 coins on PS4 and 11,000 on Xbox One. An 86 Champions League card costs 25,750 on PS4 and 26,750 on Xbox One with an 87 in-form worth 54,000 on PS4 and 57,000 on Xbox One.
Arkadiusz Milik (OVR 82 – IF 84)
Another Serie A striker rounds off the team, with Arkadiusz Milik banging the goals in for Napoli this season. The Pole netted a brace in the 4-0 win over Parma which sees him hit 14 league goals for the season, and cements Napoli’s second spot in Serie A.
Milik’s 82 overall rating is likely to climb to first in-form card of the season of 84 this week. His 82 base card costs just 2,400 coins on PS4 and 2,600 on Xbox One, with an 83 Champions League item worth 5,800 on PS4 and 6,900 on Xbox One.
RealSport’s TOTW 24 prediction
