With FUT Birthday well and truly underway in FIFA 20 Ultimate Team, we’ve been able to get our hands on some of the FUT Birthday players over the weekend, meaning it’s time for you to get our reviews on the players!
Here’s our review of the new 94 FUT Birthday Eden Hazard.
Hazard In-Game Stats & Analysis
Being not only Hazard’s first central card of the year, but also now having 5* Skill Moves, this new Hazard card is certainly one that’ll be desired, especially as we get closer to TOTS with people looking to build their end-game teams.
On the topic of his skill move upgrade, I wouldn’t go crazy for it, unless you’re a player that is heavily reliant on 5* Skills to break down defences, using moves like the Heel Flick Turn or El Tornado.
Looking at this card may be slightly underwhelming for owners of the 95 Player Moments Hazard, who does have better stats being a 95 overall, but nevertheless, let’s go through this 94 FUT Birthday version.
With 5* Skill Moves, his 96 dribbling reaches full potential, with 97 Agility, 95 Balance, 91 Reactions, 95 Ball Control and 97 Dribbling, Hazard will be more than capable of pulling off his advanced skill set with quickness and ease.
Now set as a striker, his 90 shooting becomes even more important, and with 94 Positioning, 91 Finishing, 88 Shot Power and an accompanying 92 Composure, there shouldn’t be too many issues on this front.
A Hawk/Deadeye chemistry style is still suggested however, just to increase his Shot Power and Finishing a little.
His 93 pace on card is even better than expected in game, with a blistering 96 Acceleration allowing him to turn and burst away from defenders, however on longer runs, expect him to be caught from time to time by faster full backs with his 89 Sprint Speed. The best way to use this card’s pace is in short, bursting runs to create space for skills, passes or shooting opportunities.
Hazard’s Best Position & Role
Despite being set as a striker with his new position change, I found that Hazard is still best suited as a wide option on the left hand side, cutting in on his stronger right foot, using the Finesse Shot Trait where possible, avoiding taking shots with his 4* Weak Foot.
I found he’s best served in game as a Left CAM in a 4231, as this allowed him to utilise his burst of pace and acceleration. He frequently was able to get 1v1 with a full back, utilise his 5* skills and pace to get past, creating goal scoring chances.
As a striker, I really felt that his lack of 5* Weak Foot when compared to other strikers did make him slightly more predictable to defend against, and with slightly disappointing shooting stats for the price tag, there may be better options.
Hazard Squad Links
Playing for Real Madrid in La Liga, there are a number of strong links already that you can utilise to get Hazard into your teams, and with Team of the Season round the corner, there are more players likely to arrive soon.
Out wide, Future Stars 91 Rodrygo looks to be the pick of the bunch, with solid all round stats for a winger. If you’re looking for a Belgian strong link, the new Storyline 89 Carrasco is a fantastic option to look at taking from Level 30 rewards this season.
You can check out our review on 89 Carrasco here.
Finally, looking at central players, Shapeshifter 91 Marcelo is a perfect option, again providing the 5* Skills, if you’re looking to make a team of skillers.
Hazard’s Price
Valued currently at 1,300,000 Coins on PS4, and just under 1,100,000 Coins on Xbox, Hazard’s 94 FUT Birthday item certainly isn’t cheap, being 1 million coins more than his next highest 92 OTW card.
When you also consider that many people previously completed the Player Moments 95 Hazard for around the same price in the first few weeks his SBC was released, the FUT Birthday item certainly looks a little overpriced for what you’re getting.
Value Rating out of 10
With many people already having completed a better version of Hazard in the 95 Player Moments item, it’s hard to recommend spending well over 1 million coins on this card.
While the central position change and skill move upgrade is a positive, I’d still look towards the 95 Player Moments version if you’re desperate for an Eden Hazard card, due to the better stats, and more natural positioning.
TOTAL VALUE RATING - 4/10
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