The Champions League takes a back seat now until February, so it’s a vitally important phase in domestic football around Europe now. Gaps are now opening up at the top of the table for almost all of Europe’s big leagues. Manchester City’s win over rivals Manchester United means they now have an incredible 11 points to play with at the top of the Premier League, with PSG nine ahead of the rest of the field in France.
In Spain, Barcelona have five points over nearest rivals Valencia, with defending champions Real Madrid down in eighth place. Bayern Munich look back to their ruthless best, and they have an eight point advantage in the Bundesliga, but things are still tasty in Italy, with the top four sides in Serie A separated by just five points.
So who has done enough from the weekend’s action to earn a spot in FIFA 18’s Team of the Week? With all that jockeying for positions in Europe there were some top individual performers, but also don’t be surprised if some of the stars from the MLS Cup final sneak into the squad.
Table of Contents
- Samir Handanovic (OVR 87 – SIF 89)
- Achraf Hakimi (OVR 70 – IF 74)
- Christophe Kerbrat (OVR 75 – IF 79)
- Nicolas Otamendi (OVR 83 – SIF 86)
- Kylian Mbappe (OVR 83 – SIF 87)
- Houssem Aouar (OVR 67 – IF 74)
- Giacomo Bonaventura (OVR 83 – IF 86)
- Matteo Politano (OVR 77 – IF 82)
- Guido Carrillo (OVR 74 – IF 81)
- Nils Petersen (OVR 76 – IF 83)
- Steve Mounie (OVR 76 – IF 82)
- RealSport’s TOTW 13 Prediction
Team of the Week 13 will be released at 6pm on Wednesday, December 13 at 6pm GMT.
Samir Handanovic (OVR 87 – SIF 89)
When speaking off the best goalkeepers in the world, Inter Milan’s Samir Handanovic often gets forgotten about. The 33-year-old Slovenian was at his best in the Derby d’Italia as Inter Milan travelled to champions Juventus. Handanovic made eight saves to keep the score at 0-0, to stay atop of the Serie A table and keep their unbeaten start to the season going.
With one Team of the Week appearance behind him, Handanovic will rise by at least two to 89 this week. His normal 87 card will cost just under 30,000 FUT coins on both PS4 and Xbox One whereas his 88-rated TOTW 6 is priced around 125,000 coins.
Achraf Hakimi (OVR 70 – IF 74)
Dani Carvajal is now back from injury, but he faces a challenge from young pretender Achraf Hakimi for the right back spot. Carvajal missed Real Madrid’s clash with Sevilla through suspension, but with the side winning 5-0 and Achraf on the scoresheet, he may not be able to wrestle back his place in Zinedine Zidane’s team.
Achraf should receive a boost to a maximum silver rating of 74, with his normal 70 card setting you back 2,600 coins on PS4 and 1,500 on Xbox One.
Christophe Kerbrat (OVR 75 – IF 79)
It was a routine victory for French side Guingamp over Dijon, with the home side capitalising on an early red card from the visitors. EAG went on to win 4-0 with centre back Christophe Kerbrat adding the final goal with still 25 minutes to play. The victory means Guingamp have a four-point cushion from the relegation zone, but at tenth in the table they can start to look up now down.
Kerbrat’s all-round performance should see a nice increase of four to 79 this week. His normal 75 gold card costs just 500 coins on both consoles on the FUT transfer market.
Nicolas Otamendi (OVR 83 – SIF 86)
With Sergio Aguero surprisingly benched and then not even used in the Manchester derby, it was left for his countryman Nicolas Otamendi to grab the winner. Many feel the 2-1 victory for City over rivals United means that the Premier League title race is now almost over, with the Citizens 11 points clear of second place Man United in the table.
Otamendi’s second goal is as many games should see him receive his second in form card of the season. We expect the centre back to rise by three to 86, and his normal 83 card will cost you just 1,700 coins on both consoles. As for his 85 rated TOTW 6 card, you will need 45,000 coins on PS4 and around 50,000 on Xbox One.
Kylian Mbappe (OVR 83 – SIF 87)
Questions over Kylian Mbappe’s place in the PSG side have been asked, especially with his outrageous transfer price of £166 million, but he has firmly put those doubts to bed. The Frenchman bagged a late goal and set up Angel di Maria in the 3-1 win over Lille, giving the Parisians a nine-point lead at the top of Ligue 1.
Mbappe already has three rare cards to his name, so his 83 overall could hit 87 this week. His normal gold card will set you back 95,000 coins on PS4 and 75,000 on Xbox One. His 85-rated TOTW 8 card is priced at close to 370,000 on PS4 and 340,000 on Xbox One, and his 86 Team of the Group Stage costs 490,000 on PS4 and 450,000 on Xbox One. Lastly, for his Ones to Watch 86, which would improve with another in form card, you will need a massive 1.15 million coins on PS4 and just shy of 1.1 million on Xbox One.
Houssem Aouar (OVR 67 – IF 74)
One of the most talented players in France, Houssem Aouar showed his quality for Lyon against Amiens with two goals. The 19-year-old now has four goals and three assists for the season in a dangerous OL side, and after this summer’s World Cup don’t be surprised if he starts getting minutes for the French national side.
Aouar is likely to switch from attacking to central midfield this week, and we are backing his 67 rating to shoot up to a maximum silver score of 74. His normal silver card costs around 1,000 coins on both consoles.
Giacomo Bonaventura (OVR 83 – IF 86)
Despite AC Milan splashing the cash over the summer, there was no chance central midfielder Giacomo Bonaventura was going to lose his place in the side. The Italian international showed his quality at the weekend with two goals against Bologna, giving new manager Gennaro Gattuso his first victory. There is still plenty to do for the Rossoneri, who have limped to seventh place in Serie A.
Bonaventura’s brace should see him rise by three to 86, with his normal 83 card priced at 2,000 coins on Ultimate Team on both consoles.
Matteo Politano (OVR 77 – IF 82)
An important victory for Sassuolo has moved them away from the relegation zone in Serie A, and they have left winger Matteo Politano to thank. The Italian scored one and assisted another to give the Neroverdi a 2-1 victory over Crotone, giving them a three-point gap from the relegation zone.
Politano’s performance is likely to get him into the Team of the Week, and we are predicting an increase of five to 82 for the 24-year-old. His normal 77 card will set you back just 400 coins on PS4 and 500 on Xbox One.
Guido Carrillo (OVR 74 – IF 81)
Monaco striker Guido Carrillo changed the game when he came on at half-time against Troyes. The French champions were 1-0 down at the break, and then 2-0 down within five minutes of the second half. With the score then at 2-1, two goals in the space of three minutes from Carrillo late on allowed Monaco to steal the three points.
The Argentine Carrillo should receive a healthy boost for his match-winning performance, and we expect an increase of seven to 81. The forward’s maximum silver rating of 74 will cost you 3,000 coins on PS4 and 2,500 on Xbox One.
Nils Petersen (OVR 76 – IF 83)
Nils Petersen is our hat-trick hero this week, with the Freiburg striker netting three against Bundesliga strugglers FC Koln. As the clock struck 89 minutes, visitors Freiburg were 3-2 down, but two penalties in the 90th and 96th minute from the German Petersen grabbed Freiburg the points.
The forward’s calmness from the spot should see his make the Team of the Week, and receive a large boost from 76 to 83. His normal card will only set you back around 500 coins on both consoles.
Steve Mounie (OVR 76 – IF 82)
After four losses on the spin, Huddersfield needed a victory over fellow promoted side Brighton & Hove Albion, and striker Steve Mounie stepped up for the Terriers. The Benin man scored both goals the 2-0 victory that restores a healthy gap for Huddersfield, with five points now between them and the relegation zone.
That brace for Mounie is likely to give him a TOTW boost of six to 82, and you are looking at a price of only 450 coins on both consoles for his normal 76 rating.
RealSport’s TOTW 13 Prediction
Who should make the Team of the Week? Let us know in the comments section below.
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