Hello and welcome to my Road to the Knockouts prediction here on FUT.GG!
According to different people we will see the Road to the Knockout Stage promo starting next after the Ones to Watch event so I thought why not doing a prediction for it, covering all potential players. This prediction was created before the release of Team of the Week 3 so things most likely will change. Promos this year are capped to only one week due to the upcoming World Cup so we will see less players in promos than last year, it's impossible to include every single club across all European competitions, keep that in mind and I've also tried to avoid including players who got live cards last year. All players who have been included in the promo last year started with one upgrade and this is how I've done the upgrade for this prediction too as we haven't any infos for FIFA 23 yet. Now go on and check out the Main XI, a potential Mini-Release, Objective player options, potential SBCs and my pick for the silver star objective player!
MAIN SQUAD
ST: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) - 90 OVR -> 91 OVR:
We're starting off the prediction with one of the best footballers of all time who most likely won't pick up as many special cards as previous years, CR7. The Portuguese superstar isn't a starter anymore in the Premier League for Manchester United but is in Ten Haag's favour when it comes to Europa League games and the new meta this FIFA seems to make him useable although he lost his pace.
CB: David Alaba (Real Madrid) - 86 OVR -> 87 OVR:
Next up is former Bayern Munich and Austrian international defender David Alaba. His transfer to Spain has proven successful as the Austrian has won the UEFA Champions League and La Liga titles in his first season and his transfer has been hailed as one of the best of last summer. Real Madrid provides a few potential candidates for a RTTK card and I've opted for Alaba this time.
CM: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund) - 84 OVR -> 86 OVR:
The next player is arguably the most in-demand teenager in world football. Jude Bellingham is just 19-years-old but is already so dominant for Dortmund and already has played more than 100 games for the club, a mark not any at this age reached. The bid war will start next summer but until then he'll surely do his best for Dortmund and this card would for sure be in high demand as Dortmund is looking likely to advance into the knockouts.
LW: Luis Diaz (Liverpool FC) - 84 OVR -> 86 OVR:
Liverpool is still looking to find their form in the Premier League and it's not slightly better in the current Champions League campaign with the Reds sitting third, level on points with Ajax with a win and a loss. At the end of the day Liverpool should still advance and Luis Diaz for sure should be a decent card to use and would be even better with an upgrade.
ST: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Chelsea) - 85 OVR -> 86 OVR:
This could go either end in a good or in a bad way with Chelsea currently being at the bottom of their group with just one point but still with good chances to make it into the knockouts. There are a couple of potential players who could be included in the promo and I'm going with Gaboon international Aubameyang after he wasn't included in the OTW promo.
CAM: Piotr Zielinski (Napoli FC) - 83 OVR -> 85 OVR:
Next up is Napoli, the team who is currently leading the Serie A and also their Champions League group ahead of Ajax and Liverpool. I could have easily included players like Osimhen but I decided to go with Polish midfielder Zielinski who's base card already looks really good and who looks even better if he picks up a RTTK card!
RW: Raphinha (FC Barcelona) - 83 OVR -> 85 OVR:
Barcelona is a very controverse club this season with all the money they've spent but they've without a doubt turned things around, leading the La Liga table level on points with arch rivals Real Madrid and sitting second, also level on points with Inter Milan. Their UCL group is probably one of the hardest with Bayern Munich but with Inter struggling this season I can see them secure second place which would mean Raphinha would get an upgrade if he's included.
CB: Dayot Upamecano (FC Bayern) - 81 OVR -> 84 OVR:
Next up is another defender in the name of Upamecano. I first had Pavard in my prediction but decided to change it to Upamecano as Pavard really wouldn't be that useable by the looks of it. Bayern Munich comfortable sitting on top of their group with two wins out of two games and even tho they struggled to record wins in September I fully expect them to make it through the group.
CAM: Lucas Paquetá (West Ham) - 82 OVR -> 84 OVR:
Picking players from the Conference League was a bit hard when you try to chose players who are useable in game but I definetly expect a player from West Ham. Players like Bowen or Declan Rice could be an option to be included but I decided to pick Lucas Paquetá who seems to have made a good decision joining West Ham, although he hasn't played that much yet. West Ham is actually sitting top of their group with two wins out of their first two games and should make it through the group.
LB: Nuno Mendes (Paris SG) - 80 OVR -> 83 OVR:
This was a though one to decide but Paris Saint-Germain really isn't offering a lot when it comes to potential players for promos who's names are not Messi, Mbappé or Neymar, especially for defenders who are useable and haven't been included last year. Thus I ended up including Portuguese full-back Nuno Mendes who's gold card already is a fan favorite and a potential RTTK card would have even more demand, upgrade most likely guaranteed.
RWB: Rick Karsdorp (Roma FC) - 80 OVR -> 83 OVR:
The first Europa League RTTK candidate comes from defending champions AS Roma in the name of Karsdorp. Jose Mourinho's side is sitting second in the table with a win and a loss out of their first two games and not only should they make it through the group, I was also looking for a decent Serie A right-back option which then led me to the inclusion of Karsdorp.
CAM: Mohammed Kudus (Ajax) - 76 OVR -> 81 OVR:
Last but not least, we have another striker in here and it's the attacking midfielder Kudus from Dutch side Ajax. Ajax has one of the hardest groups in this years UCL campaign with Liverpool, Napoli and Rangers but Ajax currently is sitting second due to a better goal difference and their loss against Liverpool was unlucky to be honest. With the high quality of the teams in the group it's really hard to predict who's going through.
POTENTIAL MINI-RELEASE
RM: Moussa Diaby (Bayer Leverkusen) - 84 OVR -> 86 OVR:
The first player of my predicted Mini-Release is Leverkusen French midfielder Diaby. Bayer Leverkusen is really struggling in the league, sitting 17th in the standings but the Champions League could be something to gain more confidence, especially after they recorded a win at home with a 2-0 against Atletico Madrid in their last match.
ST: Gerard Moreno (Villareal CF) - 85 OVR -> 86 OVR:
Next up for the potential Mini-Release is another Conference League player who is usually used to played Champions or Europa League. Gerard Moreno and Villareal tho are still performing well, leading group C with two wins out of two games and should proceed.
RM: Andreas Skov Olsen (Club Brugge) - 76 OVR -> 81 OVR:
The last player who could potentially come in a Mini-Release is Skov Olsen. Club Bruges is surprisingly leading group B with wins against Porto and Leverkusen and Skov Olsen is one of the most versatile players in their squad and also in Fifa, being able to play RW and CAM in-game. He might not be that easy to link with the new chemistry system so he would most likely be that type of a card for club supporters.
POTENTIAL OBJECTIVE PLAYERS
LW: Mattia Zaccagni (Latium) - 79 OVR -> 82 OVR:
The first player who could potentially be released as an Objective player is Italian international and Lazio Roma forward Mattia Zaccagni. The 27-years-old had quiet a late breakout in Italy's top-flight but delivers constantly since last year's campaign and to be honest, his card could be really decent if Lazio manages to go through.
ST: Noah Okafor (RB Salzburg) - 75 OVR -> 81 OVR:
The second player who I believe can be included in the promo is RB Salzburg's Noah Okafor. He already made the headlines last season along with Karim Adeyemi who is now in Dortmund but he just continues with his form this season and might even be better than last season, having scored in both of his appearances in the Champions League.
POTENTIAL SBCS
RW: Dejan Kulusevski (Spurs) - 81 OVR -> 84 OVR:
The first player for a potential Road to the Knockout SBC is Tottenham's Swedish winger Kulusevski. Tottenham seems to have a relatively easy group but got defeated last minute against Portuguese side Sporting and thus are sitting second, level on points with Frankfurt. I still see them advance into the Knockout stage if they can bring their quality on the pitch.
CM: Tommaso Pobega (Milan) - 76 OVR -> 81 OVR:
The second to last player in my prediction for this year's Road to the Knockout stage promo is Milan's young midfielder Tommaso Pobega who returned to Milan after a couple of loan spells and seems to be get more regular game time this season. He already has a really solid gold card and even with just the one starting upgrade he's already lookin really good!
POTENTIAL SILVER STAR PLAYER
LM: Mykhailo Mudryk (Shakhtar Donetsk) - 74 OVR -> 74 OVR:
Finally the last player in here and it's one who started making the headlines more and more this season. Mykhailo Mudryk is supposed to be the next superstar in football and was about to join German side Leverkusen in summer but the move failed to go through. Shakhtar tho might not fail to advance to the Knockout stage, currently being second in the table and Mudryk had a big impact on it with two goals and two assists in two games.
That concludes this Road to the Knockout stage predictions! What do you make of these predictions? Is there anyone else who should have made the team? Let us know below!