Hello and welcome to our prediction for Team of the Week 4 which will be released on Wednesday this week!
This week's Team of the Week will most likely contain the best defensive backline we will see in a long time in FUT with two really strong looking centre-backs and the actual best left-back in world football. Also some interesting players in midfield while the attack is looking pretty poor this week. On top of that we could see a few more MLS players than usual as the regular season came to an end with Decision Day the past weekend. But enough said, go on and check out the potential players for TOTW4!
STARTING XI
GK: Koen Casteels (VfL Wolfsburg) - 84 OVR -> 86 OVR:
Gold goalkeepers have been hard to predict this week with none of them really being outstanding compared to silver keepers. My inclusion is Wolfsburg's Koen Casteels who made a total of 4 very crucial saves in Wolfsburgs 1-1 draw against Augsburg. It doesn't sound exceptional but if you've watched the game or highlights you'll see that Augsburg was the better team and also Casteels picked up Kicker's MOTM.
LB: João Cancelo (Manchester City) - 88 OVR -> 89 OVR:
Pep Guardiola's side showed no signs of sluggishness after their Champions League exertions in midweek and strolled to a 4-0 Premier League victory at home to Southampton. Joao Cancelo showed why he is regarded as one of the best attacking fullback in the world with a world-class display. It was a tremendous outing for the full-back, who got on the scoresheet and provided the assist for Haaland's goal. He won seven of his 11 duels, made two successful takcles and one clearance. He played three key passes, two accurate crosses and is one of the few players in world football who mastered the art of the trivela pass. A perfect 10/10 match rating and MOTM should see him getting in this week.
CB: Fikayo Tomori (Milan) - 84 OVR -> 86 OVR:
AC Milan got the confidence boost they were after as they managed to beat a poor Juventus side by two goals to nil on Saturday evening. It was a super outing from the England international who led the backline with charisma and confidence, keeping the Old Lady's strikers at bay throughout the match. On top of that he scored a vital goal for his side after he couldn't react quickly enough to get out of the way of Giroud's effort and converted his shot to make it 1-0. Gazzetta awarded him with an 8 match rating and MOTM.
CB: Éder Militão (Real Madrid) - 84 OVR -> 86 OVR:
After an important win in the Champions League against Shakhtar midweek, Real Madrid returned to La Liga with a short trip to Getafe. Ancelotti decided to rest a few players, the white's managed to squeeze out a narrow 1-0 victory and secured the first La Liga clean sheet of the season. Eder Militao scored the all-important match-winner and was impeccable defensively. He produced five clearances, two tackles and two interceptions as well, a monstrous defensive shift.
RWB: Jeremie Frimpong (Leverkusen) - 80 OVR -> 83 OVR:
Xabi Alonso was handed the reins at Leverkusen during the week following the dismissal of Seoane following defeats at Porto and Bayern Munich respectively. Despite only having a couple of training sessions under the new coach, Leverkusen looked reinvigorated and picked up a comfortable and convincing 4-0 victory against a poor Schalke side. Dutch wingback Frimpong scored two of the goals for Leverkusen from the RWB position and kept a clean sheet despite Schalke not troubling Leverkusen a lot defensively.
CM: Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle Utd) - 81 OVR -> 84 OVR:
Newcastle United made it back-to-back wins in the Premier League after an emphatic 5-1 win over Brentford. To say Newcastle pulled off a major coup by signing Guimaraes under the noses of European powerhouses is an understatement. His versatility, ability to advance the ball, manoeuvre his way out of tight spaces and his vision to be able to make the difference makes him a deadly weapon for the Magpies. He ran the show against Brentford, scoring a terrific header before taking the game by the scruff of the neck at a delicate moment by unleashing a long-range strike to beat Raya to make it 3-1.
CAM: Mason Mount (Chelsea) - 83 OVR -> 85 OVR:
Chelsea cruised to a 3-0 victory against toothless and managerless Wolves on Saturday, the Blues are getting back on track both domestically and in Europe under Potter's management after their akward start to the season. Mount was slow off the blocks but gradually got into his groove. The English playmaker linked up well with Azpilicueta and the midfielders, playing a game-high five key passes. He delivered the pinpoint cross for Havertz' first and played the ball for Pulisic who scored Chelsea's second.
LM: Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal) - 78 OVR -> 84 OVR*:
Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League table with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Liverpool and put even more misery on Liverpool. Gabriel Martinelli wreaked havoc down the left flank and was a nightmare for Alexander-Arnold. He also scored the opening goal of the game and played a key role in creating Saka's first. Undoubtedly the best player on the pitch and deserves to be the FTOTW.
RM: Ángel Correa (Atlético de Madrid) - 83 OVR -> 85 OVR:
Atletico Madrid bounced back from their midweek defeat in the Champions League with a narrow and hard-fought 2-1 win against Girona. The Argentine's poaching proficiency is back. Correa scored his second goal of the season in the 5th minute with a stabbed finish at the back post, then added his third (the eventual winner) when he intercepted a pass from Girona goalkeeper Juan Carlos Martin.
ST: Amine Gouiri (Stade Rennais FC) - 79 OVR -> 82 OVR:
Stade Rennais took Derby Breton honours with a resounding 3-0 victory over FC Nantes at the Roazhon Park on Sunday. Gouri was reportedly attracting interest from Real Madrid before swapping OGC Nice for Rennes in the summer, and performances like this are why the France under-21 man is in such high demand. His goal and assist against Nantes were both expertly taken, and L'Equipe gave him a 7 match rating for it. Although he didn't make it into their TOTW I'M including him due to the lack of gold options from Ligue 1 this week.
ST: Edin Džeko (Inter) - 84 OVR -> 86 OVR:
Inter got back to winning ways in the Serie A after beating Sassuolo 2-1 away at the Mapei Stadium. The Bosnian striker was a constant thorn in the Sassuolo defence's side and gave Ferrari a tough time. Dzeko gave his side the lead just before half-time when he volleyed in Dumfries's cross as the Sassuolo defense remained static. It was Dzeko's 100th Serie A goal, writing another chapter in what has been an illustrious career. He made it 101 in the second half, guiding home Mkhytaryan's cross to secure his side a much-needed win. He almost got a hat-trick, only for Consigli to keep the scoreline respectable, but it was still enough for him to got a 7.5 match rating from Gazzetta.
SUBS & RESERVES
SUBS
GK: Joe Willis (Nashville SC) - 70 OVR -> 78 OVR:
One of three potential MLS informs this week could come in the name of Joe Willis from Nashville. Nashville won their final game on Decision Day 1-0 against Los Angeles FC and goalkeeper Joe Willis was without a doubt the best player on the pitch, finishing the game with an insane number of 14 saves, including a penalty stop.
LB: Maximilian Wöber (RB Salzburg) - 75 OVR -> 81 OVR:
RB Salzburg coach Jaissle made huge changes against Altach after Salzburg's narrow 1-0 midweek against Zagreb and it was a hard-fought match with the better outcome for the visitors, picking up all three points with a 3-2 win. Austria fullback Max Wöber had a hand in two of the goals, scoring one and delivering the assist for his side's winning goal.
LB: Ramy Bensebaini (M'gladbach) - 78 OVR -> 82 OVR:
Borussia Mönchengladbach took Rhine derby spoils, beating 10-man Cologne 5-2 at the Borussia Park on Sunday afternoon. Cologne had won the previous three Rhine derbies, but Gladbach managed to secure a first win over their local rivals since beating the Billy Goats in October 2020 and Bensebaini was, despite conceding twice, the standout performer for his side and scored twice with one goal coming from the penalty spot. There is a little risk he could miss out if he should win POTM this week but I had to include him.
CM: Nicolas De La Cruz (River Plate) - 78 OVR -> 82 OVR:
We got a bit of a surprise inclusion in TOTW3 with Rodriguez and with not knowing how consistent EA will be with players from the Liga Profesional De La Cruz is a punt. The midfielder assisted three of his side's goals in their 5-0 victory against Estudiantes de La Plata and with Rodriguez' inclusion for two goals and an assist last week I can see De La Cruz getting in this week.
RM: Nicolas Pépé (OGC Nice) - 79 OVR -> 82 OVR:
OGC Nice had to hold on in the final moment to claim three points after a 3-2 win at home to Troyes. The game got closer in the final minutes with Troyes scoring twice in the last 10 minutes but Nicolas Pepe's goal in right after the half-time as enough for his side to pick up the three points.
ST: Anthony Modeste (Borussia Dortmund) - 79 OVR -> 82 OVR:
Bundesliga title rivals Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich played out a 2-2 draw on Saturday evening, with the Black and Yellows coming from two goals down to pull off a memorable comeback in which was a spirited performance from Edin Terzic's side. Anthony Modeste came up clutch for Dortmund, scoring a 95th minute equaliser. He also held the ball up really well in the build-up to Moukoko's goal. He did miss a massive opportunity in the 83rd minute when it looked easier to score than muss but the last-gasp equaliser helped him redeem himself in front of the BVB supporters.
ST: Enner Valencia (Fenerbahce) - 75 OVR -> 81 OVR:
Another player with a hat-trick could pick up an inform this week, despite two goals coming from penalties. Fenerbahce claimed three points on Sunday against Karagumruk in what was a thrilling game, ending in a 5-4 scoreline for the hosts. Enner Valencia scored three of the goals and as I said, two came from penalties so there is a chance he might get ignored even though I personally don't think so with such a close result.
RESERVES
CB: Auston Trusty (Birmingham City) - 70 OVR -> 78 OVR:
Birmingham went back on winning ways and picked up a much needed win with a 3-0 victory at home to Bristol City. Trusty was dominant in the opposition penalty are and assertive in defense in a perfect first half as he also scored twice from set-pieces to put his side on the winning track. There are a few silver defenders with goal contributions this week but two goals and a clean sheet are hard to ignore.
CAM: Daniel Gazdag (Philadelphia) - 71 OVR -> 78 OVR:
The second MLS player in my prediction is from Philadelphia Union. Philadelphia Union clinched the top spot in the Eastern Conference with a convincing 4-0 win over Toronto on Sunday on Decision Day with a two-point margin and Gazdag was the star of the show, scoring there of the goals and also registering an assist.
LW: Knowledge Musona (Al Tai) - 71 OVR -> 78 OVR:
Next up is Knowledge Musona who should be in the side on Wednesday. Al Tai picked up a comfortable 3-0 win against Al-Khaleej and Musona scored all three goals for his side with the first one coming from the penalty spot.
ST: Brenner (FC Cincinnati) - 70 OVR -> 78 OVR:
FC Cincinnati's new era has checked off a major accomplishment, booking an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs spot for the first time since joining the league in 2019. Cincinnati got over the line on Decision Day by beating DC United 5-2 thanks to three goals and an assist from Brenner.
ST: Mario Gonzalez (OH Leuven) - 73 OVR -> 79 OVR:
Belgian side OH Leuven put more pressure and misery on bottom of the table team Zulte Waregem after their trashing 5-2 win. Man of the Match was Mario Gonzales who scored three of the goals and also registered an assist.
That concludes this week's Team of the Week predictions! What do you make of these predictions? Is there anyone else who should have made the TOTW? Let us know below!