/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54331887/668886184.0.jpg)
Where else can we start than Lionel Messi. The Argentine wizard was the star of the show as Barcelona beat Real Sociedad 3-2, as he bagged two goals and an assist. The only negative to his performance was that he was given two stars from Marca, rather than three, but that should not cause him to miss out on the TOTW.
After receiving an IF in TOTW 29, there is a good chance that Isco will be left out of the TOTW in favor of a player who has not received an IF. He scored twice in a 3-2 win over Sporting Gijon to help Real Madrid keep their three-point lead at the top of La Liga.
Yannick Carrasco of Atlético Madrid completes the round-up from the three main Spanish giants. He also scored twice but also missed a last-minute penalty as Atlético Madrid won 3-0 over Osasuna. Salvatore Sirigu deserves a special mention, as he saved late penalties from both Carrasco and Partey to keep the score fairly respectable, but still leaves them firmly in last place.
Athletic Bilbao put on a dominating display in their 5-1 win over Las Palmas. Iker Muniain was one of two players to score twice, the other being Aduriz who received the same three-star match rating as Muniain. I have selected Muniain over his teammate as I believe that Muniain was the MOTM from Marca, and scoring twice from midfield is regarded as a better performance than scoring twice from an attacking position.
Preventing a potential SIF Filipe Luis from the TOTW is Deportivo La Coruña left-back Luisinho. He scored and was the MOTM in his side’s 2-0 win over Malaga.
Ángel Di María is one of two PSG players to make it into this TOTW Prediction. He scored twice, receiving a seven rating from L'Equipe for his efforts in a solid 2-0 win over Angers.
Behind him, Kevin Trapp played a key role in helping keep the visitors in with a chance of qualifying. He made only four saves but received an impressive eight rating from L'Equipe, which should be enough to see him included in the TOTW.
Florian Thauvin is having an incredible season, with 12 goals and seven assists to his name so far. This week, he scored twice and set up another goal, receiving an eight from L'Equipe and being a part of their TOTW.
Even without Balotelli, Nice showed that they are a good outside bet for the title, currently sitting four points off top spot. One of their best players this season has been Jean Seri, who scored two of Nice's goals in a 3-1 win over Nancy, and received an eight from L'Equipe, showing exactly how crucial of a role he plays.
Dortmund may have suffered a massive setback in the preparation for their Champions League game through the loss of Marc Bartra, but they looked back to their best in the league against Frankfurt. Sokratis Papastathopolous scored a fantastic goal to help BVB keep pushing Leipzig and Hoffenheim for second and third spots in the league.
Hoffenheim suffered a couple of scares in their game against Mönchengladbach, eventually coming out 5-3 winners. Kerem Demirbay was the official MOTM from Kicker, which was a fair award after he scored twice, firstly to get Hoffenheim back into the lead, and then very late on to kill off any hope of a comeback.
Werder Bremen continued their push for a Europa League spot next season thanks to a 2-1 win over relegation-threatened Hamburg. Max Kruse was the main threat, scoring and providing an assist, with his performance earning himself a spot in the Kicker TOTW.
This week's player of the week in Germany is Darmstadt's keeper Michael Esser. He had an excellent game against Schalke, saving a Burgstaller penalty and making six other saves to earn Darmstadt just their 5th win of the season, but it is likely a case of too-little, too-late for them to avoid relegation.
Manchester City were able to welcome back a fully-fit Vincent Kompany to the team, and he didn't waste much time proving what they had missed. The Belgian defender opened the scoring in the 55th minute, as City went on to win 3-0 against Southampton.
In what was probably the biggest game of the weekend, Manchester United took on Chelsea, with the Blues hoping to restore their seven-point gap at the top of the table. However, Ander Herrera and Co. are entitled to a celebration after their surprise 2-0 win. The Spaniard was the MOTM, scoring and assisting both goals.
Sassuolo came from behind to beat Sampdoria, thanks to goals from Antonino Ragusa and Francesco Acerbi. Acerbi will take the plaudits after he was given the MOTM by Gazzetta with a seven rating, and therefore should get into the TOTW.
After an excellent season last year, João Pedro hasn't quite been able to match that performance wise. He showed glimpses of his ability in Cagliari's 4-0 win over Chievo, as he scored twice and got an assist as well as receiving the player of the week award with an eight from Gazzetta.
Russia's top two teams faced off this weekend, as Spartak Moscow beat their closest rivals Zenit St. Petersburg. Quincy Promes was the stand-out performer, scoring once and assisting the other goal in a 2-1 win.
Jonas is certainly trying to make up for lost time, as he gets on the scoresheet once again. This time, he scored twice and was the MOTM in Benfica's 3-0 win over Maritimo, which sees them keep their narrow lead at the top of the table over Porto.
André-Pierre Gignac and Tigres are having a very poor Clausura, but have recovered slightly in their two games this week. Gignac was the MOTM in the midweek tie against Guadalajara (where he scored twice in the 3-0 win) before scoring another goal in a 4-0 win over UNAM at the weekend. With a lack of top strikers, and Gignac boasting a fairly high rating, it is not unthinkable that he will get in, despite EA's tendency to avoid midweek games.
With the season reaching its conclusion, many teams in England's three lower divisions are playing multiple matches each week. Nick Powell may have been brought on as a substitute, but his three goals as a late sub in the 3-2 wins were crucial to their success.
Ohi Omoijuanfo is in a similar situation to Isco, as he received his IF in TOTW 29, which may seen him omitted from this TOTW. He does fully deserve the spot, having scored a hat-trick in Stabæk's 3-0 win over Sarpsborg.
Finally, Marcos Riquelme looks set to receive spot in the TOTW, after he scored three goals in Audax Italiano's 5-2 win over Universidad Catolica.
Below, you can see my prediction in full, brought to you on the Futhead Squad Builder. To see it in more detail, click here, and make sure you follow me on Twitter for more updates about the TOTW and FIFA Mobile.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8367497/Untitled.png)
Team of the Week 30 Prediction
Position | Player | Club | Country | Rating Pred. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Player | Club | Country | Rating Pred. |
GK | Kevin Trapp | Paris Saint-Germain | Germany | 83 > 85 |
CB | Sokratis Papastathopolous | Borussia Dortmund | Greece | 85 > 86 > 87 > 88 |
CB | Vincent Kompany | Manchester City | Belgium | 86 > 87 |
CB | Francesco Acerbi | Sassuolo | Italy | 80 > 83 |
LM | Yannick Carrasco | Atlético Madrid | Belgium | 84 > 86 > 87 > 88 |
CAM > CM | Isco | Real Madrid | Spain | 84 > 86 > 87 > 88 > 89 > 90 |
CM | Ander Herrera | Manchester United | Spain | 83 > 85 |
RW | Ángel Di María | Paris Saint-Germain | Argentina | 87 > 88 > 89 > 90 |
RW > CAM | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | Argentina | 94 > 95 > 96 |
RW > ST | Quincy Promes | Spartak Moscow | Netherlands | 81 > 84 > 86 |
ST | Jonas | Benfica | Brazil | 83 > 86 > 87 |
Subs | ||||
LB | Luisinho | Deportivo La Coruna | Portugal | 75 > 81 |
CM > CDM | Jean Seri | Nice | Ivory Coast | 80 > 83 |
LW > LM | Iker Muniain | Athletic Bilbao | Spain | 78 > 82 |
RM | Florian Thauvin | Marseille | France | 81 > 84 > 86 |
CAM | Kemer Derimbay | Hoffenheim | Germany | 76 > 81 |
ST | André-Pierre Gignac | Tigres | France | 82 > 84 > 86 |
CF > ST | Max Kruse | Werder Bremen | Germany | 81 > 84 |
Reserves | ||||
GK | Michael Esser | Darmstadt | Germany | 69 > 72 |
CAM | João Pedro | Cagliari | Brazil | 73 > 74 |
CAM | Nick Powell | Wigan Athletic | England | 70 > 74 |
ST | Ohi Omoijuanfo | Stabæk | Norway | 66 > 72 > 74 |
ST | Marcos Riqulme | Autax Italiano | Argentina | 70 > 73 |