While you were busy chasing Rivalry Week Maestro players, the EA FIFA Mobile production staff was readying the latest group of Impact players to enter the fray. With another possible weekend promotion on the way, opening packs might result in you bringing one of these dynamic in-form-like cards into your squad.
Everton’s main man is certain to draw the interest of some Liverpudlians while Werder Bremen gets yet another special card in FM. Davide Zappacosta may not be a household name outside Italy, but the one time Italian international surely still has some good football in front of him. Anderson Talisca is one FIFA console players might be acquainted with and finally young Francois Kamano might be set to become a FM favorite before his rise to stardom is complete — assuming of course he makes it all the way to an Elite rating.
(Editor’s Note: Our Luke Zimmermann is joining the fray this week, taking a stab at looking at recent form and performances and making projections of his own. They’re denoted by ‘LZ’. Feel free to make your own in the comments below or let us know on Twitter who you think will get what.)
Phil Jagielka (82 CB)
Everton’s stalwart defensive back gets a shot at the league leaders, who despite having won two matches in a row, haven’t carried that air of invincibility they once possessed.
Jags has been responsible for three goals in his last five games. And it doesn’t take Toffees backer to know he has a penchant for going forward. Since each shot counts as a plus one, you can go ahead and take a minimum of +1 to the bank; he’s had at least one in each of Everton’s last five matches.
Jagielka is an extra enticing potential snipe/pack as playing at right centerback all but assures some head-to-head matchups with CFC’s great Eden Hazard. Talk about interceptions potential.
Plays: Chelsea (H), Sunday 2:05 p.m. (BST)/ 9:05 a.m. (ET)
Prediction: +6 (LZ: +5)
Result: +4
Everton managed to contain Chelsea for the majority of the match, mainly thanks to Idrissa Gueye marking Hazard out of the game. However, the league leaders just had too much quality for the Toffees to handle, running out 3-0 winners.
As he was not the main player trying to mark Hazard, his role was more limited than expected. However, he still managed to make 4 Interceptions, which will boost him to 86 Overall.
Fin Bartels (78 RW)
Over the course of the last two months, Bartels’ Werder Bremen side have gone from being potentially in the Bundesliga’s relegation playoff to just two points off of Europa league qualification. Unsurprisingly, they’ve got the best record in the BuLi during that stretch.
Having played at striker lately (in spite of the position on his latest card) a decent amount, you can expect the 30-year-old German to get his fair share of shots in this one.
Bremen’s opponent, Hertha Berlin, are right there with them for those Europa League spots. You can expect both sides to approach this one as must win, which could result in a decent little boost for Bartels’ impact card.
Plays: Hertha Berlin (H), Saturday 2:30 p.m. (BST)/ 9:30 a.m. (ET)
Prediction: +4 (LZ: +3)
Result: +5
An excellent start to the game saw Bremen lead 2-0 after just 15 minutes, and there was no way back for Hertha.
Bartels was involved in both of the goals, scoring the first and setting up the second, as he earned himself a +5 upgrade. He had 1 Shot, 2 Key Passes and 2 Interceptions before he was substituted in the 77th minute, meaning he will move to 83 Overall.
Davide Zappacosta (77 RWB)
Davide Zappacosta is your tailor made Italian wingback: he loves to get forward and get into the mix, but isn’t too shabby a defender when he has to get back.
You can expect at least a shot from him -- he’s averaging one a match over his last few, along with 3-4 key passes per contest.
Adding to the intrigue is a battle for Serie A (*cough* Calcio A) table positioning between his Torino and Sampdoria. He could be in for a big afternoon accordingly.
Plays: Sampdoria (H), Saturday 7:45 p.m. (BST)/ 2:45 p.m. (ET)
Prediction: +7 (LZ: +5)
Result: +4
A fairly one-sided match ended 1-1, as Torino failed to capitalise on their chances against Sampdoria.
Zappacosta in particular had a very quiet game, making just 3 Key Passes and 1 Interception, meaning he will move to 81 Overall.
Anderson Talisca (76 CM)
Talisca’s been on a scoring frenzy in the Turkish Super Lig. With a goal in each of his last three games — 5 goals in 3 assists over his last seven across all competitions — it seems the only person who can slow him down is himself.
With Besitkas at the top of the table and this Sunday’s opponent Basaksehir needing a win to keep bleak title hopes alive, Talisca could be out for blood.
Expect a pretty good performance, though not quite a +8-to-+10 caliber one.
Plays: Istanbul Basaksehir (A), Sunday 5:00 p.m. (BST) / 12:00 p.m. (ET)
Prediction: +5 (LZ: +4)
Result: +7
It was not the result the league leaders were hoping for. Basaksehir went 3-0 up in the first 18 minutes, and Besiktas could only muster a late consolation goal.
For us, it was a good game though. Talisca had 4 Shots and 3 Key Passes as he tried desperately to get his team back into the match but to no avail.
Francois Kamano (76 LW)
You may be unfamiliar with Francois Kamano, but the time to get acquainted with him is now. His Bourdeaoux are holding off Lyon and Marseille for Europa League qualification at fourth in the Ligue 1 table at the moment.
Meanwhile, their opponent this week, Dijon, is staring a potential relegation playoff in the face all the way down at 18th.
While Kamano hasn’t been exactly lighting the world on fire of late, it’s not out of the question to think he could get a big score — assuming he finds his form against the fifth worst defense in the league.
We’re being conservative and guessing he reaches Elite, but just barely.
Plays: Dijon (A), Sunday 4:00 p.m. (BST)/ 11:00 a.m. (ET)
Prediction: +4 (LZ: +5)
Result: +3
Bordeaux's Europa League hopes took a hit as they only managed a 0-0 draw with Dijon, allowing Marseille to move to just a single point behind them.
It was always going to be a push for Kamano to reach elite, but sadly it was a stretch too far. He had 2 Shots and made 1 Key Pass so will move to 79 Overall.
Make sure you follow me on Twitter, @Darren_8196, to keep up with all of my predictions and articles, and you can find my FIFA Mobile Impact Player upgrade predictions on Futhead, as well. And don’t forget to subscribe to joebilineHD on YouTube for his Impact Predictions too!