This week I worked out that I'm predicting, on average, a little under 15 out of 23 players correctly every week! I'll be more than happy to match that with this week's prediction, as TOTW14 is looking a tricky one...
This week's goalkeepers...
What a pain in the back-side to select. Any of nine could feasibly find themselves with a special item come 3pm on Wednesday, however I've had to narrow it down to just three. Therefore, Timo Horn, Jaume, Marco Bizot, Sebastian Viera and Frankie Fielding, just to name a few, I apologise. The first goalkeeper I opted for was Nahuel Guzman, who conceded four goals on Sunday night. Yes, you read that correctly, so why on earth is he in my prediction this week? Because the four he conceded meant that the Liga MX final went to penalties, in which Guzman atoned for conceding four in the previous 120 minutes by saving two spot kicks in the shoot out. Secondly, we have Charles Itandje, who managed to make a total of 14 saves which included saving a spot kick in Rizespor's 3-0 win over Trabzonspor; impressive, eh? Finally, I've opted for another silver; Rob Elliot, who made some outstanding saves, seven in total, as Newcastle came from behind to beat Tottenham at White Hart Lane.
Why not both?
Occasionally when a team puts in such a good performance, they'll receive two special items in the upcoming TOTW. This is becoming more commonplace thanks to the addition of the reserves in the TOTW, however I don't think I've ever included two teams with two players in any TOTW. There's a first time for every though and this week sees us joined by two players from both Paris Saint-Germain and Bayer Leverkusen. Starting with the Ligue 1 2015/16 Champions, they beat Lyon 5-1 and the match included fantastic performances from the likes of Serge Aurier, Thiago Motta, Blaise Matuidi, Angel Di Maria and, of course, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. I've opted for the first and the four names on that list; Serge Aurier scored one of the five and was a constant menace down the right flank, as was Angel Di Maria who assisted three of PSG's five. As for the Bayer Leverkusen pairing of Stefan Kießling and Javier Hernandez, the two were responsible for all five of Leverkusen's goals in an incredible 5-0 victory over in-form Borussia Monchengladbach. The former, Kießling, scored two and also assisted two more - both of which were scored by Chicarito, who also picked up a third and went home with the match ball.
Enjoy Folks! #PACKPARTY
Starting XI
GK: Nahuel Guzman (Tigres) - 2 saves in penalty shoot out, 4-4 (agg) vs UNAM Pumas
RB: Serge Aurier (Paris Saint-Germain) - 1 goal, 5-1 vs Lyon
CB: Mateo Musacchio (Villarreal) - Good performance, 1-0 vs Real Madrid
CB: Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund) - 1 goal, 4-1 vs Eintracht Frankfurt
RB: Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich) - 1 goal, 2-0 vs FC Ingolstadt
RW: Angel Di Maria (Paris Saint-Germain) - 3 assists, 5-1 vs Lyon
CAM: Juan Fernando Quintero (Stade Rennes) - 1 goal, 1-1 vs Caen
LW: Eric Bautheac (LOSC Lille) - 2 goals, 3-0 vs Lorient
ST: Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan) - 2 goals, 4-0 vs Udinese
ST: Stefan Kießling (Bayer Leverkusen) - 2 goals & 2 assists, 5-0 vs Borussia Monchengladbach
ST: Javier Hernandez (Bayer Leverkusen) - 3 goals, 5-0 vs Borussia Monchengladbach
Substitutes Bench
GK: Charles Itandje (Rizespor) - 14 saves, including a penalty save, 3-0 vs Trabzonspor
CB: Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli) - Good performance, 0-0 vs Roma
CM: Aaron Mooy (Melbourne City) - 2 goals & 1 assist, 4-0 vs Newcastle United Jets
LM: Junior Stanislas (Bournemouth) - 1 goal, 2-1 vs Manchester United
ST: Famara Diedhiou (Clermont Foot Auvergne) - 3 goals, 4-1 vs Laval
ST: Marko Scepovic (Mouscron Peruwelz) - 2 goals & 1 assist, 3-1 vs KV Kortrijk
ST: Massimo Maccarone (Empoli) - 2 goals & 1 assist, 3-0 vs Carpi
Reserves
GK: Rob Elliot (Newcastle) - 7 saves, 2-1 vs Tottenham Hotspur
RB: Andre Almeida (Benfica) - 2 assists, 4-2 vs Vitoria Setubal
LM: Yehven Konoplyanka (Sevilla) - 1 assists 2-0 vs Sporting Gijon
CF: Lucas Perez (Deportivo La Coruna) - 1 goal & 1 assist, 2-2 vs Barcelona
ST: Vevad Ibisevic (Hertha Berlin) - 2 goals & 1 assist, 4-0 vs Darmstadt
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Squad Link: http://www.futwiz.com/en/custom-squad/23581
@Rawrdrigoo