After a really exciting round of group stage matches, it is now time for us as football fans, to turn our attention to the round of 16 of the World Cup.
This is when the FIFA fantasy game begins to get interesting. With fewer teams left, it means that we FIFA fantasy managers have to give a lot more thoughts to fantasy assets we select.
In this article, we’d be looking at midfielders. We’d be recommending the best midfielder player picks. The midfielders we’re going to be selecting, are midfielders who have good fixtures, are on form and have the potential of returning fantasy points.
At the time of writing, ten teams have already qualified to the next round of the World Cup, and they are:
- Netherlands
- Senegal
- England
- USA
- France
- Australia
- Poland
- Argentina
- Portugal
- Brazil
Now that we know the teams that have qualified, let’s now take a look at their fixtures:
World Cup round of 16 fixtures:
From the tweet above we can see that Argentina, France and maybe England have pretty decent fixtures. Now that we know the teams that have qualified and their fixtures, the question now is, What players should we be targeting?
In the remaining part of this article, we’d be looking at some of the best midfielder picks for your World Cup fantasy team.
The best midfielder picks for your World Cup fantasy team
1. Bruno Fernandes
The first midfielder pick we have on our list, is no other person but Bruno Fernandes of Portugal. The Portuguese man has been in really good form so far at the World Cup and he’d no doubt be a really good midfielder pick in this round of games.
Bruno so far in the competition has assisted two goals and scored two goals, making him one of the highest scoring midfielders in the game so far.
Portugal, if they finish first, would be playing the team who finishes second in Group G. Well, with the way Portugal and Bruno seem to be playing, we believe that he’s fixture-proof and he’d do well against any team he’s up against.
He’s a really good pick and he’s one we’d be recommending fantasy managers buy in this round of games.
2. Bukayo Saka
The second player on our list, is going to be a player from England, and that’s Bukayo Saka. Saka had a good start, but his second game against USA wasn’t the best.
However, we do think he’s still a really good midfielder pick for this round of games. England are going to face Senegal and that’s a really tough game, and it’s also one that England can do well in.
That’s why you should be trying to have some English cover amongst your FIFA fantasy midfield picks. Saka we do know can be rotated and going with him is a tad risky.
It is also a risk can could pay off, and if you’re bold enough to take that risk, then you might be rewarded.
Another good FIFA fantasy midfielder pick from England, would be Jude Bellingham. Bellingham we do think is more nailed on than Saka and he’d be the safer pick amongst England midfielders.
He’s also a player that has an eye for goal. He’s scored already in the tournament and we’re sure he’d be looking to add to his goal tally.
If you don’t fancy Bukayo Saka, then Bellingham is a good alternative.
3. Mac Allister
Another really good midfielder pick for your round of 16 team, is Mac Allister of Argentina. Argentina have slowly grown into the tournament and they look like a pretty solid side.
They also look to have found the perfect balance in their midfield. We saw how dominant that midfield was against Poland and we also saw how Mac Allister benefited form their team’s setup.
In the round of 16, Argentina look like they have one of the easiest games on paper, as they face Australia. In order for you not to miss out on this game, you’d need some Argentina cover in midfield.
That’s why we’ve got Mac Allister as one of the best midfield picks that you can go for this week. He’s a player who is making great runs into the box and he’s always there when the ball is flashed across the box.
He’s a great fantasy asset and we’d be hoping he can keep delivering fantasy points as well. Another really good option from Argentina, would be Di Maria.
Di Maria hasn’t lived up to expectation just yet, but we’d be hoping he can kick start his tournament against Australia. The fixture is just too good for Argentina, so it makes a lot of sense to target multiple fantasy assets form their team.
4. Christian Pulisic
Christian Pulisic is another player that’d be a really good midfield pick for your round of 16 team. The USA man has been really impressive this tournament and it’s a bit unlucky that he has scored just one goal.
Every game he’s played, he has looked really dangerous. He takes a lot of shots and he’s always looking to assist his teammates as well. He’s a really good fantasy asset and he’s another player that we think would be in majority of fantasy teams as well.
There’s a bit of concern though about his fitness, but we think he’d be alright and he’d start the game against Netherlands. Pulisic plays for a good attacking side, he’s on form and he’s the talisman of his side.
He’s one you should look to get into your team in this round of games.
5. Adrien Rabiot
Another team that has an easy game, is France. France play Poland in the round of 16 and if we’re being honest, that’s a game we expect France to win easily.
Argentina played really well and could’ve scored more against Poland and we’d be expecting something similar from France in the round of 16.
In order for you to get the most out of this game, you should be looking to get in a French midfielder and the best one so far in the tournament is, Adrien Rabiot.
Rabiot has scored one goal and got himself one assist already in the World Cup. Rabiot, just like Mac Allister, is a player that likes to make runs into the box. We saw that against Australia and it paid off.
Rabiot might not be the most explosive of midfielders, but having a cheap option like him in your team, would allow you get in more premium fantasy asset.
Well, this isn’t the end of the article, as other teams qualify, we’d be updating our list of midfield picks. So do make sure to bookmark this post, or you could check back later for more World Cup fantasy tips.
If you’re looking to create your round of 16 team, but don’t know what players to target or what strategy to deploy, feel free to check out our article: World Cup fantasy round of 16 wildcard team: the best MD4 FIFA fantasy team.
Redeyedrae, is an FPL content writer with years of experience in playing and writing about FPL. He has written for major FPL blogs like ALLABOUTFPL, Fantasytipsters, FF Titans, and nevermanagealone. With his deep knowledge of the game, he has become a trusted source for FPL fans worldwide. His content is well-researched and always up-to-date. He’s passionate about helping FPL managers gain an edge in their leagues by sharing insights and analysis about everything fantasy football on raensports.
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