FIFA 18 World Cup Mode: Predicting the ratings for Portugal national team

#2 Defenders

Portugal v Mexico: Play-Off for Third Place - FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017

Coach Fernando Santos has gone for experience in the defence, opting for veterans such as Bruno Alves and Jose Fonte. Joining them in the centre back position is Pepe.

Pepe was transferred to Besiktas at the beginning of the season when he completed a switch from Real Madrid. At Besiktas, Pepe has formed a solid partnership with Dusko Tosic and helped the team concede the least number of goals.

Pepe is currently one of the highest rated defenders in FIFA 18. However, we predict that his overall rating of 85 will take a hit. Fans can expect him to be rated 84 in the World Cup mode.

Alves and Fonte are currently playing at Rangers and Dalian Yifang. We predict that both these defenders will be rated below 80 in the new game mode. An overall of 75 for Alves and 78 for Fonte is likely.

Also, joining the trio is Benfica's young centre-back Ruben Dias. He had a good season for Benfica and was rewarded with a call-up to the national team. Dias will most likely carry over his rating of 76 over to the new game mode.

Fernando Santos is not short of options for his full-back positions. Napoli's Mario Rui joins Cedric, Ricardo Pereira, and Raphael Guerreiro.

Guerreiro is expected to start at the left back position for Santos' team while Cedric is the most likely option for right back. Both the fullbacks endured tough seasons and are likely to receive downgrades. A 77 overall for Cedric and a 78 overall for Guerreiro is likely.

On the other hand, Rui and Pereira enjoyed brilliant campaigns. Rui came into a Napoli side, replacing injured Ghoulam and instantly became one of the best players for his side. Fans can expect him to be rated 80 in the new edition of the game while Ricardo Pereira will most likely be rated 80.