FIFA 17’s release is just a month away, and just like you, we can’t wait to get our hands on EA Sport’s latest football game. With cool features like “The Journey”, where a young rookie lives out his dream of playing in the Premier League, and the new Frostbite engine, which was previously used by EA Dice in Battlefield will add a lot of ‘feel’ to this new mode and the entire game, as a whole.
FIFA has also changed the way set-pieces are taken, and AI players will make more intelligent runs. Marco Reus was voted by fans’ all over the world as the FIFA 17 cover star, replacing Lionel Messi.
FC Barcelona are the reigning Spanish Champions and completed the domestic treble as they won La Liga, Copa del Rey and most recently, the Spanish Super Cup, after defeating Sevilla.
Barcelona were in sensational form last season, but insufficient backup for MSN proved costly as they were knocked out of the Champions League by Spanish rivals, Atletico Madrid.
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Luis Enrique has made 4 signings this transfer window - Lucas Digne, to challenge Jordi Alba for a left-back spot, Samuel Umtiti to provide cover for the aging defensive duo of Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano, Denis Suarez to give some much-needed back-up to MSN and their most expensive signing this summer, Andre Gomes.
Barcelona fans will be satisfied with their world-class squad for this season, and it’ll be intriguing to see Barca challenge for the Champions League as well this season.
Let’s take a look at the predicted FC Barcelona player ratings in FIFA 17:
#1 Goalkeepers and defenders
Barcelona’s central defence pairing of Pique-Mascherano was solid last season, but Jordi Alba on the flanks had quite a few hiccups. They have a vacant right-back spot after Dani Alves’s departure, and defense will probably be Barca’s weak link this season.
Claudio Bravo: 83 → 84
The Chilean was Barca’s first-choice keeper last term over talented German youngster, Ter Stegen. He kept 16 clean sheets last season and is heavily linked with a move to Manchester City. The 33-year-old was also arguably the best goalkeeper at the Copa America Centenario and is likely to be rewarded with an increased rating.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 82 → 82
The young German didn’t get too many first-team opportunities last season, but Luis Enrique has apparently decided to field him as the first-team keeper this season. The former Borussia Monchengladbach No.1 didn’t disappoint in the limited opportunities he got last season but messed up at critical points to put Barcelona under a lot of pressure, especially in their Champions League outing. He’ll probably retain his rating of FIFA 16, and it’ll be interesting to see how he fares next season.
Sergi Roberto: 78 → 79
The 24-year old Spaniard had a solid season with Barcelona, playing in different positions like right-back and CDM. Roberto is expected to be a regular this season at right-back, after Dani Alves’s departure to Juventus. A good 2015-16 season should see him get a +1 increase.
Jordi Alba: 84 → 84
Alba was threatening on the attack many a time, but had a disastrous season, defensively. The Spaniard did manage to provide 7 assists and scored a stunner in the Copa Del Rey finals against Sevilla. However, he was not efficient in his defensive duties, and that’d prevent an increased rating in FIFA 17.
Gerard Pique: 85 → 86
Pique was fantastic once again last season and is arguably Barca’s best defender. He played a crucial role in their Copa del Rey triumph after Javier Mascherano was sent off, and Pique was superb that match, keeping a clean-sheet. He’s good with getting the ball out of defense to the forwards and has an incredible aerial ability. One of the best centre-backs in world football deserves the bump in rating.
Javier Mascherano: 83 → 84
The Argentine veteran had a good season for Barcelona last season and established himself as a regular in the first-team. He was instrumental in Barca’s domestic double but had a heartbreaking outing at Copa America Centenario, where Argentina lost yet another final. Reports emerged he was set to retire from international football, but the 32-year old still has a lot to offer to both club and country.
Lucas Digne: 76 → 77
The French youngster is one of Barca’s new signings, and will provide competition to Alba at left-back. He had a good season with Roma last term, scoring 3 goals and provided 5 assists. Digne will probably get an increased rating in FIFA 17.
Samuel Umtiti: 79 → 82
Another player who recently signed for Barcelona this transfer window. Umtiti had a very good outing at Lyon last season, and will be a perfect fit at Camp Nou. The 22-year old had an exceptional 88% pass accuracy in Ligue 1, and compounded with his pace, the French youngster should get a +3 upgrade.
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#2 Midfielders
Barcelona has one of the best midfields in club football, and with the addition of Andre Gomes in their ranks, it will only get stronger and better this season.
Andres Iniesta: 88 → 89
The Spanish wizard is one of the best midfielders in world football right now, and much like Pirlo, he gets better with age. Iniesta is as much a feature of Barcelona as LasRamblas, the Magic Fountain of Montjuic or the Camp Nou itself. He played a key role in Barca’s La Liga triumph last season, winning his 8th league title in 14 years at the club, and definitely justifies the +1 increase.
Arda Turan: 82 → 82
The Turk was one of the most sought after midfielders when Barca signed him from former champions, Athletico Madrid. However, he found it difficult to break into the first-team, and made only 9 appearances in La Liga in the starting line-up. Lack of game-time and a disappointing outing at Euro 2016 should probably decrease his rating, but keeping his class in mind, he’ll probably retain his rating.
Ivan Rakitic: 85 → 86
The Croatian started almost all of Barcelona’s matches last season, making 46 appearances in La Liga and the Champions League combined. 9 goals and 4 assists for the Spanish champions last season, and a good outing at Euro 2016 is likely to get him an upgrade.
Sergio Busquets: 86 → 87
The Spaniard is one of the most under-rated midfielders in world football, and it’s hard to blame anyone for it with the presence of superstars in the Barca squad, but Busquets is nothing short of one. He’s brilliant with his passing and vision and is arguably one of the best CDM in world football. It’d be criminal if FIFA does not upgrade his rating.
Andre Gomes: 80 → 82
The Portuguese is one of Barca’s new signings this season after they hijacked Real Madrid’s deal for the midfielder. The 23-year old still has a lot to learn, but the early signs are indeed very promising. Gomes should get an upgrade after good performances for both club and country.
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#3 Forwards
Barcelona has one of the deadliest forward lines in world football, with 3 of South America’s best forwards. MSN was unstoppable last season but tired out in the lag-end of the season due to lack of alternatives.
However, Barca has addressed the issue to some extent with the signing of Denis Suarez, and come next season, they’ll look to haunt opposition defenses once again.
Denis Suarez: 78 → 79
The former Villareal man has been one of Barca’s new signing this transfer window, and will provide much-needed back-up to MSN, who really tired at the lag end of last season. With 11 assists and 5 goals to his name last season, Suarez is likely to get a 79 rating.
Luis Suarez: 90 → 91
The Uruguayan is going to be a serious contender for Ballon d’Or this season. He was exceptional last season, scoring 59 goals in all competition, is the current holder of Pichichi (La Liga’s top scorer) with 40 goals. The 29-year old won’t be rated as high as Ronaldo or Messi, but deserves to be close to their rating points.
Neymar: 90 → 91
A key component of MSN, the Brazilan scored 27 goals and 16 assists last season and is currently on international duty with Brazil at Rio 2016. The skipper has led his team to the finals vs Germany to be played on Sunday, and also recorded the fastest goal in Olympics history. He’s done all this at just 23 years of age and has probably earned himself a +1 rating in FIFA 17.
Lionel Messi: 94 → 94
Messi missed parts of last season due to injury but came back strong to score 32 goals and provide 17 assists. The Argentine skipper was sensational in Copa America Centenario too, scoring 5 goals and 4 assists, but missed out on the big prize in the finals. His rating will probably stay the same, but his passing and pace ratings should improve.
Munir: 73 → 73
The young Spaniard made only 19 appearances for Barca last season, scoring 3 goals and 3 assists. However, he’ll find it hard to break into the first-team once again but has probably done enough to retain his FIFA 16 rating.
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