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Guest writer FBL Thinker is here with this week’s Sorare Academy column.
He started playing Sorare in 2021, is an avid follower of German football and finished fourth in last season’s Fantasy Bundesliga game.
Remember, there are now 15 chances to win a real Sorare card every week with this free-to-play game – don’t miss the 11am BST Friday deadline for your latest opportunity.
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Here we go again! Last week we broke records for the highest scores ever seen in a Gameweek. Perhaps that’s not too surprising when you consider that both Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich put seven goals past their opponents.
Our top-placed manager NoFace scored an incredible 493 points with this team of big hitters:
Ch-ch-ch-changes!
So finally the new scoring matrix of Sorare comes into effect, as was touched on in a previous article. We need to consider these changes to build our line-ups effectively to win at Sorare Academy, as well as in the Sorare S05 leagues.
Power of the Goalkeeper
The goalkeeper is a crucial position in a week when we have easy fixtures for some of the bigger teams who are expected to score well. Picking the highest-scoring stopper can help you climb the leaderboard and can make all the difference when scores are high everywhere, just like last week.
The new scoring matrix gives extra importance to goalkeepers from teams who concede less and tend to play out from the back in possession-dominant football.
So the first name that comes to my mind is Mike Maignan of AC Milan, who face Bologna at home. Bologna tend to sit back and play on the counter, so it offers a good potential for both a clean sheet and passes from the back.
Domination of Wing-backs
The new scoring matrix lessens the impact of lost possession and favours attack-minded defenders who play for teams that concede less. So a slight shift from ball-playing centre-backs to attacking full-backs is expected.
The first player that comes to mind here is Theo Hernandez, also from AC Milan, who has clean sheet potential, a high chance of assists and is also on penalties.
Another great pick should be Ashraf Hakimi of PSG. He is playing out of position as a right-winger and has two scores of 90 and 92 throughout his last three matches. This is no fluke, as Hakimi is a consistent high scorer in Sorare with an average score of 60 over the last five outings.
Midfield Maestros
The new matrix shifted a bit of focus away from creative midfielders playing in the number ten position towards box-to-box midfielders who take on duels and tackles along with chance creation and goal-scoring duties. One of my favourite midfielders is Jude Bellingham from Dortmund, who will play last-placed Hertha Berlin. There is a good chance of Bellingham getting an attacking return and he will be involved in lots of duels to win balls in midfield.
Pedri playing as the centre attacking midfielder behind Robert Lewandowski could be another good pick, as Barcelona are expected to dominate possession in their match and the youngster can chip in with an attacking return. His last game brought in a score of 86 without a goal or an assist and he is known to consistently hit high scores in the game.
Clinical Strikers
The scoring matrix has not significantly impacted the striker category and, keeping in mind PSG’s tricky fixture against Monaco, I will reluctantly look away from the trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, instead looking to Lewandowski who scored twice against a good Real Sociedad defence and has a good home fixture against Real Valladolid.
Vinicius Junior has started the season for Real Madrid in excellent form, with a goal in the last match. He is playing a defensively-weak Espanyol and has shown previously he can hit peak scores which boost your rank on the leaderboard.
In the extra slot, I have gone for the ever-reliable Joshua Kimmich, whose last three scores are 95, 100 and 95 respectively. I believe he can continue this run even with the new scoring.
Below is how my team is shaping up for the weekend – a mixture of reliable picks and differentials who I expect to do well.
Who will you put your faith in this weekend? Don’t forget to set your team before Friday’s 11am deadline for a chance to win a prize.
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