EA Sports’ latest instalment of the FIFA franchise is set to drop later this month, and fans are wondering what upgrades and downgrades their favourite clubs and players will have.
Here at Empire of the Kop, we’re Liverpool fans – I hope that’s not news to any of you, and I’m going to give you my predictions for our players in FIFA 20.
I’ll sort this in terms of the players’ FIFA 19 rating, and then what I’d give them in this year’s game, to keep things simple.
Virgil van Dijk 88 → 90
Mo Salah 88 → 89
Alisson 87 → 89
Sadio Mane 86 → 88
Bobby Firmino 86 → 87
Fabinho 85 → 85
Andy Robertson 83 → 84
Naby Keita 83 → 82
Jordan Henderson 82 → 82
Gini Wijnaldum 82 → 83
James Milner 81 → 80
Joel Matip 81 → 82
Xherdan Shaqiri 81 → 81
Dejan Lovren 81 → 79
Adam Lallana 81 → 79
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 80 → 79
Nathaniel Clyne 80 → 78
Trent Alexander-Arnold 78 → 81
Divock Origi 77 → 79
Adrian 77 → 77
Joe Gomez 76 → 78
Sepp van den Berg 66 → 68
Pedro Chirivella 64 → 64
Rhian Brewster 62 → 64
Curtis Jones 61 → 63
Caoimhin Kelleher 58 → 60
Harvey Elliott N/A → 62
Right – let’s get stuck in.
Alisson, van Dijk and Mane were unbelievable last season for us, and I think their efforts will see them get a generous buff in FIFA 20.
Our No.1 won three Golden Gloves, a feat previous unheard of, and Virgil won the PFA Player of the Year award, the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year title and is up for the Ballon d’Or.
Salah was already incredible in FIFA 19, but I can see him getting an upgrade after another Golden Boot-winning season, which he shared with Mane, and I see Firmino going the same way.
After a productive campaign, I think Robbo and Trent will get an upgrade. I reckon our No.66 will get the bigger buff, out of the duo, as his earlier rating of 78 was scandalous.
With Lovren, Lallana and Clyne seeing their roles in the squad being minimised, it’s almost a certainty that their ratings will suffer.
You could argue that Gomez deserves to be a higher rating than his Croatian counterpart, and you’d be right, but I don’t think EA are going to flip them like that.
Downgrades for Oxlade-Chamberlain, Milner and Keita could be seen as harsh, but I think they’re appropriate – and, in the case of the two youngest of the trio, temporary.
Our new lad, Elliott, wasn’t in the last FIFA, but I think he’ll be given an overall around the 62 mark in FIFA 20 – the rating Brewster was given last year.