Soccer

Fantasy Focus: Neves nets major return

FIFA

30, Jun

Still only 20, and barely two years on from having made his senior club debut for SL Benfica, Joao Neves ($6.5m) already has the football world at his feet.

Famed for his quirks, from wearing the No87, to playing with his shirt tucked in – “There were rules in the youth team in Benfica, jersey tucked in and socks below the knee” – he’s also rapidly earning a reputation for being one of the silkiest young midfielders on the planet.

Now a key part of a youthful Paris Saint-Germain set-up, the Portuguese price was at his dazzling best in a 4-0 dismantling of Inter Miami CF. A pair of goals, a clean sheet and the scouting bonus helped Neves to a massive 17-point showing in the FIFA Club World Cup™ Fantasy game.

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Play the official FIFA Club World Cup Fantasy game

That saw him overshadow some far more highly-owned PSG team-mates, although the game’s most selected player, defender Achraf Hakimi ($6.5m), also went big once again, bagging 14 points for the second straight match.

There were also plenty of serious returns in the six-goal thriller between FC Bayern München and CR Flamengo. On an evening when popular picks Michael Olise ($9.4m) and Manuel Neuer ($5.6m) had unusually quiet outings, that wasn’t the case for forward Harry Kane ($11.0m).

The England captain justified his almost 35 per cent ownership with a strong 12-point match while midfielders Leon Goretzka ($5.5m) and Joshua Kimmich ($6.2m) also picked up positive point tallies.

FIFA Rewards: Earn. Play. Celebrate.

Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 Inter Miami CF

Star players

MID Joao Neves (PSG, $6.5m) – 17 points
DEF Achraf Hakimi (PSG, $6.5m) – 14 points
GK Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG, $5.7m) – 8 points

Low returns

MID Ousmane Dembele (PSG, $10.0m) – 1 point
DEF Marquinhos (PSG, $5.6m) - 1 point
MID Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG, $9.2m) – 3 points

CR Flamengo 2-4 FC Bayern München

Star players

FWD Harry Kane (Bayern, $11.0m) – 12 points
MID Leon Goretzka (Bayern, $5.5m) – 9 points
MID Joshua Kimmich (Bayern, $6.2m) – 8 points

Low returns

MID Kingsley Coman (Bayern, $8.8m) – 1 point
MID Michael Olise (Bayern, $9.4m) – 1 point
GK Manuel Neuer (Bayern, $5.6m) - 1 point

Next up (Monday 30 June) - Round of 16

FC Internazionale Milano v Fluminense FC
Manchester City v Al Hilal

Highest owned players in action

FWD Erling Haaland (Manchester City, $11.m) – 36.5%
DEF Denzel Dumfries (Inter, $6.3m) – 25.1%
GK Yan Sommer (Inter, $5.4m) – 24.2%
DEF Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City, $6.1m) – 17.6%
MID Phil Foden (Manchester City, $8.0m) – 17.6%

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Differentials

With many owners opting to deploy the Qualification Booster for the Round of 16, it’s no surprise to see plenty of highly-owned players from the two teams that topped their respective groups in Manchester City and FC Internazionale Milano and who are perhaps favoured to progress.

An Al Hilal side shorn of the services of their injured captain Salem Al Dawsari ($5.6m) could well struggle but there’s plenty of value still to be found at City, should the rotation roulette wheel fall kindly. If new signing Rayan Cherki ($7.1m) lines up, as is possible, just behind the striker, along with Bernado Silva ($6.7m) tucked in a touch deeper, both could be great value picks.

Fluminense FC midfield string-puller Jhon Arias ($6.2m) has already shown what he is capable of at the tournament but if it’s Inter differentials that are the way owners are leaning then central defender Alessandro Bastoni ($5.6m) offers both defensive and attacking returns while box-to-box midfielder Nicolo Barella ($7.0m) is also capable of bagging points in multiple categories, including the scouting bonus, given he sits under the five percent ownership threshold.