FIFA 19: February Premier League Player of the Month Prediction (POTM)

Despite February being the shortest month of the year, it felt like a long one with four rounds of Premier League action. The title race looks to be going down to the wire as we enter the final ten games of the season, with Manchester City just one point behind front runners Liverpool.

Spurs were on their tails, but two losses at the end of February looks to have ended their challenge and they must now be wary of the chasing Arsenal, Manchester and Chelsea to hold on to a top four place.

Down at the bottom things are also getting interesting with Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Burnley edging towards safety, which has meant Brighton & Hove Albion have been drawn right into the mire. Fulham and Huddersfield look as good as down, but it looks to be one of Brighton, Southampton or Cardiff who will join them in the Championship next season. 

In a fantastic month of football which also featured the Champions League knockout stages, EFL Cup Final and FA Cup football, which player could achieve the Player of the Month award based solely on their Premier League performances? The prize will be selected by public vote, with the winner also receiving a Player of the Month (POTM) card on FIFA Ultimate Team. 

POTM cards can only be unlocked by completing various squad building challenges (SBCs) making them very difficult and expensive to get hold of. RealSport looks at the top five contenders for the prize from February. 

Sergio Aguero (OVR 89 – POTM 93)

It’s hard to look past Sergio Aguero for the Player of the Month prize with the Manchester City netting two hat tricks in February to close the gap on league leaders Liverpool. The Argentine first bagged a treble in the 4-1 victory over Arsenal, and a week later he repeated the trick against another London side Chelsea in a 6-0 mauling. He made it seven for the month by scoring the only goal in the 1-0 win over West Ham, which could be the most important strike come the end of the season. 

Aguero’s 90 overall rating should rise to around 93 if he wins the POTM award. His base card costs 130,000 coins on PS4 and 113,000 on Xbox One, with a 90 Champions League item setting you back 396,000 on PS4 and 409,000 on Xbox One in Ultimate Team. A 90

in-form from TOTW 21 worth 600,000 on both consoles, whilst his 92 UCL Road to the Final live card is priced at 1.9 million on both consoles. 

Sadio Mane (OVR 86 – POTM 89)

Liverpool often rely on Mohamed Salah to get them out of trouble, but this month it was Sadio Mane who stepped up to the plate. The Senegalese international scored four goals in four matches over February, netting in both the 1-1 draw with West Ham and 3-0 win over Bournemouth. The Reds flexed their muscles in the 5-0 drubbing of Watford with Mane bagging a brace.

Mane’s 86 overall base card should rise to at least 89 if he is named the Player of the Month, with his normal rating valued at 22,000 coins on PS4 and 23,000 on Xbox One. An 87 Champions League card costs 108,000 on PS4 and 107,000 on Xbox One for the left winger, with his 87 in-form from TOTW 7 requiring 226,000 on PS4 and 208,000 on Xbox One. 

Paul Pogba (OVR 88 – POTM 92)

Paul Pogba is a man reborn under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the Frenchman undeniably the main man at Old Trafford these days. In February, the central midfielder picked up two goals and two assists as United remain unbeaten in domestic competitions under the caretaker manager. World Cup winner Pogba grabbed a brace in the 3-0 win over Fulham, set up Marcus Rashford for the only goal as they defeated Leicester 1-0 before assisting Ashley Young to round off the 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace. 

Pogba has an 88 overall on FIFA Ultimate Team, and this would rise to around 92 if he is the POTM. His base card costs 285,000 on PS4 and 250,000 on Xbox One with an 89 Champions League item worth 429,000 on PS4 and 420,000 on Xbox One. A 90 in-form from TOTW 22 requires 959,000 on PS4 and 990,000 on Xbox One, whilst his 91 headliners card is priced at 2.2 million on PS4 and 2.5 million on Xbox One. 

Henrikh Mkhitaryan (OVR 84 – POTM 88)

It may seem a surprise to see Henrikh Mkhitaryan as a contender, but the Arsenal man really stepped up in the back half of February to prove he deserves a starting place at the club. The Armenian returned from a metatarsal injury to bag a goal and assist against Southampton (2-0), before netting again and setting up two goals in the big 5-1 win over Bournemouth. 

The attacking midfielder could improve from an 84 overall to a POTM rating, and his position could move from attacking midfielder to wide on the right. The 30-year-old’s base card costs 4,200 coins on PS4 and 4,300 on Xbox One. 

Ashley Barnes (OVR 77 – POTM 84)

Burnley have really stepped up of late, with the Clarets taking points off Manchester United and Tottenham in their past five games. This has been led from the front by strike pairing Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood, with the duo netting six goals between them in February. Barnes just gets the nod due to his three goals and assist in the past four games, with the Austrian netting against Southampton (1-1), Brighton (3-1) and Spurs (2-1). 

Barnes has a 77 overall rating on FIFA 19, with a shock Player of the Month win possibly taking his rating to 84. The striker’s base card costs just 500 coins on PS4 and 550 on Xbox One in Ultimate Team.