In this article, we will look at the best midfielders to pick for your Fantasy World Cup team in Final – Matchday 7.
We look at each price bracket: budget midfielders, midpriced picks, and premium options.
Budget midfielders for Matchday 7 (Final)
Rodrigo de Paul (5.0m, Argentina)
- a budget midfielder if you need one
- has slight attacking potential: 1G + 4A at Worl Cup Qualifiers, 1G + 1A at Copa America
- started 6/6 matches so far
- but de Paul is yet to register an attacking return at this tournament
Enzo Fernandes (6.0m, Argentina)
- a budget midfielder with attacking potential
- plays deep for Argentina but still getting few chances in every match
- secured starting spot in Argentina line up
Tchouameni (6.5m, France)
- There are not many midfielders in France team that are good fantasy assets
- Tchouameni with superb goal outside of the box in Quarterfinals, but do not expect attacking returns form him on regular basis
- Can get points for key passes and tackles as well
- It is probably better to go without France midfielders and rather go for their two forwards (Mbappe + Giroud or Mbappe + Griezmann)
Midpriced options for Matchday 7 (Final)
Ziyech (7.0m, Morocco)
- cannot be overlooked
- there could be goals at both ends in Morocco’s fixture, 3rd place game is usually high scoring
- key man for Morocco
- on some set pieces
- Can get points for key passes and tackles as well
Ivan Perišič (7.5m, Croatia)
- With two goals, Perišič is top scoring Croatian player in the game
- plays more advance than we are used to from FPL
- The disadvantage is that Croatia struggled in attack so far
Premium midfielders for Matchday 7 (Final)
Di Maria (8.5m, Argentina)
- Looks like he is fit although wait for the lineups before you bring him in
- Di Maria can get points for key passes as well, delivered an extra point in all three matches of the group stage
Modrič (8.5, Croatia)
- so far without an attacking return
- But he is the talisman for Croatia, their key man
- Good at key passes.
- Modrič is on penalties as well
- Double up on Modrič + Perišič is on the table, as we do not have many attacking midfielders to choose from
How to pick best midfielders in Fantasy World Cup
Also, let’s look at some criteria when picking the best midfielders for your World Cup fantasy team.
When selecting best midfielders for your squad you should consider:
- If you pick a premium midfielder, make sure he is also a good captaincy option.
- If you pick a cheap midfielder (less than 5.5 million), make sure he is good at tackles, or key passes, or that he is a talisman for his nation
- Form and fixtures are also important parts of your decision-making process
- Consider probabilities when picking midfielders. Let bookies any time goalscorer odds to help you with that. You can find them here: World Cup 2022 Goalscoring Odds.
- Make sure you have all playing midfielders and no non-starters in your team – you can sub off players when they blank for a player who is yet to play. Read more about substitutions here.
- Think about the structure of your midfield. It could be something like:
- 11m (premium captaincy option)
- 9m (talisman good at key passes or tackles, or high goalscoring odds)
- 7m (talisman)
- 6m (differential with good fixture)
- 5m (defensive mid good at tackles)
Further resources
Looking for players to pick for your World Cup Fantasy team from different positions? Check our following articles:
- Best goalkeepers to pick in World Cup Fantasy
- Best defenders to pick in World Cup Fantasy
- Best forwards to pick in World Cup Fantasy
Who might start and who might be benched?
- Check our World Cup Predicted Lineups
Midfielders to pick in Fantasy World Cup Group Stage
4.0m – 5.5m bracket
Kamada (5.5m, Japan)
- solid mid at the 5.5m bracket, but is yet to return fantasy points at the World Cup
- If you play UCL Fantasy, you probably know him as he scored 3 goals in the Group stage.
- 7G + 4A in 13 appearances in Bundesliga this season.
- Also, 6G and 1 assist in last 16 matches for Japan
- But a bit tougher fixture against well organized Croatian defense
Other picks:
- Abdulaziz Hatem (4.0m, Qatar) – one of very few starting 4m midfielders. Not a good pick. Only if you really really need 4.0m midfielder. His teammate Boudiaf is also an option. The only positive is, that you can sub them off when they do not deliver. Other 4.0m options: Salaman Al Faraj and his teammate Kanno (Saudi Arabia) should get a few starts too.
- Khazri (4.5m, Tunisia) – Has 3 goals in World Cup Qualifiers for Tunisia, 2G + 2A in the last Word Cup 2018
- Leandro Paredes (4.5m, Argentina) – 4.5 million for regularly starting Argentina midfielder with so favorable fixtures in Group C? Great enabler. However, do not expect much from him, has 0 goals this season
- Hector Herrera (4.5m, Mexico) – used to be a talisman for Mexico. He had injury problems lately, but should get 1 or 2 starts regardless. His teammate Carlos Rodriguez is also an option at this price bracket.
- Nicola Vlasič (5.0m, Croatia) – not completely nailed, but should get a few minutes and perhaps starts for Croatia. Top scoring midfielder in the Group stage of the 2018 UCL Fantasy season, so he definitely can deliver fantasy points.
- Pašalič (5.0 m, Croatia) – option as well. You can have him or Vlašič in your team, and if you do not see him in the starting line up, you will transfer him out for Vlašič (if he is starting) whilst both of them are unlocked. Good example of using transfers during matchday.
- Caicedo (5.5m, Ecuador) – definitely one to consider, as you can easily sub him off if he will not deliver. 2G + 4A in World Cup Qualification. He has 3.12 tackles per 90 in Premier League, so should get an extra point for tackles as well.
- Trossard (5.5m, Belgium) – if he was nailed, we all would have him in our teams. From FPL, we all know how explosive fantasy asset he is. But Hazard should start instead of him, if fit.
- De Arrascaeta (5.5m, Uruguay) – superb in Qualifiers where he has 5G + 1A. A good fixture in MD1. But might be not nailed to start for Uruguay. Another disadvantage is that he plays on the last day, so you can not sub him off if will not deliver.
6.0m – 7.5m bracket
Klaassen (6.0m, Netherlands)
- Klaassen was the Netherlands midfielder we should get before the start of the tournament, not Bergwijn
- Should be nailed to start, had great performances so far, and he could keep Berwgijn benched. However early substitution in Matchday 4 is a little bit worrying
- 1G + 2A so far in World Cup
- 4G + 4A in World Cup Qualification (only Depay had more for Oranjes)
Casemiro (6.0m, Brazil)
- should get extra points for tackles
- He can get an occasional attacking return (as he did in Matchday 2)
- Brazil with a good fixture in Quarterfinals
Kudus (6.0m, Ghana)
- one of the heroes of the current UCL Fantasy campaign where he scored 46 fantasy points in 6 matches.
- Could continue in his form at World Cup as well
- fixtures are improving for Ghana after Matchday 1
- Kudus was the main man for Ghana against Portugal and Korea as well
Kimmich (7.0m, Germany)
- Occasional goal threat
- But he is good at both: key passes and tackles as well, so should offer regular points output in every match
- on set-pieces
- Great fixture against Costa Rica in Matchday 3
Other picks:
- Skov Olsen (6.0m, Denmark) – great performances for Club Brugge this season. Denmark’s top scorer in Qualification with 5G + 3A.
- Bentancur (6.0m, Uruguay) – solid season at Spurs (4G + 2A), but has only 1 goal for Uruguay in the last 5 years. However, he is good at tackles so should get some extra point(s) there.
- Harry Wilson (6.0m, Wales) – 1 G + 3A in World Cup Qualification
- Tchouameni (6.5m, France) – should get few extra point(s) for tackles – but 1-2 max per match.
- Zielinski (6.5m, Poland) – superb season at Napoli, very good at key passes so should get extra points
- Bergwijn (7.0m, Netherlands) – it feels that he is a bit underpriced based on his performances in Champions League and Eredivisie. And with Depay likely out, the Netherlands attack will rely on him
- Minamino (7.0m, Japan) – very tough Group E, but he is a key man for Japan as he has 10G + 2A in qualifiers
7.5m-11m bracket
Pulišič (7.5m, USA)
- key man and a talisman for USA, already with an assist and a goal on this tournament
- Involved in both USA goals so far
- He is on penalties and all set pieces
- USA’s top scorer in qualification with 5 goals
- But a tougher fixture against the Netherlands
Bellingham (7.5m, England)
- superb asset in UCL Fantasy, can score in any match
- Good at tackles and key passes as well, so can get a few extra points.
- Plays too deep in England team (so probably Saka or Foden are better assets), but still managed to get two attacking returns at World Cup 2022
Saka (8.0m, England)
- Cannot be overlooked
- with 27 points top scoring England player
- You can go with Saka from the start of the Quarterfinals, or buy him after you see the lineups (in that case you must have a placeholder for him). And if he does not start, you will transfer him out for Foden or Bellingham
Eriksen (8.0m, Denmark)
- a talisman for Denmark, when they score, he is likely going to be involved (but still waiting for an attacking return on this tournament)
- excellent at key passes, Eriksen had 8 key passes in the first two fixtures, which increases his points output even when he does not score
- Denmark needs to go for a win against Australia if they want to advance to R16
Musiala (8.0m, Germany)
- Germany with the best fixture of the matchday and you will need their offensive coverage in Matchday 3
- Great form at Bayern, an assist against Spain
- slight worries he could be rotated, but you can plan with your free transfers for that
- Sané would be great pick if his injury issues are behind him and we see him in predicted lineups
Foden (8.5m, England)
- Foden is predicted to start again for England
- 1 goal and 2 assists in the last two matchdays
Bruno Fernandes (9.5m, Portugal)
- a second top-scoring player in Fantasy World Cup so far
- one of the best players at the tournament based on his performances
- 3G + 2A in World Cup Qualification (only Ronaldo and Jota had more for Portugal)
- Key man for Portugal at this World Cup
- Can get points for key passes as well
Other picks:
- Valverde (8.5m, Uruguay) – very good season in La Liga and in the Champions League as well. However, he was overperforming xG and xA a lot. He has just 4 goals for Uruguay in last 5 years.
- Leroy Sané (9.0m, Germany) – superb form for Bayern that he could replicate in the World Cup.
- De Bruyne (11.0m, Belgium) – The most expensive midfielder in the game for a reason. Great form in PL and he is top for key passes across all 5 big European leagues, so should get 1-2 extra points in every match. De Bruyne can do well in any game.
What about Gonzalo Plata (4.5), Ecuador winger ?
Could be an option for MD1. We will see whether he starts before the deadline.
What about Perišić?
I think that there are better options at this price bracket. If he was a bit cheaper, I would consider him, but we have just 5 midfield spots, and with players like Berwgijn, Kimmich, Saka, Foden, Skov Olsen.. it is hard to fit him in.
No Pedri pick as a premium one from Spain? Why so?
Hi is too expensive. I think there are players that offer high points potential for the same or lower price.