Predicting FIFA 13 Player Ratings for Chelsea FC

At the time of writing, less than a week remains until the release of EA Sports' eagerly anticipated FIFA 13, the time-killing zenith of video games for footballing fans.

Chelsea fans will take a keen interest in the game's ratings for their team's squad, a hotly disputed issue for discussion with every edition's release.

Last week I took a punt at predicting the ratings for Manchester United players, and this time around I'll do the same with the Blues.

With last year's ratings in brackets, here are my best guesses...

Goalkeepers

Starting with Chelsea's goalkeepers, not much has changed in the last 12 months to provoke a dramatic change in ratings.

Petr Cech is still his old, reliable self, whilst Ross Turnbull and Hilario remain unspectacular back-ups.

The latter two will never be good enough to be first choice keepers for a top side, and their ratings will reflect the fact.

Cech, despite having turned 30 earlier this year, is one of the few world class shot-stoppers in the world, and having had an impressive Champions League campaign last season, will compete with Joe Hart for highest rated in the Premier League.

My Predictions:

Petr Cech, 86 (85)

Hilario, 72 (74)

Ross Turnbull, 70 (73)

Defence

With the exception of the departures of Alex and Jose Bosingwa, and the arrival of right-back Cesar Azpilicueta, the Chelsea back line also has a familiar feel about it.

John Terry was the highest rated Chelsea defender in FIFA 12, but may well be overtaken by the consistently world class Ashley Cole in this edition.

New addition Azpilicueta should see a significant jump in value, but the most improved Blues player over the past few months has to be left-back Ryan Bertrand, who has been doubling as a winger early in the season for his side.

David Luiz showed some improvement last season, but issues about his positioning and concentration levels still remain.

Paulo Ferreira is lucky to get a game in the Premier League these days behind the beastly Branislav Ivanovic.

My Predictions:

John Terry, 85 (86)

Ashley Cole, 86 (85)

Gary Cahill, 82 (79)

Cesar Azpilicueta, 80 (75)

Ryan Bertrand, 77 (69)

Paulo Ferreira, 71 (74)

Branislav Ivanovic, 85 (83)

David Luiz, 83 (82)

Midfield

Chelsea have added some real jewels to their midfield these past twelve months, and will no doubt have a 5 star rating to show for it.

Eden Hazard will be one of the highest-rated players on the game full stop, whilst the potential for youngsters Oscar and Lucas Piazon will also be off the charts.

Oriol Romeu has had to take a bit of a back seat in the reign of Roberto di Matteo, and so has Florent Malouda.

But despite looking a little shaky in recent games, John Obi Mikel has been a regular fixture in the starting lineup, and won't see his high rating from FIFA 12 decrease by much.

Marko Marin remains a bit of an unknown quantity, at least in Britain, and Oscar's rating will most likely be conservative too, despite his fantastic impact against Juventus in the recent 2-2 draw.

Pass masters Frank Lampard and Juan Mata will certainly keep their top billing.

My Predictions:

Eden Hazard, 88 (85)

John Obi Mikel, 81 (82)

Oriol Romeu, 70 (69)

Oscar, 79 (77)

Lucas Piazon, 68 (65)

Florent Malouda, 78 (84)

Juan Mata, 87 (85)

Frank Lampard, 86 (87)

Ramires, 82 (79)

Marko Marin, 78 (80)

Attack

With the departures of a few players, most notably Didier Drogba, Chelsea's attack has been really thinned out over the past few months.

Fernando Torres will lead the line for the Blues, with promising forwards Daniel Sturridge and Victor Moses shadowing him in deeper positions.

In the case of Sturridge, he remains as enigmatic as ever. Capable of delighting and infuriating in equal measure, his rating is unlikely to alter much.

But in the case of Moses, his emergence as a top quality player only really occurred at the tail end of last season, and should see a dramatic jump in value as a result.

My Predictions:

Fernando Torres, 84 (86)

Daniel Sturridge, 80 (80)

Victor Moses, 81 (72)

Predictions in Full

GK: Petr Cech, 86, Hilario, 72, Ross Turnbull, 70.

DEF: John Terry, 85, Ashley Cole, 86, Gary Cahill, 82, Cesar Azpilicueta, 80, Ryan Bertrand, 77, Paulo Ferreira, 71, Branislav Ivanovic, 85, David Luiz, 83.

MID: Eden Hazard, 88, John Obi Mikel, 81, Oriol Romeu, 70, Oscar, 79, Lucas Piazon, 68, Florent Malouda, 78, Juan Mata, 87, Frank Lampard, 86, Ramires, 82, Marko Marin, 78.

ATT: Fernando Torres, 84, Daniel Sturridge, 80, Victor Moses, 81.

What do you think? Which Chelsea players will be the biggest winners and losers when FIFA 13 is released?

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