Einleitung für alle deutschen Leser, dieser Preview geht nur um die erste PL INT. Ein Preview für die zweite PL INT wird nächste Woche folgen. Wir werden auch weiterhin wöchentliche Reviews schreiben, ich hoffe euch gefällt der neue Content und es macht euch Spaß die PL INT diese Saison noch mehr zu verfolgen. Viel Spaß beim lesen!

Hello! And welcome to the Pro League International Div 1 season preview! Twelve teams will be battling it out in division 1 this season as we see the introduction of a second level. We’ll have a division 2 preview out next week but for now, let’s take a look at the top tier!

TEAM PREDICTIONS

Fusion FC

Fusion finished their first PL INT season in a respectable 6th place and, despite missing out on 5th place by a mere 3 goals difference, they will represent the PL INT in the Europa League this season. They were strong defensively against some of the big teams so it will be interesting to see if they’ve improved their attack over the break. A push for a top 5 finish this season?

Horizon

The only french team in the league (Symphony and Reborn having pulled out after one season). Horizon, formerly known as Obstruxion, are a veteran team that consistently qualifies for European competition. Last season they were knocked out of the Champion’s League by the tournament winners, Boyz in the Hood. We’ll see how well they do against the likes of Revival and Legacy. I expect them to fight for the top 4.

Legacy

Last Seasons runner up, this season’s champions? Legacy will need to improve to match Revival’s consistency. The club has made some good signings over the break and look to challenge for the title. Last season’s cup runs ended very quickly and as S17 cup winners, Legacy aim to improve. They won’t be happy with anything less than a deep run and high levels of performance against the very best. They should expect no less than a top 4 finish in the league. Legacy are representing the PL INT in the champions league this season!

Lex Artis

Lex Artis suffered badly in their inaugural season, finishing bottom but for drop-outs. They will have to improve vastly to avoid relegation this season. In my opinion, their survival depends on whether they can field a consistent 11, but finding a strong core may prove difficult for Lex. l believe they’ve got a fight in them, but they are certainly relegation candidates in a strong league.  

Provocateurs

Provocateurs sneaked into the top 5 last season as they leap-frogged Ragnarök and Fusion in the last gameweek of the season! A top 5 finish, or improvement will be their aim and this should be a possibility having proven themselves against the league’s best. It will be interesting to see if they can sign a top goalscorer capable of finishing the season with +20 scorer points. 

Ragnarök FC

Ragnarök FC were the surprise of the season! They had a fairly slow start but enjoyed four consecutive clean sheets. Two of their players featured in last season’s TOTS, but with their impressive GK leaving over the break, only one remains. Their target should be a consolidation or modest improvement on their last league placing, but this depends on their ability to replace outgoing team members. Ragnarök will compete in the Champions League this season, an attractive prospect to potential signings.

Revival

Last seasons league champions will aim to repeat or better their feat of an eight point superiority over runners-up Legacy, and having strengthened over the break, they are still the team to beat in the INT Div 1. Last season 3 of their players were in the top 5 for most scorer points. They may also be considered viable contenders for the German Cup this season. It will be interesting to see how they hold up against the new competition in this league.

SimpleX

SimpleX are the new kids on the block. They are formed from ex Division 1 players and ex Venom players. They definitely have a decent squad on paper. It will be interesting to see where they stand after a couple games. This a make or break year for this team. They have a lot of high quality players, the challenge will be to keep everyone happy. Even if they take a couple losses this season. They will challenge for a top 4 spot in my opinion!

Tsunami Poland

The lost son returns, after eight seasons the polish team Tsunami Poland returns to the PL INT. We are excited to have them back, they will hopefully challenge some of the older teams in the league. Tsunami Poland actually bring Champions League experience to the league, maybe that will give them a bit of an edge versus some of the opponents this season. It is hard to predict where they finish because i haven’t seen them play this Fifa. 

Ukraine

Last seasons entertainers of the league will be looking to gain more consistency. They managed to score a lot of goals last season but also conceded a lot of goals. With a better defense they can challenge for top 6, without a steady defense they can end up in the lower half of the table. Due to the fact that it is harder to score and their attack won’t always be able to bail them out! There is only 1 new player for Ukraine, we’ll see if they formed a stronger bond in the team now that they haven’t lost any players. It will be interesting to see if Ukraine can continue to amaze us with high scoring results. Ukraine is representing the PL INT in the europa league! 

Unshackled

The veterans of the league will try to forget last season. They obviously aimed for more then 8th last season. Unshackled lost a lot of players over the off season, which will make it even harder to improve last seasons result. But this is the first season in a new FIFA, everything can happen. Unshackled are representing the PL INT in the europa league this season! If they don’t manage to find good replacements for their losses then i can see them also fighting in the lower tier of the table. Don’t underestimate the old veterans tho! 

Venom FC

With the loss of some of their core players Venom have a big challenge this off season to fill these gaps. They have to find at least two new strikers now that Azz (SimpleX) and Trempale (Equality 05) left after S18. Venom are representing the PL INT in the champions league this season! This will have a toll on their small squad as they have to play a lot of games towards the end of the season! Venom are unpredictable, depending on their transfers in the off season they will either recover really well in a top 5 spot or they will fight against the relegation this season. 

SEASON PREDICTIONS

Just as a reminder again, this is just my prediction. I don’t mean to offend anyone, if you are offended. Take it as motivation to prove me wrong. 

TOTS PREDICTIONS:

GK: I obviously have to list last year's winner Zooroo who is a free agent at the moment. We obviously don’t know yet where he is heading but he will have a tough competition with Revivals GK EppicNinjaBunny if Zooroo stays in the PL INT. 

Defender:

    Fullbacks: Fullbacks will most likely be counted towards the wide midfield position.

    Center backs: The obvious choice here would be three Revival Center backs, but same as last season, some players from other teams can sneak in. I expect a CB from Simplex to be in this TOTS. 

Midfield:

    Defensive Midfield: There are still two stand out players for me in this position. They kinda proved me right last season, Grecio got into the TOTS and Telf had a really strong start into the season as CDM but then he had to switch positions a couple times. I think that Grecio and Telfer will be in the TOTS this season!

    Wide Midfield: I can't go past the Revival players in this position. Thijmo is the best player in this position. The fight for the second position will be open for everyone. I can see Banana from Revival, a Legacy or Simplex player take the second spot.

    Attacking Midfield: If he plays close to what he did last season then we will have a clear winner here. Keukenrolle from Revival. He has a bit more competition this season with Lillsey from Simplex.

Attack: I was 50 % right last season with my guess. Based off of past performances i should go for Stefan and Doelpunten. Stefan will be in the TOTS again, don't underestimate the other ST in Revival, Panda. But i can also see Azz from Simplex, Doelpunten from Legacy and a ST from Horizon take one of the two TOTS spots.