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With only over a month to go for the release of EA Sports FIFA 15, I for one, like any other FIFA bug, am excited to get hold of the newest edition and try out myfavourite teams with all the new transferred players in it. It is that time of the year already when we will get to experience the new Real Madrids, the Barcelonas, Chelseas and many more.But those 5-star teams are something we gamers are very familiar with. What about the teams which are not highly rated but still possess quality players that can turn the tables against the bigger oppositions. They may not be star-studded like the big giants of Europe but when used effectively, you will be surprised to know that these miniatures have exciting players who are well capable of evenly competing againstthe top teams.Taking both online as well as offline mode into account, take a look at these 8 underrated teams which can upset the best teams in FIFA.Note: We have not taken 4 and star teams into account because they are already well established.
#8 Athletic Bilbao - Spain
The Basque outfit aren't the dominating force in Spanish football like they were sometime back, but Bilbao still manages to produce some impressive young talents from the Basque country that include players like Iturraspe, Susaeta, Munian, Ibai Gomez and Aritz Aduriz.
Munian's pace down the left flank is a plus and it allows players to put in crosses for striker Aduriz who is good in the air and also a powerful header of the ball from set pieces. The team has tall players like Mikel San Jose in defence and it is a organised side all over that has the potential to topple the bigger clubs.
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#7 PSV Eindhoven
One of the youngsters that caught everyone's attention at this year's World Cup in Brazil was Memphis Depay of Netherlands. The 20-year-old plays in the Eredivise for PSV Eindhoven which is yet another impressive underrated teamin FIFA. Other notable players include Dutch midfielder Wijnaldum, the speedster Luciano Narsingh and striker Luuk de Jong.
The Dutch outfit has pace andstrength in the centre although defensively they are vulnerable. But they have the goods to challenge the stronger teams specially if you know how to bring out the best of them in counter attacks.
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#6 Sporting Lisbon - Portugal
Current Ballon d'Or winner and best player Cristiano Ronaldo is a product of Sporting Lisbon's youth academy. Time and time again the Portuguese club has produced promising talents who have gone on to become world class players. So it is obvious that you can find some hidden gems in a team that is very rarely used in FIFA.
Sporting's latest recruit is Nani which adds more quality to the team's frontline. Pacey wingers like Diego Capel and Andre Carrillo provide threats on the flanks while Montero is a decent striker up front. The midfield consists of the highly rated defensive midfielder William Carvalho and the agile Andre Martins. The team lacks height and strength but the system is built for a possession game and will be suitable to players who like to keep it short and sweet.
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#5 Marseille - France
Olympique De Marseille isn't the household name like they once were in Ligue 1 or in Europe for that matter. But Les Olympiens still possess some big names who have enough in them to hurt the bigger teams specially in FIFA. France international Mathieu Valbuena is no longer available in midfield as he was sold in this window to Dynamo Moscowwhile both the flanks have two decent wingers in the form of Andre Ayew and Dimitri Payet.
Bothof them have decent pace to drift wide and deliver crosses. And on the receiving end of those deliveries is PierreAndreGignac who is a decent finisher.
In defence, Marseille has N'Koulou who has the pace to catch up to defenders and is a good header of the ball. Steve Mandanda is the shot stopper and is one of the highly rated goalkeepers in the game.
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#4 Swansea - England
The Premier League outfit has gotten stronger this year with new recruits like Sigurdsson and the Ecuadorian Jefferson Montero. Although striker Michu will not be available to play as he has been loaned out to Napoli, Swansea have brought in a good replacement in the form of Gomis from Lyon. The strong Ivorian Wilfred Bony, an intimidating figure up front, will be accompanied by pace of Montero and Nathan Dyer on either of the flanks.
In defence, Federico Fernandez of Argentina, Ashley Williams and Angel Rangel line up which is a decent back line. Former Arsenal goalkeeper Fabianski is available as the first choice goalkeeper too.
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#3 Shakhtar Donetsk
One of the major complains to come out of FIFA 13 was the exclusion of Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk. After a great performance in the 2012/13 Champions League, FIFA players were disappointed with EA for not including Shakhtar as they were deprived of a team which then consisted of the likes of Mkhitrayan and Willian.
In FIFA 14, Shakhtar was included along with the licensed official home stadium DonBass Arena and it turned out to be a delightful team. This team has devastating pace up front as it harbours quite a lot of Brazilian players. Names like Bernard, Douglas Costa, Fred, Taison and Wellington make up a team that can utilize speed and flair to their maximum and cause havoc to any opposition in the game. It is an underrated team that has fantastic players to defeat the big guns if used to its strengths.
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#2 Newcastle United - England
Newcastle's firepower got reduced after Loic Remy went back to his parent club QPR and Yohan Cabaye was sold to French outfit PSG. Their star full-back Mathieu Debuchy also completed his move to Arsenal. But St. James Park can still boast of quality players like Sissoko, Gouffran, Ben Arfa and Yanga-Mbiwa.
They have also recruited quite a few good names in this transfer window including Dutch defender Daryl Janmaat, Siem De Jong of Ajax, Remy Cabella from Montpellier and the versatile Emmanuel Riviere from Monaco. It is a well balanced squad which has strong players on every areas and they can be a tough opposition for any star team.
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#1 CSKA Moscow - Russia
The Russian outfit is built for counter attacking football as they comprise of two of the fastest attackers up front in the form of Seydou Doumbia and Ahmed Musa. Doumbia has the sprint speed to beat the defenders and also can be a nuisance to opponents from set pieces while Musa is mainly a winger who can easily be the first one to reach on to the through balls. Surprisingly, Musa can jump high as well even though he is on the shorter side.
Joining them in attack is the skilful Zoran Tosic who has the pace and ball control to play either on the wings or as an attacking midfielder. Also, the highly rated Russian midfielder Alan Dzagoev is present in the middle alongside the tall figure of Rasmus Elm. Russian national goalkeeper Akinfeev and the Berezutskiy brothers complete a side that has the potential to beat any opposition and can be highly threatening if used to its full strength.
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