Match Week 3 sees some of the top names in esports make their FC Pro Open debuts, as Manubachoore, Vejrgang, Abumakkah, AntoniniGabriel and seanldw all compete in Group C.
Ahead of Monday night's fixtures (December 11), each of the five Group C players had to make their FC Pro Draft selections - and decide upon their squads for the first four rounds of action.
A new week means new draft requirements, but before we dive into what they are, here is everything you need to know about the FC Pro Draft.
What is the FC Pro Draft?
With FC Pro Draft, competitors will be set a budget in coins that they must adhere to. For the FC Pro Open Global Qualifier last month, the budget was set at 8,000,000 coins. Competitors need to build a full squad – their starting XI and subs – that stays within this budget and submit it before the deadline.
The budget amount will change throughout the course of the FC Pro Open, making the job of building a competitive squad even tougher.
The cost of each player item will be set based on the in-game transfer market price of the item. The prices will be locked at a certain time each week and players will use those to build their squads.
FC Pro Open - Match Week 3 Requirements
Unlike in previous weeks, the five Group C squads will see every player select Icon items only - meaning no Kylian Mbappe or Virgil van Dijk cards for the first time in the competition!
Each participant has 9,000,000 coins to spend on assembling their whole squads - including the bench. Needless to say, after many of the same names were selected in previous weeks, the stipulation of Icons only should - and indeed has - lead to greater variation across the five different squads.
So, without further ado, here are the Group C squads for Match Week 3 of the FC Pro Open.
Manubachoore
We begin with 2023 FIFAe World Cup winner Manubachoore, who was one of the four automatic FC Pro Open qualifiers.
As such, this is the first FC 24 squad we have seen from the Dutchman, and it makes for fascinating viewing.
The strongest area of the squad - on paper at least - is the attack, with Franck Ribery, Eusebio and Garrincha having an average rating of 91 between them.
The physically imposing presence of Socrates in the CAM position could help Manubachoore unlock some doors, as indeed might Veron and Abily just behind him in midfield.
A French central defensive duo of Marcel Desailly and Laurent Blanc - both 88-rated - will be tasked with guarding Peter Schmeichel's net.
Off the bench, the Team Gullit player can call upon some modern legends of the game, namely Bastian Schweinsteiger (88), Xabi Alonso (88), Michael Ballack (87) and Ashley Cole (86).
Vejrgang
Vejrgang, meanwhile, has opted for a 4-4-1-1 formation, and rather interestingly, has managed to get a chemistry rating of 33 out of 33.
Similar to seandlw, Bobby Charlton (92) is the highest-rated player in his starting XI, although the RBLZ Gaming star is deploying the item further forward in a CAM role.
He is the only player to have picked the 86-rated Luis Hernandez as his striker, with 87 John Barnes and 89 Jairzinho on the wings providing both skill and pace.
Female Icons Homare Sawa (91) and Camille Abily (90) will provide plenty of quality centrally. Unlike three of his rivals, the Dane selected 88-rated Petr Cech in goal, ahead of fellow Premier League legend Peter Schmeichel.
AntoniniGabriel
Like Vejrgang, the Italian also sets his side out in a 4-4-1-1, and has a squad chemistry of 33. However, there are plenty of item differences between the two squads, with AntoniniGabriel selecting the 91-rated Eusebio item as his lone forward (his joint-highest rated item alongside Sawa).
He is also the only Group C player to include Frank Rijkaard and Ashley Cole in his starting XI, with the 88-rated Ribery playing just ahead of the ex-Chelsea man on the left side.
The familiar faces of George Best, Laurent Blanc and Peter Schmeichel appear in the 17-year-old's squad, while a former Premier League continent of Roy Keane, Gianfranco Zola and Michael Ballack could help him off the bench.
seanldw
Deploying a balanced 4-1-2-1-2, there is a strong British contingent in seanldw's squad, with George Best, David Beckham, Bobby Charlton and Thunderstruck Sol Campbell making up the spine of the starting XI.
The Charlton item is, alongside forward Ferenc Puskas, the highest-rated in the German player's squad - at 92.
Brazil legend Cafu (91) should provide some attacking support down the right, while defensive solidity comes from the French duo of Emmanuel Petit and Marcel Desailly - rated 87 and 88 respectively.
Seanldw has a pair of Dutch icons to call upon from the bench if required, in the form of Clarence Seedorf and striker Patrick Kluivert.
However, his squad has the lowest chemistry rating in Group C - at just 30.
Abumakkah
Abumakkah's squad will line up in an attacking 4-3-3 formation, with the Twisted Minds star very much throwing caution to the wind.
Many of the aforementioned items are present in his squad, with his highest-rated item being Garrincha (92) on the right side of the attack.
Abumakkah is the only player in the Group to have picked 90-rated Javier Zanetti in midfield, who partners his former international teammate Juan Sebastian Veron. They feature next to the 90-rated Luis Figo Thunderstruck item.
There is another international connection in the forward line, as French legends Eric Cantona (Thunderstruck item) and Ribery get the nod over John Barnes and Henrik Larsson - who start on the bench.
Overall, Abumakkah's squad has a maxed-out chemistry of 33.
The most selected items in Group C
Zambrotta (86) - four selections
Ribery (88) - three selections
Blanc - (88) - three selections
Schmeichel (89) three selections
Cafu (91) three selections
Zanetti (90) three selections
