The Champions League Round of 16 is about to begin, and we have two new showdown SBCs available in FC 26 to celebrate. The two games in focus are Newcastle vs Barcelona, and PSG vs Chelsea. There are four SBCs, one for each team of course, and you probably know how it works by now.
A draw gets both players from the tie a +1-OVR upgrade, and a win gets only the winning player a +2-OVR upgrade while the losing player gets nothing. So which players should you complete? Here are our recommended picks based on who has the better card, and how likely their team is to win the real-life tie. If you want fodder to complete all four SBCs and not leave anything to chance, get FC 26 coins from LootBar.
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Choosing Right Between The New Showdown SBCs in FC 26
The four players in focus are Ronald Araujo from Barcelona, Fabián Ruiz from PSG, Malo Gusto from Chelsea, and Anthony Elanga from Newcastle. Unlike old FIFA/FC games where you had to complete one SBC and choose a player pick between the two competing teams, it actually is possible to just get both players from a specific tie. Meaning you could do both Araujo and Elanga if you wanted to. But if you don’t want to waste your fodder doing that, here’s who we recommend doing from either tie:
Newcastle vs Barcelona: Ronald Araujo
Araujo is a very, very easy pick for this tie. His card is already decent, with 85 Pace, 87 Defending, 88 Physicality, Anticipate+, Intercept+, base Block, Bruiser, Jockey, Slide Tackle, and Aerial Fortress. Add in the fact that Barca are easily the favourites despite the hostile atmosphere of Newcastle’s St James’ Park, and you have a clear choice.
He already plays really well in-game, as Araujo cards often do. But he’ll be even better with that (likely) +2-OVR upgrade, should Barca get the win. Elanga’s card isn’t bad by any means, having Low Driven+, Quick Step+, 94 Pace, and great base Playstyles. If you’re a Newcastle fan or need a winger for your Man United PnP team, he’ll do a great job at RW. But don’t be too hopeful for an upgrade given Newcastle’s recent bad run of form in the league.
We choose Araujo because of his Playstyles+, base Playstyles, relatively high pace for a CB, and just how well he plays in-game. If he gets that +2 upgrade, which he is likely to, you’ll end up with a highly meta CB for only 110k, which is the price of fodder that it takes to complete his SBC. If you need a CB and can fit him into the club, don’t hesitate to do him.
PSG vs Chelsea: Fabián Ruiz
This choice is much harder. Both Ruiz and Gusto have great cards with meta Playstyles, but Ruiz just edges it. He has Intercept+ and Pinged Pass+, both of which are perfect for a CM. He also has Gullit-Gang stats with 86 Pace, 85 Shooting, 89 Passing, 90 Dribbling, 85 Defending, and 80 Physicality. He’s also got all the other important passing Playstyles as base, with Tiki Taka, Long Ball, and Incisive, as well as base Finesse. With Intercept+ and all those passing Playstyles, he’s crazy in-game as a box-to-box already.
A potential +2-OVR upgrade would make him even crazier, and an absolute bargain for only 120k in fodder. But, that’s where it gets tricky. While PSG aren’t the unstoppable force they were last season, you’d still expect them to win against Chelsea at home. But, it’ll be a tight contest for sure, and Chelsea did finish well above PSG in the UCL table earlier in the season. There’s no one clear favourite for the real-life tie, which is what makes this choice a real gamble.
Gusto, on the other hand, has a great-looking card too that would get even better with a +2-OVR upgrade if Chelsea run away with a win at the Parc des Princes. With Jockey+, 92 Pace, 87 Passing, 88 Dribbling, 85 Defending, and 85 Physicality, the only real downside to his card is the Rapid+. Most people don’t use their wingbacks as attackers in the game, so that’s a waste of a second Playstyle+ for them.
But, his base Playstyles are all fantastic (Bruiser, Incisive, Long Ball, Intercept, and more), while his stats are already impressive. Still, Ruiz barely edges it as the more meta option, and is our pick because of that as well as the fact he’s likelier to get the full upgrade. But, if you want both of them, as well as both Araujo and Elanga, fill your squad with any FC 26 players you’d like through LootBar.
Conclusion
These Showdown SBCs are a real treat ahead of some exciting Round-of-16 games in the UCL this week. Araujo and Ruiz are our picks and we recommend you to check them out too. But if you’re worried about completing the SBCs and not choosing the player that’ll end up getting upgrades, just do all four! Buy FC 26 coins from LootBar to get enough fodder for all four Showdown SBCs and don’t worry about the risk.
