Christmas is only a few sleeps away and many will be hoping to find FIFA 19 under their tree. With so many in-form and Icon cards already on the market, building your first Ultimate Team squad can be a daunting task.
If you're looking for a few exciting players that won't break the bank, the Serie A is a fantastic league to start in. Of course you won't be able to afford Cristiano Ronaldo at the start but Juventus, Napoli, AC Milan and the other sides are all stacked with excellent cards.
Whether you’re looking for a fitness squad or you're planning your starter team for when you get FIFA 19, Goal has you covered. You could find the FUT bargain of the year with these five Serie A players who all cost under 5,000 coins each.
(Champions League) Elseid Hysaj - 82
New to FIFA 19 this year are the licensing rights to the Champions League and Europa League which has helped EA revitalise all of its modes. On Ultimate Team, every player from a Champions League club is given a special card which is one overall above their base card.
One of those cards is the 82-rated version of Napoli right-back Elseid Hysaj who is a perfect option for your squad. Serie A in previous FIFAs has been short of options in the full-back positions - making this card a blessing.
The Albanian sports 82 pace and 80 defending along with 88 stamina which is mostly what you want from your right-back. He is solid at the back and can provide options going forward with three-star skills and a four-star weak-foot. What more could you ask for? Especially for just 2,800 coins on the FUT market.
Stephan El Shaaraway - 81
Getty
A FIFA Ultimate Team legend at this point, many will fondly remember Stephan El Shaaraway's old FIFA cards. Unfortunately he never quite fulfilled his potential, but that only makes him cheaper in FUT - just 1,000 coins in fact.
The 81-rated winger is perfect for those of you who love to run at defenders as his 87 pace and five-star skill moves make this card a pleasure to use. His 86 ball control and 85 agility make him incredibly difficult to tackle and you will be able to score plenty of finesse shots thanks to his 83 curve.
While El Shaarawy is far from perfect, he's the cheapest on this list and ridiculously fun to use. In the right hands, he can be extremely effective, especially with his skill moves which will always create opportunities.
(Champions League) Keita Balde - 81
Another upgraded Champions League card, this time for Inter and Senegal winger Keita Balde. The right-mid costs around 3,000 coins and will inject pace, power and consistency into his side.
His 93 pace will instantly catch the eye and leave FIFA players salivating but fortunately, there is much more to this card. For starters, his dribbling is also excellent with 82 agility and 86 ball control among the stats of his 84 dribbling. His shooting and passing are also pretty solid with ratings of 77 and 73 respectively.
But what really brings this card alive is Balde's four-star skills and weak-foot which make this card much more powerful in all attacking scenarios. With high attacking work-rates and low defensive work-rates you'll always find this card ready on the counter-attack, and if you also purchase Hysaj from this list then you'll be perfectly covered on the right flank.
Mario Mandzukic - 84
Getty
Time for a change of pace, quite literally as this man is by no means a speedster like the wingers earlier in this list. Still, Mario Mandzukic is a World Cup hero after helping Croatia reach the World Cup final earlier this year and is surprisingly effective in FIFA 19.
Standing at 6'3", the mountainous forward is a monster in the air with 85 jumping, 85 strength, 90 heading and even 86 volleys for the more spectacular finishes. The Croatian is clinical in-front of goal with 84 finishing, 80 shot power, 86 reactions and 80 reactions. He may not be the quickest with 70 pace but your midfielders should always be able to find him in dangerous positions thanks to his 90 positioning.
His physical presence will always make him a handful for defenders and Mandzukic's hold up play is extremely effective at bringing your midfielders into the game. All of this for just 4,200 coins on the Ultimate Team market, you can't go wrong.
Alejandro Gomez - 84
Just squeezing into the budget with a price of around 4,900 is Atalanta centre-forward Alejandro Gomez - we've saved the best for last here. The Argentine is sensational on FIFA 19 with his ridiculous pace and agility.
Whether you play him as an attacking midfielder or a second striker, you're bound to find good results with this man. With 90 pace (including 94 acceleration) as well as four-star skills and four-star weak-foot he is a menace for defenders. But what really makes him hard to handle, like any good Argentine forward, is his dribbling. Gomez's control is immense with 92 agility, 94 balance, 83 reactions, 87 ball control, 89 dribbling and 84 composure in-game stats.
The Atalanta star is also an excellent playmaker thanks to his 81 passing with 85 vision and 82 short passing the highlights. His only weakness really is physicality which is why he works so well when paired with Mandzukic.