Alaba, Firmino, or Malen: Which FIFA 23 RTTF player is the best?

The Champions League is back in full force and so is its presence in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team. The round of 16 began with a very romantic clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern München on Valentine’s Day, which opened the doors for the annual Road to the Final event in FUT to also take off.

The Champions League Twitter page shared an early reveal of three special FIFA 23 RTTF items. Two of the three, Roberto Firmino and David Alaba, will face each other in the round of 16. The other one is Borussia Dortmund striker Donyell Malen. Neither card is yet active in FUT, but we can analyze which of these RTTF items is the best. The one caveat is that we have no idea of their price, which could enhance or completely revert a recommendation.

What are RTTF items in FUT?

Road to the Final, or RTTF, are dynamic FUT cards. What makes them stand out from regular items is their ability to get better based on personal performances or team success. In RTTF’s case, we’re looking for the latter. If a player’s team progresses to the next round, his FIFA 23 RTTF item will receive a permanent stat boost in FUT.

Is RTTF Roberto Firmino any good in FIFA 23?

Roberto Firmino is the highest-rated RTTF card from the early reveal. The Liverpool forward comes with 91 OVR, 94 dribbling, and pace, passing, and shooting all in the high 80s. Even his defense isn’t bad for a forward at 67. That’s obviously not a core selling point for an offensive player but could help with pressing. Being a Brazilian playing in the Premier League raises Firmino’s stock quite a bit as well, due to Chemistry.

There’s enough evidence to consider Roberto Firmino the best among the early revealed FIFA 23 RTTF players. There’s a factor that makes it very hard to recommend him, though, and that’s Liverpool’s Champions League matchup. The English club is going against Real Madrid in the round of 16, where it is the heavy underdog. Unless Firmino and crew produce a massive upset, the Brazilian won’t receive any upgrades. That’s a fate that would leave him as a very middle-of-the-road offensive option this late into the season.

Is RTTF David Alaba any good in FIFA 23?

The same thing that cripples a Firmino recommendation makes one for Alaba viable. Alaba is on the other side of that round of 16 Champions League matchup and is firmly in line to be upgraded, possibly more than once.

The Real Madrid central defender is sitting in the middle of the RTTF early access cards with 89 OVR. He comes with an all-around package of pace, passing, dribbling, physicality, and, of course, defending. All of this makes David Alaba very easy to single out as the best RTTF card in FIFA 23, so far.

The only real downside to Alaba is his obscure Austrian nationality that pretty much reduces Chemistry links to La Liga only. If he is reasonably priced, this would be a minor inconvenience in an otherwise great card.

Is RTTF Donyell Malen any good in FIFA 23?

The third early access RTTF player is Borussia Dortmund’s Donyell Malen. We’re sad to conclude that he will probably be good for highly-rated fodder and not much more. Even on the limited field of Bundesliga strikers, Malen is immediately overshadowed by the recently released Sébastien Haller Player Moments SBC. Ironically, pairing the two together could be an interesting combo up front based on Haller’s outstanding strength and Malen’s pace.

Realistically, Malen’s 87 OVR RTTF card is simply not good enough to compete with in late-stage FUT. Borussia Dortmund won its home game vs. Chelsea 1-0, so a Malen upgrade isn’t out of the question, but he’d need Dortmund to go deep into the tournament if he is to turn into more than fodder or a gimmick option at best.

More FIFA 23 Road to the Final items will be revealed and introduced to FUT in the following days, leading into the rest of the Champions League round of 16 first leg fixtures. Pick your players wisely since an upgrade or two could elevate an average card into a certified FUT slayer.