Line-up and matches
How you choose who plays, how a match is played and when.
The line-up
Choose the formation, the 11 starters and 9 substitutes, then captain, vice-captain, penalty taker and who takes free kicks and corners. Above the pitch the game suggests the three formations that get the most out of today's squad (the star).
Tactics decide how the team plays: mentality, style, marking, offside trap, pressing, aggression, defensive line, width and tempo. Your saved line-up stays valid until you change it.
Who performs best
Every player performs at his overall in his best position. Out of position he performs worse: the further his skills are from that role, the worse. The line-up warns you if someone is playing out of position.
Form matters: a player who is playing well in real life gains a few points, one going through a bad patch loses a few.
The match
At kick-off the line-up is locked: injured or suspended players are replaced from the bench. The match is played move by move, with duels between the skills of the attackers and those of the defenders.
Players behave as they do in real life: those who shoot a lot, dribble or commit fouls in real matches do the same in the game.
You can follow it live, with the pitch, the commentary, the statistics and the other grounds, or watch the highlights, match report and ratings afterwards. The result and the table count when the live match ends.
Fixtures, cards and suspensions
The league has 18 matchdays, on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 21:00. The league fixtures show results and matches in progress.
Cards picked up in game matches lead to suspensions; long real-life bans count in your team too. In the cup, suspensions are separate from those in the league.
Friendlies
Away from official matches you can challenge a club from any league, human or computer, to a friendly on the day and at the time you like, or post an open challenge that the first taker gets. Whoever receives the challenge can accept it, turn it down or suggest another time once.
One friendly a day, and the same two clubs meet once a season. Friendlies don't count for the table, statistics or suspensions: suspended players can play, injured ones can't. Every friendly brings a fee to both clubs; between managers you can put up a stake, and the winner takes it.