Scouting Sorare Challenger Europe (2023 Review + Best Players)

Most newly-joined Sorare managers would like to get their hands on the star players of the platform but these, usually playing their trades in the top European leagues, often come with hefty price tags.

The solution to snaping up high-scoring players from the continent without overpaying is simple: turn your attention to the Sorare Challenger Europe division.

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If your main focus has always been on the top leagues in Europe and you don’t have a lot of clue regarding the so-called lesser competitions, you have come to the right place.

In this article, we will be scouting all the leagues participating in the Challenger Europe on Sorare in 2023 to make sure that you can get your hands on the best-scoring players without having to spend too much time doing your own research.

As a bonus, we will also touch on the subject of Sorare Challenger Stacks which can be a great way of finding success in the division.

Yes, you’re welcome!

Table of Contents 📚 show

Sorare Challenger Europe LEAGUES

If you’re yet to open an account on the platform, make sure to make the most of our Sorare sign-up bonus that allows you to get free Sorare cards to kick off your journey. Also don’t forget to read our thorough Sorare guide before investing.

Before we dive into scouting for the best players in the division, first things first.

And that means we need to quickly go through all the leagues covered by the Challenger as of April 2023.

At the time of writing, cards currently playing for clubs from the following leagues are eligible to participate in the Sorare Challenger competition:

What is certainly worth noting is that the player cards from clubs playing in any of the above-mentioned leagues that have games in European competitions such as the UEFA Champions League, Uefa Europa League, and UEFA Conference League, are also eligible to field in your lineups.

For example, even if the upcoming Game Week doesn’t feature any fixtures from the Scottish Premiership but your team, let’s say Celtic, has a Champions League fixture against AC Milan, you can still field your players in the Sorare Challenger Europe division for that particular Game Week.

Another detail worth pointing out is if you bought your card at a time when it was playing in a competition different from the ones mentioned above but now belongs to a club from one of those leagues, its scores are indexed (even if that particular club isn’t currently licensed on Sorare).

Now, let’s dive into the best-performing player cards from the Challenger Europe division.

Note: to give you the fairest and safest tips, the article is based on the average scores from the last 40 Game Weeks. This way we are minimalizing the chance of investing in players currently going through a purple patch.

Kudos for making preparing this article a much easier task go to SorareData, our favorite Sorare software.

Challenger Europe Goalkeepers

Any experienced Sorare manager will tell you that picking the right goalkeeper can make or break your lineup.

It’s also hardly a secret that Sorare goalkeepers will on average cost you more than an outfielder. That’s because they are way more scarce than any other position (most clubs have no more than 2-3 goalies they consider “first team”).

While selecting a keeper to buy, it’s always good to consider those playing in dominant sides in their respective leagues.

Not conceding many goals is crucial to your eventual success, and not conceding any is even more important since goalies get a +25 points Decisive Score when keeping a clean sheet.

🏆 Best Overall – Bart Verbruggen 🏆

If you’re serious about dominating the Sorare Challenger Europe division for years to come, there’s no better choice than Anderlecht’s Bart Verbruggen.

Aged only 20 and considered one of the most promising goalkeepers in the world, the Dutchman replaced the much more experienced Hendrik Van Crombrugge between the sticks in the closing stages of 2022 and has delivered excellent performances since then.

The prominent form of the young goalie has even led to his first Netherlands call-up and he made the bench in the March 2023 game against Gibraltar.

As you can see in the image below, Verbuggen loves delivering green scores despite his young age and a pretty indifferent season of Anderlecht.

Thanks to his L5 averaging 79 and L15 – 63, he’s one of the better-scoring players on the platform in general.

With his contract running until the summer of 2025 and negotiations ongoing about an extension, you can expect Bert to spend a few more years in Belgium before being snapped up by one of the elite clubs in the future.

Browse: Bart Verbruggen Card Market

Looking at his great form, being a regular for one of the top teams in the league, getting his first national team call-up, and also having more than a decade of utility, it’s not a surprise his card isn’t the cheapest.

At the time of writing, his Limiteds are available for around $200, Rares – $1,876, Super Rares – $5,745, and Uniques – $8,774.

💰 Great Value – Fernando Muslera 💰

Having an experienced goalkeeper in your gallery, and one that leads a dominating team in the league, is always an excellent idea.

While Fernando Muslera might not play for longer than a few more years, getting the kind of scores he regularly delivers for Galatasaray even for the next season or two is still a great return considering his current price tag.

Because of the unfortunate events in Turkey this year (the February earthquake), the prices of all players from Spor Toto Süper Lig have taken a massive dip. A big reason for that is the decreased utility since many matches of the 2022-2023 season have been called off.

Planning ahead is one of the best things you can do on Sorare and now you can snap up one of the leading Sorare Challenger Europe goalies for peanuts.

Muslera’s Limiteds are available for around $23, Rares – $403, Super Rares – $1,477, and Uniques – $2,208.

Taking into account the fact that Muslera is ranked #2, just 0.1 points behind the aforementioned Verbruggen looking at the L40 scores, these prices are a great opportunity to secure a top-quality keeper guaranteed a start anytime he’s fit to play.

Regarding the situation at his current club, he’s a bit of a cult hero at Galatasaray, captaining his side and being tied up on a deal running until the summer of 2024.

A definition of a safe bet.

🏁 Low-Budget Starter – David Marshall 🏁

If you’re looking for a bargain keeper that is most likely to be the first choice for the remainder of the 2022-2023 season and the one after that, David Marshall is a decent choice.

The veteran Scottish shot-stopper joined Hibernian at the beginning of the campaign and although he’s not particularly a high-scorer, he’s better than his stats suggest.

The Premiership division in Scotland is quite peculiar in a way that any goalkeeper outside of the giant duo, Celtic and Rangers, is likely to get their average scores slashed down by an occasional demolition at the hands of one of the two teams.

Moreover, Hibernian had a pretty difficult start to the season before eventually starting to reach their potential after the New Year.

Even though the average isn’t great, Marshall is more than capable of dark green scores.

In fact, this season he was part of a line-up that helped me finish in the Top 10 of the Cap 270 Limited Division!

Manager Lee Johnson is building a pretty decent team at Easter Road and Marshall, whose deal runs until the end of the 2023-2024 season is expected to deliver better scores in the next term.

Challenger Europe Defenders

While conceding is not the end of the world for defenders since they can make up for this with other Decisive actions, it’s still better to target the players from sides that don’t concede a lot or play for the best teams in their respective leagues.

Remember that cards playing in defensive positions get a 10-point bonus for clean sheets.

🏆 Best Overall – Douglas Santos 🏆

While there are no new cards minted for this season of the Russian Premier League, the ones available from the previous year are still super useful and sought-after – and Douglas Santos is a prime example.

Costa is a Brazilian professional footballer who currently plays as a left-back / left wing-back for Zenit Saint Petersburg.

He was born in 1990 and started his professional career at Grêmio, a Brazilian football club, before moving to Europe.

Costa has played for several top-tier clubs, including Shakhtar Donetsk, Bayern Munich, and Juventus, before joining Zenit in 2020. He is known for his pace, dribbling skills, and ability to create scoring opportunities for his team despite his main role being that of a defender.

This contributes to him scoring a lot of the Decisive actions on top of getting awarded for potential clean sheets of his team.

At the time of writing, he’s the highest-scoring defender card in the Division, averaging an incredible 70-point score from his last 40 games.

Moreover, he barely misses any game with just one absence in the same time period.

Douglas Santos clearly loves playing in the Russian Premier League and with his contract with Zenit running for 3 more years, he can deliver you a huge number of incredible Sorare Challenger Europe scores.

Unfortunately, like it always is with all the players that are not having any new cards minted for the current season, the prices are fairly high since the demand is way bigger than the supply.

To get your hands on Costa’s Limited, you will have to come up with $220, Rare – $1,450, Super Rare – $7,730, and Unique – $33,000.

💰 Great Value – Nicolas Otamendi 💰

Managers who are not willing to fork out more than 200 bucks to get Santos should turn their attention to the 2022 World Cup winner, Nicolas Otamendi.

Otamendi currently plays for Benfica in the Portuguese Primeira Liga.

Born in Argentina in 1988, Otamendi began his career with the local club Vélez Sarsfield before making a move to Europe in 2010 to join FC Porto. He quickly established himself as a key player for the Portuguese giants, winning numerous domestic titles and the Europa League in 2011.

After successful spells with Valencia and Manchester City, Otamendi joined Benfica in 2020, where he continues to showcase his defensive skills and leadership on the pitch.

Akin to Santos, Otamendi is a regular in starting lineups. Looking at the last 40 Game Weeks, he has missed just two matches.

In the vast majority of games he plays in, he delivers green-to-dark-green scores, averaging 66 points from his last 40 outings, 72 from the last 15, and 69 from the last 5. Incredible level of consistency!

In terms of the price, Otamendi is definitely an incredible value and probably an even better deal than Santos.

You can get your hands on his Limited card for around $50, Rare – $450, Super Rare – $2,250, and Unique – $6,700.

However, there are questions regarding the utility of Otamendi cards. Aged 35, he might still have some seasons left in his playing career but his current contract runs until May 2023, meaning that it’s still uncertain where he will play his trade next year.

There is actually talk of him returning to Argentina. In this case, you have to ask yourself a question if you are willing to pay the aforementioned amounts for a card that might potentially not be eligible for the Challenger Europe division next season.

🏁 Low-Budget Starter – Kamil Piątkowski 🏁

Now, if you are looking for a promising Challenger Europe defender that is a frequent starter and yet won’t cost you an arm and a leg, Kamil Piątkowski is a bit of a hidden gem for us in this sense.

The Polish defender is currently on loan at a Belgian side Gent from Red Bull Salzburg.

While Piątkowski might have struggled for game time in the Austrian team, he has excelled in the games he’s played in the Belgian Jupiler League so far.

Gent have liked what they have seen and there’s talk of Piątkowski moving to the Belgian top flight on a permanent basis.

As you can see in the image below, he delivers more green than yellow scores, averaging an impressive 75 from L5, 64 from L15, and 63 from L40.

He’s also a solid AAS (All-Around Score) performer which is excellent since you don’t have to rely on decisive actions all the time.

Another bonus when it comes to this player is his U23 utility which will run until the end of the 2023/2024 season.

However, the drawback when it comes to Piątkowski is that he tends to be prone to niggling injuries here and then – meaning he’s nowhere near as reliable throughout the season as the pair discussed before.

This fact probably contributes to his fairly-affordable pricing, with Limiteds available for $15, Rares – $270, Super Rares – $1,085, and Uniques – $10,000.

Challenger Europe Midfielders

There’s no doubt that while scouting for defensive reinforcements you should target players that don’t concede a lot and often keep clean sheets.

However, it’s best to switch your focus to creative and attack-oriented teams when assembling the other half of your line-up – starting with midfielders.

Keep in mind that, more often than not, an attacking midfielder is likely to deliver you higher scores than a defensive one since he has a bigger chance of decisive contributions.

🏆 Best Overall – Anastasios Bakasetas 🏆

Unsurprisingly then, we start a list with an attacking midfielder!

Anastasios Bakasetas currently plays his trade at Trabzonspor in Turkey.

After starting his career at the Greek side Panionios, Bakasetas has played for a number of clubs in Greece and Turkey, including AEK Athens and Alanyaspor, before joining Trabzonspor in 2020.

He is known for his technical skills, quick feet, and ability to create scoring opportunities for his teammates.

Bakasetas has also represented the Greek national team, earning his first cap in 2016. A bonus utility during international weeks is always welcome!

At the time of writing, Bakasetas is the highest-scoring Challenger division midfielder. He’s averaging 70 points from his last 40 outings, 68 from the last 15, and 61 from the last 5.

What’s great about Basaketas is that he loves a high All-Around Score!

In fact, in only 4 of his last 10 games, he had a decisive contribution to his name, so you don’t have to pray he assists or scores a goal every GameWeek.

Considering his excellent performances, he’s still reasonably priced. The current market has his Limiteds available for roughly $65, Rares – $500, Super Rares – $5,000, and Uniques – $7,000.

💰 Great Value – Christian Noboa 💰

As already proved with Douglas Santos, the Russian Premier League can be home to some real Sorare gems and Christian Noboa is another prime example – albeit at a fraction of the price!

The Ecuadorian currently plays as a midfielder for FC Sochi, a Russian Premier League club based in the city of Sochi.

Born on April 9, 1985, in Guayaquil, Noboa started his professional career at Emelec, one of the top football clubs in his home country. Over the years, he has also played for other renowned clubs such as Rubin Kazan, PAOK, and Zenit Saint Petersburg, showcasing his impressive skills on the pitch.

Noboa is considered one of Ecuador’s most successful footballers, having represented his country at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and various Copa America tournaments.

On paper, he isn’t as forward-thinking as Bakasetas but the number of decisive actions he contributes would suggest otherwise.

Averaging 66 points from the last 40 Game Weeks, 61 from L15, and 56 from L5, Noboa is a great value purchase.

While he isn’t the youngest (37), his contract at Sochi runs until the end of the 2023/2024 campaign meaning at least one full season more of solid SO5 scores at an affordable cost.

Currently, his Limited cards can be snatched for $20, Rares – $500, Super Rares – $1,900, and, Uniques – $6,300.

🏁 Low-Budget Starter – Fernando 🏁

As already mentioned, we’re not massive fans of defensively-minded midfielders but we’ll make an exception for Fernando due to his above-average SO5 scores and a ridiculously low price.

Fernando currently plays for Antalyaspor, a Turkish football club based in Antalya.

Born on July 25, 1987, in Alto Paraíso, Brazil, Fernando began his career in his home country, playing for a number of clubs including Vila Nova, Goiás, and Shakhtar Donetsk.

In 2017, he made the move to Antalyaspor, where he has become a key player for the team. Fernando is known for his defensive skills and his ability to break up opposition attacks, making him a valuable asset to any team.

His experience and expertise have helped Antalyaspor consistently punch above their weight in the Turkish football league.

As you’d expect from a defensive midfielder, the number of his Decisives isn’t great which makes the average scores even more impressive (L40 – 60, L15 – 51, and L5 – 53).

Fernando’s contract at Antalyaspor runs until the end of the 2023/2024 season and his current price tag almost makes it a crime not to add him to your team, especially since he’s a guaranteed starter when fit.

His Limited cards are available for just $3, Rares – $50, and Super Rares – $355. Currently, no Uniques are available.

Challenger Europe Forwards

While there’s definitely a lot of truth in that you should build your team from the back, we always have the most fun scouting the forwards.

They’re simply more entertaining and fun to follow!

It goes without saying that in order to have the best chance of winning Sorare rewards, you should go after high-performers of teams that are on the front foot in the majority of their games.

💰 Best Overall – Malcom 💰

This is the third and the last time we are shopping in the Russian Premier League market. But oh boy, are doing it for the right reason.

Malcom, rated the top striker in the Sorare Challenger Europe division based on his last 40 appearances, currently plays for Zenit Saint Petersburg.

Born in 1997, in São Paulo, Brazil, Malcom started his football career with Corinthians’ youth academy. He then played for Bordeaux in the French Ligue 1 and Barcelona in the Spanish La Liga before joining Zenit in 2019.

Malcom is known for his speed, dribbling skills, and ability to score goals from long range. His impressive performances on the field have earned him a reputation as one of the most exciting players to watch on the continent.

Of all the players scouted in today’s article, Malcolm comes up with decisive actions by far the most often.

For example, looking at his last 15 games, he has delivered 16 decisive actions which is just ridiculous, to be fair.

He averages an outstanding 73 points from both his last 5 and last 15 matches while the average score from the last 40 games is 68.

Of course, similar to Douglas Santos who we listed as our top Challenger Europe defender, getting your hands on the Malcolm card won’t be cheap.

Apart from his obviously amazing performances in the game, he’s also another player whose cards aren’t minted in the current season so again the demand by far outweighs the supply.

As things stand, the floor price for his Limited cards is $215, Rares – $1,705, Super Rares – $9,474, and Uniques – $52,000.

Definitely, what speaks in favor of breaking the bank for Malcolm is that he barely misses any game, he is guaranteed a start every week, he’s still young (26) and his contract with Zenit runs for 4 more years.

A massive drawback is that due to the war in Ukraine, Russian clubs are banned from any UEFA competitions which means that the utility of this card is limited solely to domestic games.

💰 Great Value – Fabio Borini 💰

As already proved with Fernando, the Turkish Super League can be a source of great bargains, and Fabio Borini is just as good if not a better example.

At the time of writing, the much-experienced Italian striker is rated in the top five forwards on the platform when it comes to the Challenger Division – even though you can snatch him at a fraction of the price of the above-mentioned Malcom.

Born in 1991, in Bentivoglio, Italy, Borini started his professional career with Bologna in 2007 and has since played for several clubs including Roma, Liverpool, Sunderland, AC Milan, Hellas Verona, and most recently, Fatih Karagümrük.

Although it is fair to say that he didn’t set the world on fire at any of his previous clubs, he has particularly excelled in the Turkish Super League.

Borini is known for his versatility on the field, being able to play as a forward, winger, or attacking midfielder. When it comes to his role on the field at the current club, he is most often used as a left-sided attacking player.

Despite his excellent SO5 scores in the last 40 games, his prices are really fair with the Limited version of the card available at around $25, Rare – at $240, Super Rare – at $1,350, and Unique at $5,000.

When deciding on the purchase of a Fabio Borini card, it is worth remembering that his current contract at the Turkish Club runs until the end of this season (May 2023).

Also, there is talk of him moving back to his native Italy. If this is indeed to happen, then his scores would probably take a considerable dip looking at the history of his performances in Serie A.

🏁 Low-Budget Starter – Allan Sousa 🏁

Closing the list of highly-performing Challenger Europe strikers is Allan Sousa, a Brazilian forward playing his trade in Denmark at AaB Aalborg.

Also known as Alan Carvalho Souza, he was born on May 28, 1998, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Souza started his professional career with Palmeiras in Brazil before moving to Italy to play for Salernitana and then on loan to Reggina.

In 2020, he signed with AaB Aalborg and has since become a key player for the club, helping them reach the semifinals of the Danish Cup in the 2020-21 season. Souza has also represented Brazil at the U20 level.

Although when he first came to the club he was considered a midfielder, for the most part of his career in Denmark, he has led the line and has done so really, really well.

So well that we consider the Brazilian the best value forward player when it comes to the Challenger Europe division in 2023.

At the time of writing, his Limited card can be snatched for as little as $17, the Rare version – $169, the Super Rare version – $980, and the Unique $3,611.

Allan Sousa is contracted with the downside until the summer of 2026 so you can easily brace yourself for at least a season or two of excellent SO5 scores at super-low cost.

Challenger Europe Stacks

Finally, it’s important to discuss the controversial topic of the Sorare stacking strategy in the Challenger Europe competition.

So, what exactly is a Sorare stack?

A stack in Sorare refers to when a manager decides to choose all players from the same team in their SO5 lineup. It can also be considered a stack if a manager selects players from two clubs, such as a split of 4 players from one club and 1 player from another, or a split of 3 players from one club and 2 players from another.

However, for the purpose of this article, let’s define a stack as a complete team from a single club.

Managers use stacks in Sorare because they can simplify the process of winning a card or ETH prize. By building a lineup around a strong Challenger team like Ajax, Celtic, or Genk, you can increase your chances of earning prizes.

However, it’s not as simple as just selecting players.

It’s important to avoid buying players who will be substitutes or perform poorly. Therefore, you need to ensure that the players in your starting lineup are the dominant ones from the team. For instance, when creating a successful Celtic stack, make sure to choose players like Carter-Vickers, Jota, and Starfelt.

Although a Sorare stack can yield positive results, its popularity has led to intense competition for top positions on the leaderboard. This makes it more challenging to finish on the podium.

Furthermore, the choice of captain for your lineup can make a significant difference. With more players using stacks, you may miss out on points if you select a captain who doesn’t maximize your scoring potential, which can be frustrating.

It’s also worth noting that playing with Sorare stacks can be expensive. Since you’re building your team around premium players, be prepared to spend more money as well.

SUMMING UP THE SORARE CHALLENGER EUROPE DIVISION

If you’re an aspiring Sorare manager that isn’t yet ready to throw the big bucks at the biggest stars of the Sorare Champion division, Sorare Challenger Europe is a great place to compete and, as proved in today’s article, it’s also home to some ridiculously high-scoring cards that won’t ruin you financially.