At long last, FIFA 20 is here. As usual, there have been a few changes made to the gameplay systems in FIFA 20 over the last game in the series. One of the biggest changes in FIFA 20, however, is its brand-new set-piece taking system. Penalties and free kicks have rather dramatically changed in the latest game in this series. As they have changed so much, you’ll probably need a few pointers in FIFA 20 how to score penalties and free kicks. Read on to discover a few ways in how to score penalties and free kicks in FIFA 20.
FIFA 20 | How to Score Penalties Guide
Penalties are something of a lottery in real-life. Even penalty-taking maestros such as Harry Kane miss the odd spot-kick. Don’t beat yourself up too badly if and when you miss these pressurized opportunities. If you’re new to FIFA 20, you will have noticed that its penalty kicks are somewhat different from its predecessor. They can be tricky, but there are ways in which to improve your FIFA 20 penalty-taking form. With our help, you should hopefully find that your success from the penalty spot has increased.
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When you first take a penalty in FIFA 20, you will notice that the placement arrow has been replaced with an aiming circle instead. You are able to move this aiming circle around freely, including outside of the goal. Of course, you will be wanting to aim your penalties to the edges and corners of the goal, as far away from the goalkeeper as possible. The issue is, the aiming in FIFA 20 is sensitive, and you’ll find yourself struggling to keep it in one spot. It will, unfortunately, take some practice. To start with, make sure you are taking your penalties with the best spot-kick takers in your team. Press RT or R2 in order to choose your preferred player. This should ensure better accuracy from the spot.
We’d recommend that you aim with the left stick as slowly as you can. This should help ensure that you place your penalty kick where you want it to go. The best position to aim for is undoubtedly the top-left and top-right corners of the goal. You should find that the opposition ‘keeper struggles to save your shots in those positions if aimed and performed properly. To help make sure that your shot nestles in the back of the net, rather than being palmed away by the ‘keeper, we’d recommend you opt for a medium power shot (around two bars on the power gauge). Any softer and the ‘keeper will save your penalty if they guess the correct direction. Any more powerful and the shot will be more likely to head wide or north of the goalposts.
In short, follow these steps to improve your penalty-taking abilities:
- Make sure you are using your best penalty-taking player
- Aim as best you can in the top-right or top-left of the goal
- Go for middle power shots (around two bars on the power gauge)
Of course, there are other ways to score penalties, but the above should work most of the time. If it’s too difficult to aim for the top corners, try the bottom ones, as you cannot aim below the goal as you can above it. We’d also recommend that you wait to see if the keeper feints to one side before shooting. If they do, they are more than likely going to leap in that direction. Simply aim away from the ‘keeper’s feint and shoot in this scenario.
FIFA 20 How to Score Free Kicks Guide
Free kicks have changed a little more dramatically than penalties in FIFA 20. You can now more easily apply spin to your direct free kicks thanks to the right stick (the game should show you how to do so each time). You will aim your free kicks in the same way as you do penalties with the aiming circle reticle moving with your left stick. Unlike in FIFA 19, you cannot freely move your player before a free kick. Instead, there are three set positions you can choose from. The biggest new feature, however, is the spin you can put on the ball. There are four types of spin:
- Top Spin (move right stick from the bottom to the top): Straight or normal run-up
- Side Spin (move right stick in a semi-circle from the bottom to the top, left or right): Normal, straight, or side run-up
- Mixed (same as Side Spin, but don’t move the right stick completely over to the side of the stick constraints): Normal run-up
- Knuckle Ball (move right stick straight down to up, then back down again): Normal or straight run-up
For each of the spin types, the faster you move the right stick, the more spin you get. There are many ways in which you can score a free kick, but you’ll want to choose your best free kick taker before you attempt one. Simply press RT or R2 to pick your preferred player. We’d recommend sticking with either Side Spin or Top Spin for close-range free kicks, and Knuckle Balls for long-range free kicks. If you are just outside the box, we’d argue that you should aim for around one bar of power for your shot, with two when you are around 25-35 yards out and three for anything further away.
In order to score a free kick, we’d recommend aiming outside of the goal (unless it’s a low shot). Aim to the side or above the goalposts and apply some Side Spin or Top Spin (see above). For Knuckle Balls, however, we’d recommend that you aim for where you want to shoot with your free kick. Following all of this advice, you should see better free kick results in FIFA 20.
