Category Archives: UCL Fantasy

Fantasy Football, FEATURED, UCL Fantasy

UCL Fantasy – Crunch Time Tactics: Burning Questions and Essential Tips for MD 6

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World No. 471 The FPL Manual shares his thoughts on how to approach matchday 6 of UCL Fantasy.

The final Champions League game of the year is here. However, recently a lot of UCL Fantasy managers have been burdened with reports around rotation and injuries. In this article, I attempt to provide solutions to a few questions asked which could provide some insights on what steps to take ahead of Matchday 6.

 

BURNING QUESTIONS 

The first question is from Twitter (X) user @SadnanAhmed7 asking this below.

Answer: It would be more practical to target teams who have something to play for. One major reason being; More guaranteed xMins. ie Di Lorenzo could play the full 90 minutes over Dimarco who has qualified with Inter and maybe add a few pen-takers as well: Zielinski, Icardi, Evanilson.

The second question is from Ali Jafaar and he asked:

Answer: Thanks mate for the compliment. I would love to hear from Arne Slot later. However, I would assess he has close to a 70% chance of playing and that is based on the fact Feyenoord don’t have a lot of star players that can replace Stengs quality when he is unavailable Just my opinion though.

 

The final question is from Simon on Twitter and he wants to know what is the best Limitless Chip draft

Answer: If I still had my Limitless chip, this could be my final team. The aim here is to target teams who are yet to qualify. ie. Napoli, Galatasaray, Group F teams etc. Any of Icardi or Osimhen are stand-out differentials Kane can be Mbappe, Hakimi can be Molina.

ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR MATCHDAY 6

  • TEAM NEWS – Stay updated with team news for each team to know who is available or missing for the last UCL matchday of the year. Fortunately, I have a compiled injury list/suspended player list you can quickly check before the Matchday 6 deadline below
  • AVOID HITS – Try to take as few hits as possible as this would hurt your rank more. A -4 hit is quite understandable but make sure you are getting the right players in. A few games to target are:
    Napoli vs Braga, Copenhagen vs Galatasaray and RB Leipzig vs Young Boys

That brings me to the end of this article. I hope you found it quite helpful, feel free to share this with other UCL Fantasy managers. Cheers.

You can find UCL Fantasy resources for the 23/24 season here.

Fantasy Football, FEATURED, UCL Fantasy

UCL Fantasy: Mastering your Wildcard and Limitless Chips for MD5 and 6

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FPLManual shares his thoughts on how to maximise your wildcard and limitless chips in UCL Fantasy for matchday 5 and 6.

With just two game weeks left, it’s time to discuss what we can do with our #UCLFantasy chips to finish the year strong. But when exactly is the right time? In this article, I point out how to master your Wildcard and Limitless chips for MD5 and 6.

Why play LL in MD 5 and not 6? Do I WC in MD 5 and LL in MD 6? The question I’m here to answer is “WHEN.” The “when” factor often relates to the timing of an event. For instance, When is the #UCLFantasy deadline? For me, Nov 28th 6:45 pm WAT. Straightforward right, but when it comes to activating our chips, there are more factors to consider which include:

🔹Form

🔹Rotations

🔹Fixtures  

Based on form I will be classifying this into a five-tier based on the last four UCL games played so far.

Disclaimer: All deductions made are personal and made precisely on recent UCL form however remain subject to secondary opinion where necessary 👍🏽   With the detailed list above it’s only fair to target those teams in form and consider a few teams improving on their group form. This takes me into the next segment about possible rotations.

UCL Fantasy Possible Rotations

MD 4 finished with six teams who are through to the Round of 16 but this is not…..necessarily great news for #UCLFantasy managers who Pep roulette is knocking soon or Inzaghi making four to five changes. However, to counter this argument, the rotations already started in MD 4 with key assets like Bellingham and Dumfries being rested

Few injuries also emerged with the likes of Vini Jr and Kepa out for Madrid, Musiala and De Ligt missing for Bayern and lots more. A good way to stay ahead of the curve is to keep your ears to the ground for team news/injury updates and probable lineups.

However, If you want to stay clear away from the six teams who are already through to the next round. I made a few suggestions for other groups to target below

UCL Fantasy Fixtures to Target

 Touching on the last category which is incoming fixtures. I decided to investigate which fixtures among the games left are better to target between MD 5 and MD 6 and here are my top 4:

MD 5

  • Bayern vs Copenhagen
  • PSG vs Newcastle
  • Lazio vs Celtic
  • Arsenal vs RC Lens while

  MD 6

  • Napoli vs Braga
  • Leipzig vs Young Boys
  • Antwerp vs Barcelona
  • Red Star vs Man City

On paper, these games seem quite favourable. Nonetheless, this narrative can change in MD 6 as Group F is one to watch out for.   In conclusion: MD 5 or 6 is quite subjective to each manager playing any of their chips left heavily influenced by factors like injuries, poor form and better fixtures ahead. Whichever gameweek you should target, make sure it counts for the green arrows in your mini-league ✅ That brings me to the end of this article. I really hope you like it.

You can find UCL Fantasy resources for the 23/24 season here.

Fantasy Football, FEATURED, UCL Fantasy

UCL Fantasy: Top Differentials for Matchday 4

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Looking for an asset that would help gain rank and make you stand out in your mini-leagues? Here are FPLManual’s top UCL Fantasy differentials for matchday 4.

Before I start let me set a guide for creating this list. I will be selecting my differentials based on:

🔹Predicted minutes: 70+ mins per match
🔹TSB: Less than 10% ownership

We will be ignoring the price point this week, just to expand to more assets with promising fixtures.

 

So what differential(s) are worth investing in for MD 4? A list of options is below:

  • Take Kubo vs Benfica
  • Doku/B.Silva vs Young Boys
  • Nketiah vs Sevilla
  • Diogo Costa vs Antwerp
  • Morata vs Celtic
  • F. Lopez vs Shakhtar
  • Rodrygo vs Braga

But none of these guys are my focus right now. Who then are my top differentials of the week?

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UCL Fantasy Differential Picks

 

Giacomo Raspadori

With an average shot per game of 3.0 and SOTs per game of 1.2. Raspadori has scored three goals and created an assist in his last four starts for Napoli and will fancy his chance against Union Berlin.

TSB: 0% owned✅

The in-form forward unique style of play puts him in a position where he makes quick runs behind the defender catching them off guard, this might explain the number of shots taken. A bit of a reach but he reminds me so much of Leicester 2015/16 Jamie Vardy.

But are we scared of his minutes? I don’t think so. With Osimhen set to be out for a while with no set return date. Raspadori is currently on an average of 74 minutes per game due to Osimhen’s absence, for now, his minutes are locked 👍🏽

xMins: Over 70+ mins ✅

 

Phil Foden

Two goals in his last two games for City

Foden seems to have found his scoring boots and after being rested for at least 45 minutes against Bournemouth, it is fair to presume Foden starts the game against Young Boys

xMins: Over 70+ mins ✅
TSB: 6% owned✅

 

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Noussair Mazraoui

3/4 starts in his last four games and two cleansheets, and two assists. The Bayern RB’s minutes have improved over time since his return from injury as well as his on-field performance. His interception stats are very impressive

xMins: Over 70+ mins ✅
TSB: 1% owned ✅

 

Alex Remiro

Teased from the very start as a budget pick. Alex Remiro is amongst the joint first for points this season (15 points) for Gks. Remiro is surely still one to consider at home against Benfica.

xMins: Over 70+ mins ✅
TSB: 5% owned ✅

 

Bonus pick: Zaire-Emery 💎

 

Honourable Differential Mentions

  • David Raya (back-to-back home games for Arsenal could see a good chance of clean sheets in MD 4 and 5).
  • M. Olivera (Napoli LB is 0.5m short of Di Lorenzo & faces Berlin next).

That brings me to the end of this article. Feel free to suggest what other differential you like below.

You can find UCL Fantasy resources for the 23/24 season here.

Fantasy Football, FEATURED, UCL Fantasy

UCL Fantasy: Top Differentials for Matchday 3

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Looking at differentials that could give your UCL Fantasy team a boost? Look no further with FPL Manual’s best players with ownership below 10% for matchday 3.

My favourite fantasy football game is back in action this mid-week, however, it can get tasking selecting those in-form assets who can bring in prospective points each MD

Hence I decided to create a guide for this article:

  • Predicted minutes ⏲️
  • Price point 💰

 

Who is a differential?

A differential at least in fantasy football is a player with at least 10% ownership or less.

 

Why are they important?

Well if 80% of 1m managers have Bellingham – you have 800k managers like yourself just moving with the pack. However, a huge impact is when those managers with Musiala (10%) ownership have him against Galatasaray and he scores around eight points, you have 100k managers making an extra gain in rank for going against the pack

NB: even if differentials are there to help, never neglect the template pick. It could backfire.

 

So which differentials are worth investing in right now? A list of options below:

  • Gordon/Trippier vs Dortmund
  • Kvaradona vs U. Berlin
  • Openda vs Crvena Zvezda
  • Taremi vs Antwerp
  • Griezmann vs Celtic
  • Çalhanoğlu vs Salzburg
  • Bruno vs Copenhagen

But none of these guys are my focus right now.

 

Just to ponder on my basis on selection:

  • Predicted minutes: 70+ mins per match
  • Price point:
    FWDs – Prices under 8m (4.5m -7.5m)
    MIDs – Prices under 7m (4.5m -6.5m)
    DEFs – Prices under 5.5m (4m – 5m)

Ignoring the GKs list, however, I might recommend Trubin for MD3.

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UCL Fantasy Differential Picks

 

Santiago Gimenez

Returning from a two-game suspension in the Champions League. Gimenez’s 13 league goals are top for goals in Europe besting both Haaland and Martinez so far and with fewer mins.

  • xMins: Over 70+ ✅
  • Price: 7.5m ✅

Let’s keep our eyes peeled for Gimenez, as he appeared to be subbed off due to an injury in Feyenoord’s last game where he had a goal and an assist.

 

Rasmus Højlund

Where Gimenez seems to shine in the league, Rasmus has been unlucky not to score in the EPL. However, with three goals in his last two UCL games, Højlund will relish his chances against Copenhagen as United hunt for their first group win.

  • xMins: Over 70+ ✅
  • Price: 7m ✅

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Calvin Stengs

The attacking midfielder has created six assists and scored three goals for an in-form Feyenoord. Primarily on set pieces, I tend to liken him to Maddison of Spurs as he is the source behind the goals of his teammates.

  • xMins: Over 70+ ✅
  • Price: 6.1m ✅

 

Brais Mendez

He has two goals and three assists in the La Liga and is top for UCL points this season scoring a combined total of 26 points (2⚽️,1🅰️). He is still on less than 5% ownership and it might be time to consider getting Mendez into your team.

  • xMins: Over 70+ ✅
  • Price: 6.6m ✅

 

Dan Burn

I was quite surprised when I realised Dan Burn is ranked 2nd for DEF points (16). The Newcastle LB offers more going forward for his side as he makes a lot of recoveries, and interceptions and occasionally scores from set pieces.

  • xMins: Over 70+ ✅
  • Price: 4.6m ✅

 

That brings me to the end of this article. I must admit, there are a lot of players I wanted to list. eg. Musiala but his ownership is now 11% and he is sort of pricey. Feel free to suggest what other differential you like below.

You can find UCL Fantasy resources for the 23/24 season here.

Fantasy Football, FEATURED, UCL Fantasy

UCL Fantasy Tipster Squad for the Rest of the Group Stage

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Need help setting up your team for the rest of the UCL Fantasy group stage? Tipster Mike Rachfal shares his team for the upcoming matchdays.

If you have used your ‘limitless’ chip (with failure) as I have, or if it’s time to use your ‘wildcard’, it’s time to think of the best possible lineups to help us get from week 3 to 6 of the group stage. Keep in mind that there are only two transfers allowed between matchdays without the use of a chip. So, we want to build a team to last.



Goalkeepers

  • Kepa (RMA) – 5.0M @ Braga, Oct. 24th
  • ter Stegen (BAR) – 5.5M vs. Shaktar, Oct. 25th

The logic here is simple. Real Madrid and Barcelona have strong matchups within their groups and play on different days. If the first keeper does poorly, make the substitution. The odds are high that one will keep a clean sheet. Barcelona has a soft group. Real Madrid hosting Napoli on matchday 5 is the only potential hiccup for them. However, would you like to bet against Real Madrid in this competition? I didn’t think so.



UCL Fantasy Defender Picks

  • G. di Lorenzo (NAP) – 5.5M @ Union Berlin, Oct. 24th
  • D. Dumfries (INT) – 5.5M vs. RB Salzburg, Oct. 24th
  • K. Trippier (NEW) – 6.0M vs. Dortmund, Oct. 25th
  • N. Molina (ATM) – 6.0M @ Celtic, Oct. 25th
  • D. Raum (RBL) – 4.5M vs. RS Belgrade, Oct. 25th

You might pick up on my theme that I enjoy attacking fullbacks with nice matchups instead of centerbacks. We are looking for free kicks, corners, and crosses combined with a decent chance of a clean sheet. Dumfries and Molina are as much attackers as they are defenders. Trippier and di Lorenzo are the heart and soul of their club and are always likely to play 90 minutes and send several balls into the box. David Raum, priced at 4.5m, will be in all of my teams. He takes corners and some free kicks in addition to only having one more tough matchup versus Manchester City. He is a steal at 4.5M. These players are entrusted by their managers and he could easily snag an assist or more.

UCL Fantasy Midfield Picks

  • J. Bellingham (RMA) – 7.6m @ Braga, Oct. 24th
  • M. Ødegaard (ARS) – 9.1m @ Sevilla, Oct. 24th
  • B. Fernandes (MUN) – 9.5m vs. Copenhagen, Oct. 24th
  • L. Alberto (LAZ) – 6.5m @ Feyenoord, Oct. 25th
  • I. Gündoğan (BAR) – 8.0m vs. Shaktar, Oct. 25th

Remember, we are trying to get to the end of the group stage here. We need 90 minutes plus goal involvements over 4 more matchweeks. Bellingham is simply not worth fading at 7.6m. He will likely regress at some point, but you have to stay with his brilliance at this price. Ødegaard and Fernandes occupy similar roles in their Premier League sides. They are captains, free kick takers, and even penalty takers. Manchester United have one more tough matchup against Bayern Munich, but they should expected to produce in the other matchups. I am betting big on Bruno to finish out the group stage, maybe at my own peril. Gündoğan and Alberto are also so central to the identity of their clubs right now that I want this for the long term. Yamal, Gavi, Pedri, de Jong are all out for Barcelona. Xavi trusts Gündoğan…so do I.

UCL Fantasy Forward Picks

  • R. Højlund (MUN) – 7.0m vs. Copenhagen, Oct. 24th
  • J. Alvarez (MCI) – 7.1m @ Young Boys, Oct. 25th
  • J. Felix (BAR) – 8.1m vs. Shaktar, Oct. 25th

We have reached the most controversial part of the selection. Alvarez, like Bellingham, is a steal for his price and matchups. I think it is time to fade Erling Haaland because of his high price and low floor. Alvarez is involved in everything for the Citizens and has a much higher floor. Barcelona, full of injuries, must be giddy for seeing Felix’s name on their teamsheet. He has proven to be deadly in their attack and should feature even more without Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Lamine Yamal.

Rasmus Højlund remains a controversial selection given that we need to reach the end of the group stage. Ousmane Dembele and Lautaro Martinez are guys that I love also, depending on your roster construction. Although Dembele could always get injured. You maybe even look to Napoli forwards with the Osimhen injury. I will go with Hojlund for his price. I believe that Erik ten Hag wants to use him. He arrived for a huge fee. He had a great matchday 2. If he can have a decent game in the Premier League over the weekend, this should only add to the confidence his manager feels about him to start big matches.



Summary

Remember, we want a squad evenly split between Tuesday and Wednesday. It does us no good to stuff all our players on one day. Even the best players fail…so sub them out. That is what this roster construction allows us to do. If you think Erling Haaland is ready to explode after not scoring recently, it’s hard for me to criticize you. But this is why we love fantasy football.

You can find UCL Fantasy resources for the 23/24 season here.

Fantasy Football, FEATURED, UCL Fantasy

UCL Fantasy Matchday 2 Limitless Chip Guide

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Planning to activate your limitless chip in UCL Fantasy but not sure which teams and players to target? Tipster Mike Rachfal is here to help with this handy guide.

What if you need to use your limitless chip in Matchday 2 of UCL Fantasy?

Matchday 2 in the UEFA Champion’s League presents some unique challenges for fantasy owners. It is not the ideal week to use your ‘limitless’ chip because many of Europe’s top sides are away from home or facing decent opponents. However, if week 1 was painful for you, this may be the route you take to get fired up for the remainder of the group stage. (If this is your first season, the ‘limitless’ chip is a 1-week option to use an unlimited budget. Your roster will reset to its previous state after the chip has been used.)

Fantasy sports is supposed to be fun. If you had a disaster in matchday 1, if your team setup was flawed, or if you were overly aggressive to start, using your ‘limitless’ chip now + your ‘wildcard’ chip in matchday 3 is a reasonable path to getting excited again.

Creating an ideal XI based on the ‘limitless’ chip can be a useful exercise for your decision to use the chip or find value at other positions with your two free subs. As always, from a strategy perspective, we want to try to split the team between Tuesday and Wednesday as much as possible to maximize our output with substitutions. I always prefer to lean heavily on the Tuesday matches within reason, and then replace any bad performances with subs on Wednesday. I believe this is critical as even the greatest players on earth are capable of producing a stinker here and there. You will see that applying this mindset to the forwards in matchday 2 was difficult.

As always, follow the news and updates as late as possible before making your final decision. (We are not allowed more than three players per club. I have tried to reflect that rule here.)

Limitless Chip Tipster Team for Matchday 2



Forwards

 

Harry Kane

Club: Bayern Munich

Price: €10M

Next match: @CPH (Oct. 3rd)

Easy decision here as Bayern roll into Copenhagen as the biggest favorite of any team this matchday. We’ll be anticipating goals here in open play and maybe a penalty as well. My first choice for captain.

 

Antoine Griezmann

Club: Atlético de Madrid

Price: €10.5M

Next Match: vs. FEY (Oct. 4th)

Atleti are looking good after defeating Real Madrid. They are one of the few big clubs to be a solid home favorite this week. Griezmann is their main man and gets the nod over Morata due to his set-piece involvement.

 

Erling Haaland

Club: Manchester City

Price: €11.5M

Next Match: @RBL (Oct. 4th)

Playing away in Leipzig is not enough of a reason to abandon the goal machine. He is the second captain option for me.



Midfielders

 

Bruno Fernandes

Club: Manchester United

Price: €9.5M

Next Match: vs. GAL (Oct. 3rd)

Fernandes will be hoping to be involved in goals in Manchester as his side hosts Galatasaray in a favorable matchup. The fact that he can take penalties and free kicks also brings optimism here.

 

Leroy Sane

Club: Bayern Munich

Price: €9M

Next Match: @CPH (Oct. 3rd)

I originally had Jamal Musiala in this position, and he is a totally fair option. However, the midweek injury to Serge Gnabry leaves it even more unlikely that Sane will be subbed off on the wing with Coman likely starting for Gnabry. This news makes Sane more valuable.

 

Martin Odegaard

Club: Arsenal

Price: €8.5M

Next Match: @LEN (Oct. 3rd)

The Arsenal captain is involved in everything and even took corners again in the last match. It is rare to have an elite captain so involved in free kicks, penalties, and goal creation.

 

Phil Foden

Club: Manchester City

Price: €8M

Next Match: @RBL (Oct. 4th)

Foden will almost certainly feature in a big way for the Citizens with Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne still out. Anyone can fall victim to a Guardiola rotation, so check the news often.

 

Luis Alberto

Club: Lazio

Price: €6.5M

Next Match: @CEL (Oct. 4th)

Foden and Alberto are the Wednesday subs. You need to make the call to sub or not based on your best judgment. Luis Alberto is the Martin Odegaard of Lazio. He’ll look to be involved in a number of ways at Celtic Park, including providing service to his forwards for goals and not just his goalkeeper on the last kick of the match.



Defenders

 

Alfonso Davies

Club: Bayern Munich

Price: €6M

Next Match: @CPH (Oct. 3rd)

This is an ideal XI. We are looking for defenders involved in chance creation with a good chance at a clean sheet. The Copenhagen defenders have likely never seen anyone with the ability on the left side like Davies.

 

Denzel Dumfries

Club: Inter Milan

Price: €5.5M

Next Match: vs. BEN Oct. 3rd

Our first Inter player comes in defense. They have not lost a match since the Champion’s League final last season. Dumfries is a dangerous threat going forward on the right side at home this week.

 

Giovanni Di Lorenzo

Club: Napoli

Price: €5.5M

Next Match: vs. RMA Oct. 3rd

This is about more than just his goal versus Braga. He was Rudi Garcia’s captain in the following match versus Bologna and he is always looking to be involved in the attack. He should be reliable even in a tough matchup against Real Madrid at home.

 

Nahuel Molina

Club: ATM

Price: €6M

Next Match: vs. FEY Oct. 4th

Other Atleti defenders could be argued for in this fixture, but Molina provides the most value going forward in a nice home matchup. A possible injury to Theo Hernandez of AC Milan could leave Molina as a better Wednesday option.

 

Joao Cancelo

Club: Barcelona

Price: €6M

Next Match: @POR Oct. 4th

His role and skills are simply too much to deny at this point in a less-than-perfect road matchup. Barcelona have nice cleansheet odds and maybe he will reward the faith with an assist also.



Goalkeeper

 

Andre Onana

Club: Manchester United

Price: €6M

Next Match: vs. GAL (Oct. 3rd)

Injuries and uncertainty in the back four is a reasonable argument to avoid Onana here. A certain error versus Bayern hasn’t helped his cause. Nonetheless, anything other than a win for United at Old Trafford will be a major disappointment for a side already under pressure. Yann Sommer and Sven Ulreich are certainly solid alternatives here depending on how you have used your maximum of three players from each club.



Jan Oblak

Club: Atlético de Madrid

Price: €6M

Next Match: vs. FEY (Oct. 4th)

We have good odds for a clean sheet in this spot at the Wanda Metropolitano. Oblak was 10 seconds from a clean sheet versus Lazio and took down Real Madrid in the build-up to this match. There is always comfort in seeking a clean sheet with Simeone’s Atleti.

UCL Fantasy Fixtures to Target

 

Tuesday, October 3rd, 2023: Bayern Munich @ Copenhagen, Manchester United vs. Galatasaray, Arsenal @ Lens.

Wednesday, October 4th, 2023: Manchester City @ Red Bull Leipzig, Atletico Madrid vs. Feyenoord, Royal Antwerp vs. Shakhtar Donetsk.

You can find UCL Fantasy resources for the 23/24 season here.