UCL Fantasy is back for matchday 3 after a short hiatus because of the International Break, and in this article, we will look at the best picks for this week, including differentials and budget picks.
UCL Fantasy Forward Rankings
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Romelu Lukaku | Chelsea FC | vs Malmö FF | €10.5M | He might've failed to find the net in his last six games for Chelsea but against the worst defence in the tournament, I would back him to score a goal or two. |
| 2 | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | @Benfica | €11.6M | Each game is like an audition for Lewandowski to push his name for the Ballon d'Or nominations even further and he has been playing the best football of his life with 15 goals in 11 games across all competitions this season, blanking in just one of those games. |
| 3 | Erling Haaland | Borussia Dortmund | @Ajax | €11M | There are many other tempting forwards this week but Haaland is the most fixture proof and could easily score multiple goals on his day, regardless of the opponent. |
| 4 | Karim Benzema | Real Madrid | @Shakhtar Donetsk | €10M | Two games in a row against Shakhtar Donetsk is just what he needs to replicate his domestic goal-scoring form in the UCL. |
| 5 | Lionel Messi | PSG | vs RB Leipzig | €11M | Leipzig might've had the best defence in the Bundesliga last season but they've already conceded the most goals so far with eight and this could be another high-scoring fixture. |
| 6 | Gabriel Jesus | Manchester City | @Club Brugge | €8.5M | Probably the best sub-€10M forward for this week, especially if you are expecting City to thrash Club Brugge at home. |
| 7 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United | vs Atalanta | €11M | United and their attackers might be in bad form but Atalanta could miss as many as four first team defenders for this game. |
| 8 | Timo Werner | Chelsea | vs Malmö FF | €9M | If it wasn't obvious already, I am very high on Chelsea this week despite their lackluster performances recently. |
| 9 | Lautaro Martínez | Inter Milan | vs Sheriff Tiraspol | €10M | Sheriff are no pushovers but this is a must win game for Inter. |
| 10 | Sébastien Haller | Ajax | vs Borussia Dortmund | €8.7M |
UCL Fantasy Midfielder Rankings
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City | @Club Brugge | €11M | De Bruyne has scored in each of his last two consecutive games and this is a great fixture to make it three times in a row. |
| 2 | Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | @Atlético Madrid | €10.5M | Salah and Liverpool are peaking at the right time and whether they are playing one of the best defences in the world doesn't matter for one of the most consistent and fixture-proof players in the world. |
| 3 | Leroy Sané | Bayern Munich | @Benfica | €9M | As if Bayern weren't dangerous enough already, they've scored 52 goals (average: 4.3 goals per game) and conceded just 8 times in 12 games this season under Julian Nagelsmann. Sané has been their most dangerous player over the past few games but has been unlucky to not have more goals and assists to his name. |
| 4 | Kai Havertz | Chelsea | vs Malmö FF | €9M | If you have a third Chelsea spot open for a midfielder then why not? |
| 5 | Federico Chiesa | Juventus | @Zenit | €9M | A boom or bust player that rank chasers could look to this week. |
| 6 | Pedro Gonçalves | Sporting CP | @Beşiktaş J.K. | €8M | Pote is by far Sporting CP's best player and had 23 goals and 3 assists last season in just 32 matches. Since he was injured at the start of the tournament, he is owned by 0% of UCL Fantasy managers and could be a great differential pick for the upcoming weeks. |
| 7 | Arnaut Groeneveld | Villareal | @Young Boys | €6M | If there was an award for the best new signing then Arnaut Danjuma would be a strong contender. He already has four goals in three starts for Villareal this season in the La Liga and has been equally impressive in the Champions League. Danjuma could be a rewarding punt with back-to-back games against Young Boys and costs just €6M. |
| 8 | Marcus Rashford | Manchester United | vs Atalanta | €9M | |
| 9 | Sérgio Oliveira | Porto | vs AC Milan | €8M | AC Milan might be without as many as eight first-team players in this game and are down to their third-choice keeper, so last year's unexpected hero - Sérgio Oliveira - could certainly get a return to his name. |
| 10 | Christopher Nkunku | RB Leipzig | @PSG | €7.7M | |
| Bonus | Erik Lamela | Sevilla | @LOSC Lille | €6M | Lille have fallen in level since their title-winning campaign last season and are currently languishing at 11th in the Ligue 1 table having conceded 15 goals in just 10 games. Lamela could be a worthy punt this week but there are some concerns on whether he starts or not since he has started in just one game this season. |
UCL Fantasy Defender Rankings
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ben Chilwell | Chelsea | vs Malmö FF | €5.5M | Chilwell already has two goals in two Premier League starts and is also on set-pieces. Solid clean sheet + attacking potential over here. |
| 2 | Oleksandr Zinchenko | Manchester City | @Club Brugge | €5.5M | The best part about matchday 3 is that City play early so the Pep Roulette isn't a worry. |
| 3 | Joshua Kimmich | Bayern Munich | @Benfica | €6.5M | Kimmich has three goals and three assists in the Bundesliga but is yet to be involved in goals in the UCL. Meanwhile, Upamecano who is a €1M cheaper is leaving him behind for total points with his ball recoveries. So, Kimmich is better for the ceiling and Upamecano for the floor. |
| 4 | Reece James | Chelsea | vs Malmö FF | €5.5M | Two games in a row against Malmö is a good bet for two clean sheets. |
| 5 | Alex Sandro | Juventus | @Zenit | €5.6M | Juventus might've had a rough start to the season but they've kept a clean sheet in each of their last three games across all competitions. |
| 6 | Achraf Hakimi | PSG | vs RB Leipzig | €6.5M | If you can keep a clean sheet against a fierce City attack then you can keep a clean sheet against any team. |
| 7 | Diego Carlos | Sevilla | @LOSC Lille | €4.5M | Sevilla have conceded just three goals in eight La Liga games this season and while this fixture isn't as easy, Carlos has a decent floor thanks to his ball recoveries. |
| 8 | Trent Alexander-Arnold | Liverpool | @Atlético Madrid | €6.5M | Not the best game to keep a clean sheet but he is always worth a shout. |
| 9 | Éder Militão | Real Madrid | @Shakhtar Donetsk | €5M | |
| 10 | Juan Foyth | Villareal | @Young Boys | €4.5M |
Goalkeepers
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edouard Mendy | Chelsea | vs Malmö FF | €6M | The best clean sheet odds but probably not worth spending your third Chelsea spot on a keeper. |
| 2 | Ederson | Manchester City | @Club Brugge | €6M | Rotates well with Mendy as he plays on Wednesday (Only if you are on limitless). |
| 3 | Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich | @Benfica | €6M | |
| 4 | Wojciech Szczęsny | Juventus | @Zenit | €5.5M | |
| 5 | Gianluigi Donnarumma | PSG | vs RB Leipzig | €6M |
Value Rankings
| Rank | Name | Position | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nuno Mendes | DEF | PSG | vs RB Leipzig | €4.5M | A much cheaper alternative to Hakimi. |
| 2 | Karim Adeyemi | FWD | RB Salzburg | vs Wolfsburg | €7.1M | Wolfsburg are in a downward spiral and have conceded eight goals over their last three games while losing all of them. It is a "David vs Goliath" fixture on paper, but Adeyemi is unstoppable with his form right now as he already has two goals and four penalties won in two UCL games. Adeyemi is also second the most points among forwards after Haller (28) with 24 points. |
| 3 | Pedro Porro | DEF | Sporting CP | @Beşiktaş J.K. | €4.5M | Porro plays for the best defence in the Primeira Liga, is on set-pieces (possibly penalties as well) and plays Beşiktaş for the next two matchdays. |
| 4 | Ansu Fati | FWD | Barcelona | vs Dynamo Kyiv | €7.5M | Barcelona's next big thing already has two goals and an assist in his first three games since he returned from injury and has been flying under the radar despite being aptly priced at €7.5M. |
| 5 | Gerónimo Rulli | GKP | Villareal | @Young Boys | €4.5M | |
| 6 | Rafa Mir | FWD | Sevilla | @LOSC Lille | €6.5M | Sevilla's in-form striker that has three goals in his last four La Liga games. |
| 7 | Pepe | DEF | Porto | vs AC Milan | €4.5M | |
| 8 | Miguel Gutiérrez | DEF | Real Madrid | @Shakhtar Donetsk | €4M | 50/50 if he starts. |
| 9 | Antonio Adán | GKP | Sporting CP | @Beşiktaş J.K. | €4.5M | |
| 10 | Maximilian Wöber | DEF | RB Salzburg | vs Wolfsburg | €4M | The RB Salzburg defence is far from the best. Still, Wolfsburg will be missing their 20-goal striker Wout Weghorst due to Covid-19, and even if the team doesn't keep a clean sheet, Wöber gets a decent amount of ball recoveries for a player that costs €4M. |
| Bonus | Noah Okafor | MID | RB Salzburg | vs Wolfsburg | €5M | Okafor has four goals in nine Austrian Bundesliga games this season and despite being a midfielder, is expected to play Out of Position (OOP) up front against Wolfsburg. |
You can find UCL Fantasy resources for the 21/22 season here.
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