Champions League Focus – Matchday One

In just a few short hours another UEFA Champions League campaign kicks off. Following on from last week’s tournament preview we have for you our first “Champions League Focus” article ahead of Matchday One…

SCOUT LEAGUE

With the long road to Wembley beginning later this evening we can’t really point out the best European Fantasy managers as of yet. Instead we can but make one final stab at trying to entice you to sign up.

If you fancy your chances on the continental stage make sure to join the Fantasy Football Scout league (code: 191091-421065) and show us what you are made of.

Last week’s preview of the upcoming competition may be of use to those of you less familiar with the game, while experienced folks might even be tempted by a name or two they hadn’t previously considered.

MARKET FORCES

Again, there’s no real way to assess the ins and outs at this stage so we’re going to take a walk through some of the most selected players ahead of tonight’s opening action.

Given that he plays for Bayern Munich it maybe isn’t too surprising to see Manuel Neuer as the most selected goalkeeper but, equally priced at the highest point of 6.0, we’re a little more shocked to see Iker Casillas as the second most popular keeper. We don’t discount Real Madrid but with Dortmund, City and Ajax in their group they don’t exactly have the easiest road ahead in the group stages. Vyacheslav Malafeev and Salvatore Sirigu are the favourite budget options – having tipped them in our aforementioned preview, we certainly can’t argue with their selections.

Some of the kindly under-priced defenders seem to have caught the eye of the European Fantasy managers. Branislav Ivanovic is a shock (if only because the arrival of Cesar Azpilicueta might shake things up) inclusion as the favourite pick with Thiago Silva, now at PSG, running a close second.

The decidedly under-priced Sergio Ramos (just 5.5) and Patrice Evra (even lower at 5.0) are next in the queue and quite rightly so. Our favourite defender of the lot, Arturo Vidal of Juventus, is currently eighth in the queue with just over 12% of folks hopping on board. We’ve got big hopes for the Chilean, given that he plays in midfield for the Serie A champions. Overall, though, there’s a distinct lack of interest in budget options on the whole, with the top 20 choices all plucked from the more established sides across Europe.

Juventus’ midfield linchpin Andrea Pirlo has the honour of being the favourite option in the centre of the park with Eden Hazard and Santi Cazorla just trailing him – the latter pair’s performances in the Premier League have clearly fostered faith on the European markets.

Despite being the most expensive (and only double figure option at 10.0) midfielder available Andres Iniesta finds himself at the forefront of the remaining options. Bastian Schweinsteiger finds himself a surprise fifth favourite – his low price of 7.0 probably helps but Bayern Munich now have competition for places, so he’s far from assured a start these days.

Roman Shirokov (5.5) of Zenit leads the budget wares after being severely undervalued, while folks seem keen to round out squads with Ryan Babel (4.0) who can now be found plying his trade at Ajax.

Lionel Messi finds himself in over 70% of squads created to date. Frankly, we’re almost a little surprised by the fact that means over a quarter of European Fantasy managers don’t have this amazing specimen lined up. Brave. Foolish. Both.

A long way back (but still heavily owned) are Cristiano Ronaldo and Robin Van Persie. Both players find themselves in over 30% of sides – Messi plus one of these two looks like it will be a favourite choice of the cavalier European Fantasy manager. Hulk’s move to Zenit has placed him on more than a few radars as he and Zlatan Ibrahimovic round out the five most popular forwards.

Up and coming young Celtic striker Tony Watt (4.0) appears to be the stand-out budget choice with Anderlecht’s Massimo Bruno similarly placed. Jackson Martinez at FC Porto is next in line and owned by just under 3% of European Fantasy managers. More on him in just a second.

ONES TO WATCH

Jackson Martinez – the big transfer stories revolving around FC Porto this summer involved Tottenham failing to get their man (Joao Moutinho) and Zenit dumping truckloads of money at the doorstep to get theirs (Hulk). There were still players coming in and it looks like they might have signed a rather interesting Fantasy prospect, too. New striker Martinez has already topped up his Porto account with a couple of goals and with spot-kicks seemingly in the bag, his 6.0 price tag may turn out to be a Fantasy bargain ahead of a trip to Zagreb tonight.

Mathieu Debuchy – after winning Ligue 1 the season prior to last, Debuchy found himself on the radar of many discerning Fantasy managers. This summer the right-back made an even greater name for himself after impressing for France in Euro 2012 and, while he’s had to deal with the disappointment of a mooted move to Newcastle falling through, a home clash against BATE Borisov offers the Lille man the perfect opportunity to get his campaign up and running.

Marco Reus – when Borussia Dortmund allowed Shinji Kagawa move to Manchester United you wouldn’t be crazy to think that left a sizeable hole in their attack. Fortunately for fans of the German champions they’d already put a pre-contract agreement in place for one of the nation’s brightest young players. Playing alongside the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Mario Gotze, Reus looks a strong bet for points with a home against Ajax on his agenda this evening. With Real Madrid and Man City also in their group, a win for Jurgen Klopp’s side looks crucial to their chances of progressing beyond the Group stages.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan – if you’re not an avid follower of the Ukranian Premier League, you might not be aware of how much Shakhtar Donetsk are rocking right now. Scoring 12 goals and assisting another four in the first nine games of the season, Mkhitaryan is very much a man on form. If the Armenian can replicate anything close to that at home to surprise Danish champions FC Nordsjaelland, his owners could be in for an explosive night.

Jeremy Menez – we’d like to point out some Paris Saint Germain coverage ahead of their tie at home to Dynamo Kiev. Zlatan Ibrahimovic would be ideal if you’ve got a raft load of spare cash but Menez at 7.0 (or team-mate Javier Pastore for a buck more at 8.0) provides an option in a ballpark we’re much happier spending our time. While the diminutive French winger offers an inferior goal threat to Ibra, the potential for assists could well see him prosper.

Patrice Evra – he costs a mere 5.0 (that’s two grades cheaper than the most expensive option) and this week faces a home tie against Galatasaray. After his rest at the weekend, that is what we call bargain territory. Sir Alex Ferguson will be determined to exorcise the ghost of United’s 2011/12 European campaign and the price of Evra and fellow full-back Rafael makes them irresistible options amongst the Old Trafford defence.