Champions League 2014/15 – Fantasy iTeam Budget Options

As we revealed in the middle of last week, Fantasy iTeam (FiT) is one of the first games to launch for the upcoming Champions League campaign. Having supported their popular World Cup game, we’ve joined forces again to cover Europe’s elite club competition as Real Madrid attempt to reclaim their crown under the guidance of Carlo Ancelotti.

A free Fantasy football app, FiT is available on a number of mobile devices, including iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android. It’s free to download and play, so you can already go in and start drafting up your starting XI with unlimited transfers.

We’ll be supporting FiT throughout the competition and have an official Fantasy Football Scout League, with an iPad mini available to the winner. There’s also a VIP European Match Day Experience for two on offer for the overall winner of the Fantasy iTeam Champions League game.

Having rolled out a Rule Guide last week, we now turn our attentions to the player price list and scour the market in an attempt to dig up some budget gems for your perusal. Setting the ceiling at 5.5 for defenders, 7.0 for midfielders and 8.0 for strikers, we take a closer look at some of the better value options across the outfield positions.

Defenders

Bayer Leverkusen’s Tin Jedvaj is available for just 5.3 in the Fantasy iTeam game. The youngster looks to have nailed down a starting role for the German outfit, and although he’s been handed a fairly tricky batch of Group C opponents, with matches against Benfica, Monaco and Zenit, he offers points potential at both ends of the pitch and has already opened his league account for the Bundesliga leaders.

Chancel Mbemba of Anderlecht has been priced at 5.4. The young centre-half caries a real goal threat from the back and has already scored five times in 40 appearances for the Belgian outfit – his attacking threat will be key as he squares up to Arsenal, Dortmund and Galatasaray.

APOEL right-back Mario Sergio has a share of set-pieces and corners for the Greek outfit and has notched five times in 60 matches since joining up in 2012. Coming in at a mere 5.0, he faces a tricky trio of group opponents, with matches against Barcelona, Ajax and PSG.

Benfica’s new left-back Eliseu is also worth considering. The versatile Brazilian – who can also play as a winger – netted nine times for former club Malaga before signing for the Portuguese outfit in the summer and comes in at 5.5.

If you’re on the lookout for a cut-price enabler, Junior Caicara of Bulgarian side Ludogorets will take up a mere 5.0 of your Fantasy iTeam budget. Showdowns with Liverpool and Real Madrid look testing, though a couple of encounters with FC Basel mean he could offer good value.

Spanish outfit Athletic Bilbao look great value throughout the classifications. Mikel San Jose is arguably the most enticing option at the back – available for just 5.3, he scored five times in La Liga last term and is set to face Porto, BATE Borisov and Shakhtar Donetsk in the group stages.

Midfielders

Porto’s new midfielder Yacine Brahimi is available for 5.5 in the Fantasy iTeam game. The Algerian international has already made an impact since joining in the summer and has served up a goal and assist in four appearances.

Atletico Madrid’s new signing Antoine Griezmann comes in at a relatively budget-friendly 6.7. Having served up 16 goals for Real Sociedad in 2013/14, he’s mainly been fielded in “the hole” for the Spanish champions and will fancy his chances in a group that includes Olympiacos and Malmo, as well as Juventus.

Karim Bellarabi affords us an in-form option at German side Bayer Leverkusen. Setting you back just 5.1, he’s already grabbed two goals and a pair of assists in two league appearances this season and helped his side rise to the top of the Bundesliga – his raids down the right could be key to Leverkusen’s chances of progress in Group B.

Iker Muniain comes in at a mere 5.0 for Athletic Bilbao. The young winger has already found the net in one of the opening two league matches and looks poised to continue the form that saw him grab seven goals and a trio of assists in La Liga last time around.

Shinji Kagawa will set you back just 5.9 after returning to German side Dortmund. The Japan international is very favourably priced compared to most of Jurgen Klopp’s first-team but has the potential to be a real bargain option if he returns to the form that brought 13 goals and 12 assists in his final league campaign with the German outfit.

Chelsea’s Andre Schurrle is available for a mere 6.6 as Jose Mourinho’s men prepare for a very enticing set of opponents. Given that the Blues face Maribor, Schalke and Sporting Lisbon, the German could well be set to continue the form that has already harvested a pair of goals for club and country over the last few weeks.

Available for just 6.8, Raheem Sterling’s contribution looks key to Liverpool’s progress. Granted, a pair of fixtures against defending champions Real Madrid is no easy task, but with Ludogorets and Basel also in their group, Brendan Rodgers’ side will surely fancy their chances of progressing – with two goals in his first three league outings, Sterling’s price looks a real bargain in the Fantasy iTeam game.

Schalke’s summer signing Sidney Sam is another kindly priced option with an eye for goal. Costing you 6.4 in Fantasy iTeam, the German international grabbed eight goals and seven assists for former club Leverkusen in last season’s Bundesliga and may well profit from the matches with Maribor and Sporting.

Forwards

Leverkusen’s Stefan Kiessling is available for just 7.8 in the Fantasy iTeam game. Fielded as the lone forward in a 4-2-3-1, he’s notched in three of his last four appearances for the Bundesliga leaders and his excellent form continues to keep summer signing Josip Drmic on the bench.

A move from United to Arsenal brings Danny Welbeck to prominence. Yet to feature for the Gunners since his deadline day move, Welbeck has already notched twice for England, and with Olivier Giroud injured, looks a secure starter – available for 7.9, he could be vital for Arsene Wenger’s side as they look to navigate a tricky Group A which also includes Dortmund, Galatasaray and Anderlecht.

Once again, Spanish club Athletic Bilbao are worthy of our consideration due to some very kind pricing. Aritz Aduriz is available for just 6.8 and, like Muniain, has already netted in La Liga this season – indeed, a total of 30 goals over the last two league seasons is indicative of his predatory nature and suggests that he could be a real bargain.

Anderlecht’s Aleksandar Mitrovic is another forward in excellent form. Available for 6.6, he netted 16 times in 32 league matches in 2013/14 and has followed that up with four strikes in six matches so far – if the Belgians are to somehow make it out of the group stages, they’ll be heavily reliant on their teenage sensation.

Three goals in his first four league appearances of 2014/15 underlines the credentials of Porto’s Jackson Martinez. Coming in at 7.7, he’s now netted 50 times in 63 league matches for the Portuguese outfit and has a plum home clash with BATE Borisov to get his Champions League campaign up and running.

Shakhtar’s Luiz Adriano also comes in under the 8.0-mark. The Brazilian fired 20 league goals in just 25 appearances in the last league campaign and has been quick to rediscover his predatory instincts, netting once in two league outings thus far – coming in at just 7.8, he looks another option to consider for Fantasy managers shopping on a budget up front.