As many of you are aware, Matchday five in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) Fantasy game kicks off in a few hours. Ahead of this evening’s early kick-off, we’ve another wide array of talents for your consideration…
Trying to keep the Watchlist budget in check this Matchday, we opt for just one goalkeeper to tip – and he’s a rock-bottom cheapie. Aliaksandr Hutar of BATE comes up against a Plzen side with just a single goal so far in this campaign and will be looking to steer the Belarusians to the third-placed Europa League slot.
We’ve been entranced by FC APOEL’s journey to the top of Group G over the last four Matchdays, but the cold reality of a fixture in St. Petersburg may well prove a step too far. We’re jumping on the Nicolas Lombaerts bandwagon after his goal last Matchday, as Zenit try to spoil the Cypriots’ party.
With four clean sheet from four games and a home tie against Dinamo Zagreb, it would seem apt to choose from Real Madrid’s array of defenders – it’s just a matter of trying to pick the right man for the job. Slightly cheaper (6.9) than his team-mates and with 2 recovered ball bonus points picked up in each of his three appearances, Pepe gets the chance to make a name for himself.
Valencia defender Victor Ruiz is the kind of player Fantasy managers love to come to the fore. Initially priced at a mere 4.0, he’s risen to 4.1 but has played every minute of his side’s campaign to date. We’re more than happy to chuck him on the team coach with a home tie against FC Genk this week.
Having only conceded one goal so far -a 92nd minute Aaron Ramsey effort at the Stade Velodrome- it’s fair to say that Marseille have been defensively impressive. At just 4.6 in value, Nicolas N’Koulou offers a cut-price route into Didier Deschamps’ back-four at home to Olympiakos.
Continuing the unsurprising trend of picking players from the previous Scout Report, we take another crack at Franck Ribery. At home to Villarreal and with a draw good enough to guarantee Bayern’s place in the knock-out stages, it’s high time the Frenchman earned his crust.
The rest of the midfield looks a little harder to build, despite there being 32 sides to pick from, thanks to indifferent form, fixtures and even rotation, to a lesser extent. So, instead, we’ve got two mini key battles worth highlighting, as four playmakers face off against each other.
Firstly we have Yohann Gourcuff of Lyon (6.3) and Christian Eriksen of Ajax (6.1) playing at the Stade de Gerland this evening. An away draw for Ajax will all but seal the French side’s transition to the next stage of the competition- if there ever was a time for Gourcuff to shine for Lyon it is now. Eriksen, meanwhile, will be doing everything in his power to keep the good times rolling for the Dutch outfit.
The other two midfielders under our consideration are Aaron Ramsey of Arsenal (just 5.5 in price) and Mario Gotze of Dortmund. A win for Arsenal will guarantee they’ll be in the competition come February while the visitors need a result to remain in the running. The game should be a hard-fought encounter, with both teams in a strong run of form right now- Dortmund come to the Emirates on the back of a win over Bayern at the Allianz Arena.
We also like Alan Dzagoev of CSKA at home to Lille this week. His team are missing top striker Seydou Doumbia through suspension this week though, so we’ll give him just a little whisper of a mention.
Mario Gomez is a nailed-on pick. The Bayern forward has been in sensational domestic form and with 13 goals in his last ten Champions League appearances, a home game against an out of sorts Villarreal makes him this week’s star player.
This afternoon’s confirmation of a start for Robin Van Persie against Dortmund is enough encouragment for us to draft the Dutchman onto our Watchlist. Van Persie was a sub in Marseille last time round but Arsene Wenger is intending to play his skipper from the start at the Emirates- an ominous sign for the German champions.
Giving the strike-force a Spanish-based verve is Valencia’s Roberto Soldado. Having bagged a brace in his side’s 3-2 defeat by Real Madrid last weekend, Soldado plays host to Genk in a must-win game at the Mestella.
*We had initially included Ronaldo here but reports this afternoon suggest he has been given the night off as Real Madrid host Dinamo Zagreb. Gonzalo Higuain looks a more than reliable alternative.
Offering a more budget-considerate option up front is Andre Ayew of Marseille. Win tomorrow night and the French side’s spot in the next stage of the competition will be all but guaranteed. Sound reason as any that his minor 5.6 outlay will be doing all it can to produce the goods for Didier Deschamps’ men.
Please note that deadline for your UEFA Fantasy Champions League team selection will be at the earlier time of 17:45 CET today. This is due to CSKA’s tie at home to Lille kicking off earlier than the seven remaining scheduled fixtures today.
