We’re just hours away from the deadline for Matchday 6 of this season’s Champions League as the group stages come to their culmination. As always, we assess the Fantasy iTeam (FiT) Player Price List ahead of this evening’s deadline and focus our attentions on a number of teams with plenty still to play for.
A free Fantasy football app, FiT is available on a number of mobile devices, including iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android. Fantasy managers have until 10 minutes before the first kick-off in any given Matchday to make any final alterations to their starting XIs and it’s worth bearing in mind we’ll be able to assess all this evening’s teamsheets before the deadline, with all eight matches getting underway at 7.45pm.
We’re 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 published a Rule Guide and assessed some of the best budget options in the player price list, we cast an eye over Tuesday and Wednesday’s matches and offer four player tips for the next two evenings’ matches.
Tuesday
Juventus entertain Atletico Madrid later this evening knowing that a draw would be enough to steer them into the knockout stages. The Italians have been formidable in front of their own fans this term and, having won all six league encounters so far, will be confident of a victory. With 12 goals and five assists in all competitions, it’s fair to say that Carlos Tevez (9.3m) looks key to their chances of getting one over last year’s beaten finalists.
Liverpool have the opportunity to fire their stuttering season back into life at home to FC Basel tonight. A win for the Reds would help them overhaul their Swiss opponents and surely take second spot in Group B if Real Madrid – as expected – dispose of Ludogorets at the Bernabeu. Rested to the bench for the weekend draw against Sunderland, skipper Steven Gerrard has proven time and again he’s the man for the big occasion and, at a price of 6.9m, could be worth a flutter for the Anfield showdown.
Monaco’s fate is in their own hands this evening at home to Zenit St Petersburg. The Ligue 1 side know a point will be enough to advance as runners-up but, depending on results elsewhere, they could potentially finish as Group C winners if they earn a victory. Dimitar Berbatov has racked up three goals in the last two league matches and has been instrumental in steering his side to back-to-back league wins – with spot-kick duties also in hand, we’re backing the 7.0m-priced Bulgarian to make the difference.
A 1-0 win over Hoffenheim on Friday evening helped ease Dortmund’s domestic troubles and edged them out of the drop zone. Jurgen Klopp’s side may have struggled in the Bundesliga this season but have already triumphed four times in the Champions League ahead of a home encounter with Anderlecht. Another victory would ensure Dortmund finish top of Group D, and with Klopp keen to maintain momentum, the 8.9-priced Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be hoping to continue the form that has seen him produce more goals (four) and assists (three) than any team-mate in the league this term.
Wednesday
Barcelona welcome PSG to the Nou Camp in a shoot-out for top spot in Group F tomorrow night. The La Liga side need to grab a victory in order to clamber above Laurent Blanc’s side ahead of the knockout stage draw and they prepared for this one with an emphatic 5-1 derby win over Espanyol. Whilst a certain Argentine is sure to earn most of the attention, Luis Suarez (9.2m) notched his first goal for the club in Matchday 5 and could be one to consider for those looking to double up on Barca’s all-star attack.
Schalke roll up to Group D whipping boys Maribor knowing a win may yet take them through. If the German side triumph and Chelsea defeat Sporting Lisbon at the Bridge, they’ll clinch second spot behind Jose Mourinho’s men tomorrow. Luckily for the Bundesliga side, the 7.5m-priced Eric Choupo-Moting bagged a hat-trick on his travels at the weekend and looks in red-hot form ahead of the trip to Slovenia.
Rested for the weekend home encounter with Sassuolo, Francesco Totti will be fully refreshed for Roma’s crucial clash with Man City. Providing Bayern Munich see off CSKA Moscow in Germany, the winner of this one will clinch second place in Group E and, having dropped just two points at home in the league all season, Rudi Garcia’s side look the favourites here. Setting you back just 6.8m, Totti has already notched in the previous encounter between the two sides back in October and will be looking to get the better of Joe Hart once again.
Athletic Bilbao and BATE Borisov go head-to-head for third place in Group H tomorrow night. The La Liga club only need a draw to clinch a Europa League spot at their visitors’ expense, but with top scorer Aritz Aduriz sidelined, they’ll need playmaker Benat (4.6m) to continue the form that’s already provided a pair of assists in four starts over the group stages.
Fantasy Football Scout League
We’ve already set up an official Fantasy Football Scout league for you to join, with an iPad mini on offer to the winner – the league name is Fantasy Football Scout and the pin is 11155.
