The 2022/23 UEFA Champions League (UCL) begins on Tuesday – and so does the competition’s official Fantasy game.
We’ve already had plenty of coverage on UCL Fantasy in preparation for the big kick-off, with more articles to come throughout the season.
If you’re new to the game or just need a reminder of the rules, check out our ‘how to play’ guide below and don’t forget to join the official FFScout UCL League (Pin code: 75L4Q5EA10).
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Our series of preview articles continues by focusing on Matchday 1 and its most appealing assets.
GOALKEEPERS
Salzburg’s Philipp Kohn (Salzburg) and Sporting’s Antonio Adan both come in at the cheap enabling price of €4.5m. What makes this pairing better is that they play on different days, meaning that means if Kohn fails to register a return against AC Milan, Adan has a great chance of making up for it against Frankfurt.
Both come at a fantastic price. UCL managers will be searching for budget options that enable the pricier assets in attack and both shot-stoppers offer that upside.
DEFENDERS
Raphael Guerreiro of Dortmund enters the game at a surprisingly low price of €4.5m. Dortmund have invested a lot of money into new defensive signings and look to already be improving at the back. Guerreiro has produced a goal, assist and three clean sheets from his first five matches. Against Copenhagen, he has a lot of potential.
Chelsea have an early match against Dinamo Zagreb. It means we can react to the line-ups within our Fantasy teams and see if Reece James (€6m) is playing at right wing-back.
Manchester City continue to dominate the underlying defensive stats domestically. Therefore, one of their defenders could be great against out-of-form Spanish side Sevilla. Although pricey, Joao Cancelo (€6.5m) offers a thirst for goals which was shown by netting against Nottingham Forest.
Brandon Mechele (€4m) has a great first game against struggling Bayer Leverkusen. His price-tag appeals more than anything but, when mixed with his nailed-on minutes, he could be a great enabler within our teams.
Marseille loanee Nuno Tavares (€4m) also comes in at the lowest price within the game. The wing-back has already managed three goals for the French side. Although he faces a tough first match against Spurs, his attacking threat and price tag make him extremely appealing.
MIDFIELDERS
Finding a way into the attack of Dutch league leaders Ajax could be beneficial. Against Rangers, Steven Bergwijn (€7m) could be a great option. Seven goals in six games mean he’s in prolific form and for that reason has big potential ahead.
Dortmund’s Marco Reus (€7.5m) is picked for the early kick-off against Copenhagen. The German international is having a great start to the season, with three assists and two goals from the first six outings and the added bonus of being on penalty duty.
Sporting provided great value for money in UCL Fantasy last season with the main man Pedro Goncalves (€7.5m) being a huge contributing factor. Like Reus, the Portuguese attacker has started the season well and is on penalties.
Across Lisbon, there is Benfica’s Joao Mario (€6m), who is a gem within this cheap, enabling price bracket. They have managed to win all of their first nine games, partly because of his own four assists and four goals. Whilst all goals were penalties, it’s still an impressive rate of return.
Kenneth Taylor (€5m) comes in at an even cheaper price. The 20-year-old Dutchman has now started four out of the five matches played for Ajax. As well as attacking potential, he could also be great for ball recoveries.
FORWARDS
Premium forwards could be the most popular players in this season’s game, which justifies the use of budget enablers in other positions.
First up is new Barcelona signing and relentless UCL Fantasy performer Robert Lewandowski (€11m). The Catalans have scored three times in four of their opening five matches and are highly targetable for their opener against Plzen. The Polish international should reap the benefits of this.
Man City are one of Europe’s best for sustaining a high scoring rate. With the arrival of £11m forward Erling Haaland, that appears to be continuing. The Norwegian superstar has already reached ten Premier League goals, so simply has to be considered.
Champions League holders Real Madrid drew a lot of their success from French striker Karim Benzema (€11m). The world-class forward became the highest-scoring player in last season’s game with over 100 points and will be backed to keep the points coming against Celtic.
CAPTAINCY
The standout captaincy options are Haaland and Benzema. It could be close between both players in Matchday 1. Perhaps Haaland has the edge, as both he and his team are scoring more goals right now.
MATCHDAY 1 PICKS
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