The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League (UCL) campaign resumes today with Matchday 11 – and so does the competition’s official Fantasy game.
Here, FPL Milanista, another one of our European football experts who finished 31st in the world in 2022, shares some of his tips on how to succeed in the knockout rounds.
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The round of 16 begins the final part of this UEFA Champions League campaign. With the best clubs in Europe still standing, there is no room for error. Stakes are getting higher and the drama will intensify, so UCL Fantasy managers must stay sharp, be proactive with transfers and take advantage of key players in the knockout rounds.
This is the very last time that we’re allowed unlimited transfers, as most active managers have probably already activated their chips during the easier group games. Therefore, it’s wise to study upcoming fixtures within the bracket.
PREDICT EACH ROUND
My first tip at this stage is to go through the tournament bracket and make your unbiased predictions about which teams will progress into the latter stages.
This is vital because it allows you to build a strong base of players that are expected to stay for a longer period of time.
Free transfers can then be used for luxury moves, instead of just replacing the eliminated players.
Above: The Opta Supercomputer’s UCL knockout phase projections
Of course, this is much easier said than done. But with the right picks and an avoidance of shock results, navigation will be comfortable using each round’s free transfers.
INVEST IN DEFENCE
Next, think about the balance between star attackers and reliable defenders. As the tournament progresses, the number of goals diminishes because the gap between opponents gets smaller.
That makes owning a reliable selection of defenders very important, especially with ball recoveries being rewarded. From this point, spending a bit more than before on defence feels a sensible strategy.
RISKIER CAPTAINS
Let’s move to the most important aspect of UCL Fantasy – captaincy.
The general rule that we applied in the group stages must carry forward with us into the knockouts, which is to focus our free transfers towards grabbing each calendar day’s best captain.
Yet, in my opinion, the elimination of weaker sides changes this idea. It’s always said that the risk of not having the obvious Matchday captain strongly outweighs the benefits you may get if the player blanks.
Other managers can take the armband off his failure. But if he bags a hat-trick, it’ll be only you who suffers from the lost points.
However, the level of teams is becoming closer in a way that we’re not expecting to see any more thrashings. Given the strong template that will strengthen with each passing Matchday, taking a punt with your armband could be the only way to start overtaking if you’re unhappy with the overall rank.
THE TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY BALANCE
Next is the Tuesday v Wednesday split of players. Although many like to have a perfect balance by selecting seven or eight players from each day, I’m still a fan of putting a lot of my eggs into the earlier basket, knowing that punts can be easily substituted if unsuccessful.
In the round of 16, fixtures are reversed in the second leg. Whoever plays on Tuesday this week will feature next Wednesday and vice versa.
In an ideal world, my preference is to have nine or 10 players from this Tuesday. Then, use the trio of free transfers to sell three of them for those taking part next Tuesday. This maintains my ratio but isn’t always easy to achieve, as fixtures and prices need to be considered when making the final team selection.
Anyway, that’s it from me for now. Whether you’re in it for the excitement of European football or battling to climb the UCL Fantasy rankings, these next few weeks will be full of action.
Enjoy the ride – it’s going to be thrilling.
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