The UEFA Champions League campaign ends this week with the final. For UCL Fantasy managers, that means Matchday 17 is here!
In this article, our experts share their team reveals, plans and captaincy thoughts ahead of the final deadline.
- READ MORE: Your World Cup Fantasy Toolkit
@Big4FPL
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- Although another top 500 finish now looks out of reach, a place inside the top 1k still feels very achievable.
- The main issue is that I don’t fully trust this final to produce many goals. I can’t see Arsenal scoring heavily, but at the same time I also struggle to see them conceding much either. That makes transfers surprisingly difficult to call.
- Because of that, I’ll likely take a gamble on either a full Arsenal defensive block or a full PSG defensive block rather than trying to hedge my bets across both sides. The attackers will probably look very similar for most managers anyway.
- Captaincy is where things could get interesting. Most will likely back Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but I’m currently looking more towards Désiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé or even Vitinha as potential differential captain options.
@Super__Saud
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- I’m currently ranked 48th overall, and the goal now is to secure a third top 50 finish.
- The sensible approach would probably be to hedge my bets and split the squad fairly evenly with five or six players from each side. However, PSG enter the final as slight favourites, and because of that I’m willing to take the risk and load up more heavily on their players.
- At the moment, the plan is to start in a 5-4-1 formation with a strong PSG defensive block. I expect a tight and fairly low-scoring final, so I want to focus on players with a high floor. Set-piece threat and ball recoveries could prove crucial this week.
- That strategy leaves me with just three Arsenal players in the squad: Gabriel, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice.
- Captaincy still feels very open right now, but as things stand Khvicha Kvaratskhelia currently has the armband.
@hichemillo
NOTES
- The final Matchday is finally here.
- With only two teams left to pick from, gaining rank becomes much more difficult. Most squads will look very similar, especially because I expect plenty of managers to load up with seven or eight PSG players.
- That also creates an opportunity though. Going heavily against the template could be the best move of the week… or a complete disaster.
- I won’t lie, the idea of an Arsenal 1-0 win is very tempting right now.
- Thankfully, I already own 10 players for the final, so transfers should be fairly straightforward. One move is already locked in, with Nuno Mendes definitely coming into the squad.
- The remaining three or four transfers will depend on the route I decide to take.
- Option A involves going heavily on Arsenal with players like Piero Hincapié, Cristhian Mosquera and Kai Havertz.
- Option B would instead back PSG more aggressively through Achraf Hakimi, Willian Pacho and Vitinha.
- Captaincy currently sits between Gabriel and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
@FplRossoneri
NOTES
- Matchday 17 is finally here in #UCLFantasy, as Arsenal take on PSG in Budapest for the Champions League final.
- As always, I’ll wait for the official lineups before making any transfers on Saturday. However, both teams already look fairly settled heading into the final.
- If fully fit, Achraf Hakimi will definitely come into my squad as part of my five free transfers. The current plan also includes Declan Rice, Désiré Doué, Vitinha and Willian Pacho.
- Formation-wise, I’ll most likely line up in either a 5-4-1 or 4-5-1 setup. Neither side offers many convincing forward options outside of the obvious names, so investing more heavily in midfield and defence feels like the stronger strategy.
- Captaincy still feels completely open. Right now, the decision looks set to come down to Ousmane Dembélé, Bukayo Saka or Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
- I’m also very close to breaking into the top 1k overall, so there’s every chance I take a more aggressive route and back Désiré Doué as a differential captain.
@SilentBats
NOTES
- It’s sad to see another UCL Fantasy campaign come to an end, but thankfully the World Cup starts very soon, so there won’t be much time to miss it.
- With my current rank sitting around 390th overall, the plan is to play things fairly conservatively and cover the highly owned players. Protecting rank feels more important than chasing something too aggressive this week.
- Thankfully, we’ll get the lineups before the deadline, which makes transfers much easier to manage. As things stand, I’ll likely move on Piero Hincapié, Matteo Ruggeri, Michael Olise, Harry Kane and Luis Díaz.
- In their place, I’m looking at Nuno Mendes, Achraf Hakimi, Vitinha, Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyökeres, assuming all of them start.
- Captaincy currently sits between Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes.
- Good luck everyone, and hopefully the final Matchday ends with plenty of green arrows.
