Finding a reliable budget forward can make a huge difference when building a UCL Fantasy squad, particularly for managers trying to accommodate several premium attackers.
Ahead of Matchday 1, our expert @MeijersDavid has picked out five forwards priced between €5.0m and €6.5m who could offer excellent value. We also highlight several alternatives worth monitoring as the League Phase develops.
Remember, managers still putting the finishing touches to their squads can also use our UCL Fantasy Toolkit.
There’s free stuff in there for every UCL manager but, as ever, Chief Scout Members can dig even deeper.
From player points projections and underlying statistics to the Fixture Ticker and Draft Tool, it’s all here to help you build your Matchday 1 squads.
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- READ MORE: UCL Fantasy 2026/27: Matchday 1 projected team goals
BARNABÁS VARGA AND LUKA JOVIĆ
AEK Athens could surprise plenty of teams early on, particularly with their favourable opening fixtures.
The Greek side have been in excellent form, scoring 16 goals across their last five matches. Their strike partnership of Barnabás Varga (€6.5m) and Luka Jović (€6.5m) has contributed nine of those goals.
Varga leads the way with six, while Jović has struck three times. Of the pair, I slightly prefer Varga because he appears more likely to accumulate minutes.
Unfortunately, neither has the added appeal of penalty-taking duties.
DONYELL MALEN
In 2026, no striker across Europe’s top five leagues has scored more goals than Donyell Malen (€6.5m), not even Harry Kane (€11.0m) or Kylian Mbappé (€11.0m).
The Roma forward has carried his excellent form from last season into the new campaign. He’s already scored five goals across the opening three Serie A matches.
Malen offers significant open-play threat and also takes penalties, providing another route to points.
Roma’s fixtures may look difficult on paper, but they have started the season strongly. Malen’s ability on the counter-attack could also make him dangerous against stronger opposition.
RICARDO PEPI
PSV begin their campaign at home to Shakhtar Donetsk, while the first half of their League Phase schedule looks relatively favourable.
Despite some defensive issues, the Dutch side have scored an impressive 18 goals in just five matches. Their attacking potential isn’t limited to domestic football either, having recorded eye-catching wins over Napoli and Liverpool in last season’s Champions League.
Leading the line is Ricardo Pepi (€6.0m), who has already scored three Eredivisie goals this season.
Although the American can’t always be relied upon for 90 minutes, he has started all five league matches so far. Pepi is also among PSV’s penalty-takers, having converted from the spot against FC Groningen earlier this season.
TROY PARROTT
Troy Parrott (€5.0m) stole the spotlight last weekend by scoring the winner against Real Madrid. In doing so, he became the first Irishman in 35 years to score a La Liga goal against Los Blancos.
The new Real Betis striker has shown his ability to both create and convert chances during three productive seasons in the Eredivisie.
Betis also have a favourable run of fixtures before the period when many managers may look to Wildcard. At just €5.0m, that could make Parrott an excellent enabler.
There is some risk, however. Cucho Hernández (€6.0m) provides competition for minutes and could eat into Parrott’s playing time.
DŽENAN PEJČINOVIĆ
Stuttgart arguably have one of the competition’s most attractive opening schedules. They host Viking FK before travelling to Slovan Bratislava, giving their attackers significant early potential.
Despite competition from Deniz Undav (€7.0m) and Ermedin Demirović (€6.0m), Dženan Pejčinović (€5.0m) has started all three of Stuttgart’s matches so far this season.
The German youth international also scored a hat-trick on his debut for Die Schwaben in the DFB-Pokal against Hansa Rostock.
His €5.0m price is particularly appealing compared with Undav. The latter also left the pitch last weekend with an Achilles tendon issue.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Mamadou Diakhon (€5.5m) could be set for a big season as Tzolis’ successor at Club Brugge. The 20-year-old has already produced one goal and two assists in the Belgian Pro League. He also showed his Champions League potential last season, scoring twice and supplying one assist. The major drawback is Club Brugge’s difficult schedule.
Anastasios Douvikas (€6.5m) has been prolific for Como, finishing as their top scorer last season before adding another two goals this campaign. The Champions League debutants have a relatively favourable schedule, although blockbuster signing Moise Kean (€6.5m) provides significant competition.
Maximilian Beier (€6.0m) is expected to play an important role for Dortmund because of his versatility. One concern is that Kovac has indicated he intends to use him as a wing-back this season. Even so, Beier’s attacking threat and Dortmund’s favourable opening fixtures keep him on the radar.
