UEFA Champions League (UCL) Fantasy returns for Matchday 4, bringing another set of fixtures for managers to target.

Some teams have particularly favourable match-ups, while others face much tougher tests.

In this article, we’ll use our UCL Fantasy Toolkit and Fixture Ticker to identify the teams with the best and worst fixtures, helping managers plan their transfers and team selections ahead of the deadline.

WHO HAS THE BEST FIXTURES?

Arsenal top the fixture ticker for Matchday 4 as they travel to Czechia to face Slavia Praha. The Gunners head into the European clash following their meeting with Liverpool, while their upcoming opponents have collected just one point from their opening three Champions League matches.

Spanish giants Barcelona host Aston Villa in what looks like a favourable fixture on paper. However, Villa have lost just once in their previous eight matches across all competitions, suggesting it may not be quite as straightforward as the odds indicate.

Completing the top three are Real Madrid, who face AEK Athens. The Greek side have struggled defensively, with a 3-1 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk and a heavy 5-1 loss against Manchester City highlighting their difficulties. Madrid will be confident of exploiting those weaknesses in Matchday 4.

Meanwhile, reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain travel to Spain to face Villarreal. Despite dealing with several key injuries, PSG haven’t lost a match since early September. Villarreal therefore face a difficult challenge, although their narrow 4-3 defeat to Liverpool offered some encouragement from an attacking perspective.

Attention will also turn to Liverpool, who welcome Fenerbahçe to Anfield in another appealing fixture.

Elsewhere, LASK face Slovan Bratislava, while Viking host Sabah. Manchester City also have an intriguing trip to Germany to face RB Leipzig, with Inter completing the list of favourable fixtures against Feyenoord.

WHO HAS THE WORST FIXTURES?

We’ve already covered several of these teams in the previous section. Slavia Praha face a difficult challenge against English heavyweights Arsenal, while Aston Villa will hope to carry their impressive domestic form into their clash with Barcelona.

UCL Fantasy managers are also unlikely to invest heavily in RB Leipzig, AEK Athens, Slovan Bratislava or Feyenoord this week. All four face tough opposition, making their assets less appealing heading into Matchday 4.

There are several other sides with difficult fixtures worth highlighting. Real Betis travel to Germany to face Borussia Dortmund, who will be looking to bounce back following their heavyweight Bundesliga clash with Bayern Munich.

Meanwhile, Napoli have struggled to find any real consistency in Europe so far. That patchy form could continue against Porto, with a difficult away trip awaiting the Italian side. Their players may therefore be worth avoiding this week.

Those holding Atlético Madrid assets could also be considering a change. Matchday 4 sees them face German giants Bayern Munich, who currently sit top of the Bundesliga. After drawing their previous two European matches, Bayern will be determined to return to winning ways, making this a particularly challenging fixture for Atlético.