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 to come this afternoon, as well as articles 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).
SIGN UP TO PLAY UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FANTASY HERE
Our series of preview articles continues by looking at the best UCL forwards on offer.
- READ MORE: The best goalkeepers for UEFA Champions League Fantasy 2022/23
- READ MORE: The best defenders for UEFA Champions League Fantasy 2022/23
- READ MORE: The best midfielders for UEFA Champions League Fantasy 2022/23
In true UEFA fashion, the tournament logically starts with Groups E to H playing on Tuesday night, so that’s where we’ll start with these picks.
FORWARDS
Groups E-H
Karim Benzema (€11m) – Real Madrid
Last year’s top UCL goal scorer, Benzema is amongst the favourites to lead the charts once again. Real Madrid are top of La Liga and play their first game against bottom seeds Celtic. You may think an away fixture in Glasgow is not ideal for the talisman but, if games against RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk don’t have you licking your lips, then nothing will.
Erling Haaland (€11m) – Manchester City
If the panic surrounding Haaland’s expected minutes wasn’t floating around the Fantasy zeitgeist right now, this guy would probably be the most highly-owned option in the game.
Not only is he playing for one of the competition favourites but he has an affinity for the competition, scoring a hat-trick on his debut for RB Salzburg to start an incredible run of 23 games in 19 games.
He also recently became the first player to score nine Premier League goals in August and the fastest to ten goals. Man City’s first fixture is away to a team who have lost their two best defenders this summer and have since been leaking goals.
Neymar (€10m) – PSG
You could have any of the PSG front line but at €10m Neymar offers the best value for money and is in slightly better Ligue 1 form.
This is not a typo but Neymar has nine goals and six assists from just 545 minutes this season. That’s an attacking return every 36.33 minutes. More than two per game.
The only stumbling block is facing Juventus in the first fixture but they’ve not yet settled on a consistent back four and have often relied on full-backs playing centrally.
Goncalo Ramos (€9m) – Benfica
The doubling in price from last year says it all regarding this young man’s ability in front of goal. He’s already proven that he can get a modest return at the knockout level of this competition, so a home fixture to Maccabi Haifa should be no sweat for the Portuguese wonderkid.
He’s continued his fine form from last season with four goals and two assists from four UCL qualifying matches.
Groups A-D
Robert Lewandowski (€11m) – Barcelona
The King returns with a home fixture to Viktoria Plzen. It took a couple of games for him to find his feet at new club Barcelona but five goals in the three since have made him a strong captaincy candidate.
Playing on Wednesday, unlike the above premiums, he provides a comfort blanket for those that have Tuesday captaincy blanks.
Harry Kane (€11m) – Tottenham
Never doubt Harry Kane’s knack for consistently scoring goals; five already domestically, with a single assist too.
Tottenham’s on-field performances have been inconsistent but the English marksman’s class is ever-present. They have a home fixture up first and then play against leaky Frankfurt and Sporting defences. Ignore him at your peril.
Ferran Jutgla (€5.5m) – Club Brugge
No, we hadn’t heard of him either before researching potential prospects. Five goals and three assists in seven matches are worthy of our undivided attention, however.
Of course, there’ll be doubts over the Belgian league’s standards but every year there are stand-out performers from the lesser-watched leagues. At his price, you could match him with a premium midfielder to gain an edge on those going for a premium forward and budget midfielder.
SIGN UP TO PLAY UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FANTASY HERE
