NMA - UCL MD-9 Player Picks

All eight of the quarterfinalists are perennial heavyweights. As a sort of precursor of the new format of the Champions League, we don’t have an underdog story this time around. This is what we all wanted, right? Nevertheless, it is a boon for fantasy managers, with much more data available on the current pool of players. Drop right in!

Keepers

Marc-Andre ter Stegen (€5.5m, Paris v Barcelona)

Barcelona has had a silent upswing in form, having gone without a loss in the last 11 games, while conceding zero goals in their last five La Liga games. The injury list has also been steadily reducing, meaning more defensive cover for the keeper.

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David Raya (€5m, Arsenal v Bayern)

David Raya has replaced Ramsdale as the Gunners’ #1, and in his current form, he is repaying the faith put in him. Raya has conceded only one goal in the last six matches and is at home against a misfiring Bayern team.

Defenders

Mats Hummels (€5.1m, Atletico v Dortmund)

Mr. Ball Recovery is back at it! The German stalwart has been in monstrous form this season, leading his youthful side by example. A threat at set-pieces too, he is predominantly known for his crucial last-ditch tackles. He has also been touching 12 ball recoveries per match in the Champions League so far, that in itself equaling the points received by a striker for scoring a goal!

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Cancelo (€6.1m, Paris v Barcelona)

Another piece of this brilliant Barca back line is Joao Cancelo who could get points for both clean sheets and his individual attacking. The right-back has four goals plus four assists so far this season, and he’s playing the Parisians who aren’t known for being tight at the back. As an added advantage, Barcelona and the other La Liga teams did not have a domestic game over the weekend, so players from the Spanish sides will be fresh and rested.

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Gabriel (€6m, Arsenal v Bayern)

A key to the tight Arsenal back line keeping all those clean sheets is the center-back pairing of Gabriel and Saliba. Saliba does come in at 0.5m cheaper, but if you have the funds, Gabriel makes up for it with his set-piece threat.

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Budget Enablers

Only the biggest teams are left, which means that the remaining players in the fantasy pool, especially the attackers, will weigh heavily on the wallet. Free up some funds by choosing one or more of these budget enablers!

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Rico Lewis (€4.9m, R Madrid v Man City)

With first choice fullbacks Nathan Ake and Kyle Walker both out injured, and with even Gvardiol being a doubt, academy graduate Rico Lewis could feature (especially after his goal-scoring performance on the weekend!). An added advantage is that he plays higher up the field, mostly as a defensive midfielder.

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Eric Dier (€4.5m, Arsenal v Bayern)

From warming Tottenham’s bench to becoming the German champion’s first choice center back, it has been quite the turnaround season for the Englishman. His status as a starter will be further cemented after Upamecano and Kim’s shambolic showing at the weekend.

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Pau Cubarsi (€4m, Paris v Barcelona)

What better accolade can you get other than the legendary Xavi himself saying “When Pau Cubarsi has the ball at his feet, my heart rate doesn’t go up,”?!

Another academy graduate coming into the limelight recently is Pau Cubarsi. The 17-year-old has deputized for injured, more experienced players. In the win against Napoli, he kept Osimhen entirely at bay to pick up the Man of the Match Award. Showing maturity well beyond his age, his pin-point long balls easily bypass lines of press.

Midfielders

Phil Foden (€8.2m, R Madrid v Man City)

Could we finally have a Man City attacker immune to the infamous Pep Roulette (especially after resting on the weekend)? Phil Foden is in blistering form at the moment with six goals in his previous five Premier League outings, including a hattrick against top-four hopeful Aston Villa. This is only highlighted by his form rating of 99/99 on https://www.footballcritic.com/phil-foden/profile/140410, which is a useful tool to measure consistent performances.

(Tweet) https://twitter.com/centregoals/status/1775853396144394510

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Rodri (€6.7m, R Madrid v Man City)

Fantasy managers usually steer clear of “defensive” midfielders due to their lack of attacking threat (lower ceilings). Rodri though, ever-present and ever-important on the pitch, is entering the limelight for fantasy managers. With three goal-contributions in his last two matches, the midfield maestro has gathered 20 G+A across the season so far, ahead of Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva. Additionally, the main source of consistent points for defensive midfielders is ball recoveries, and notching up those numbers recovering the ball will be key against Real Madrid’s free flowing attack.

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Jude Bellingham (€8m, R Madrid v Man City)

Jude Bellingham... The world’s biggest stage... Bargain price... Enough said.

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Serge Gnabry (€8.7m, Arsenal v Bayern)

As per Bayern standards, two losses in a row means the club is in turmoil, which is usually a bane for whomever they face next. This edition of Bayern, under Thomas Tuchel who is already confirmed to leave the club at the end of the season, is simply unable to click. Out of the domestic cup and an unbelievable 16 points behind runaway Bayer Leverkusen, the next two games against Arsenal will define Bayern’s season. The injury gods aren’t helping either, with Coman out and Sane a doubt. If going against form is anyone’s cup of tea, it is Serge Gnabry’s. Back in the squad after multiple long-term injuries, he has four goal-contributions in his last four games. Can his return to former employer Arsenal turn the tide for Bayern’s season?

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Bukayo Saka (€9.8m, Arsenal v Bayern)

Arsenal is leading the Premier League, which is in a three-way battle, those top-3 separated by just a point (!). The last time the Gunners won it was back in 2003-04, the ‘Invincible’ season. The last time they were in the Champions League was 2016-17, knocked out by Bayern 10-2 on aggregate. Revenge can be sweet, and Arsenal has the form and squad to accomplish this. Saka is the danger-man upfront and is also on penalties against Bayern’s not-so-watertight defense.

Forwards

Harry Kane (€10.1m, Arsenal v Bayern)

Coming back to the narrative, Kane returns to North London, just not in a Lilywhite shirt this time. Arsenal should be wary of Kane, the single player to have scored the most Premier League goals against them, 14 in 17 EPL games. Kane is the first player in Europe’s top-five leagues this season to register 50 goals plus assists (38 goals plus 12 assists across all competitions). Even if Arsenal wins the fixture, Harry Kane’s name on the scoresheet is next to assured.

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Kylian Mbappe (€11.5m, Paris v Barcelona)

PSG continues the quest in their one-sided love story with the Champions League, having come so close with Mbappe and Neymar’s in 2020. The Parisians have since moved on from the superstar model, selling the likes of Messi, Neymar, Ramos and Verratti, with Mbappe to follow at the end of the season. Luis Enrique and the higher management know that the rebuild will take time — that this is their last shot at glory for a while. With seven goals + assists in his last five games, Mbappe is not someone a fantasy manager will like to be without.

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Karim Adeyemi (€8.1m, Atletico v Dortmund)

Somewhat another enabler, most of the other top strikers face staunch defenses and are likely to be closely man-marked through both legs. Adeyemi faces an Atletico side long known as a dark horse in Europe with a defend-for-your-life mindset, having a measly nine clean sheets this season after 30 games played. The speedster particularly could hit them on intricate interplays and quick counters, which has always been Dortmund’s forte.

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How many holes do you have after knockouts and interim injuries? Whom else are you looking at besides our picks above? Does anyone still have a chip to play? Please log in to share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!

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