#UCLfantasy Matchday 6: What the numbers say

Predicting which Fantasy players are going to perform on a given matchday is a difficult task. Through crunching the numbers, a projected points total for each player has been calculated based on the player's historical performance in the UEFA Champions League. Goals, assists, clean sheets and the likelihood of playing are the major parameters used in our projections.

The top projected players for each position for Matchday 6 are given below. As ever, check team news before making your final selections.

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GOALKEEPERS

Currently occupying third spot in Group F, Dortmund need to better Internazionale's result against Barcelona in order to secure passage to the knockout stage. Good results are built on solid defences and Dortmund will be looking to get back to the form that brought clean sheets on the opening two matchdays. One of those clean sheets was away to Matchday 6 opponents Slavia Praha and if the German outfit are to stand the best chance of progress, Roman Bürki (€5.5m) might well need to prevent the Czech outfit from scoring once again.

Matchday 6's top budget goalkeeper is José Sá (€4.3m) of Olympiacos. Although yet to keep a clean sheet throughout the group stage, opponents Crvena zvezda have failed to score in four of their five UEFA Champions League matches this season.

DEFENDERS

Currently the top two scoring defenders in #UCLfantasy, the probability of Achraf Hakimi (€5.8m) and Nicolás Tagliafico (€5.2m) adding further points is heightened by their attacking threat. In the opening five matchdays, the pair have five goals and an assist between them. Alongside Tagliafico and Hakimi are a number of other attacking full-backs. The likes of Thomas Meunier (€5.7m), Renan Lodi (€4.2m) and Kieran Trippier (€6.5m) have all registered at least one attacking return so far this season.

MIDFIELDERS

Ajax's Hakim Ziyech (€8.0m) and Quincy Promes (€7.1m) have scored 80 #UCLfantasy points between them this season, scoring a combined six goals in addition to six assists. On Matchday 6 Ajax come up against Valencia, who both Ziyech and Promes scored against in the Dutch club's 3-0 victory in Spain on Matchday 2.

Alongside traditional big-hitters Ángel Di María (€8.6m) and Raheem Sterling (€11.2m) sit a number of players currently plying their trade in the Bundesliga. Jadon Sancho (€9.0m) and Julian Brandt (€7.5m) could be key attacking figures if Dortmund are to overcome Slavia Praha, while Serge Gnabry (€8.2m) has already demonstrated his #UCLfantasy value with a four-goal haul against Matchday 6 opponents Tottenham in the second round of fixtures.

FORWARDS

While Robert Lewandowski (€10.7m) has outscored Erling Braut Haaland (€4.6m) by ten goals to eight in the UEFA Champions League so far, thanks in no small measure to the Poland forward's four-goal haul on Matchday 5, both have found the net on each of the first five matchdays. If the pair can score again on Matchday 6, they will match the 2017/18 record of Cristiano Ronaldo (€11.5m) of scoring in group stage match.

Though not quite as prolific as the top two, Dries Mertens (€8.5m) has scored in three of his four starts in this season's UEFA Champions League. Napoli's qualification to the knockout stage hangs in the balance, and given that rotation will be a factor on Matchday 6 more than any other, selecting players who still have something to play for is of paramount importance.

NOW PICK YOUR TEAM FOR MATCHDAY 6