#UCLfantasy: 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 10 are given below.

GOALKEEPERS

There were no clean sheets in the quarter-finals and it would be no surprise to see all four sides find the net in the semi-finals given the attacking talent on show. Following the injury to Paris No1 Keylor Navas, Manuel Neuer (€6.0m) is now the highest scoring goalkeeper still active but #UCLfantasy managers should consider the other three alternatives as Sergio Rico (€4.4m), Péter Gulácsi (€4.5m) and Anthony Lopes (€4.8m) have budget-friendly price tags.

DEFENDERS

Joshua Kimmich (€6.5m) was projected to score well ahead of the quarter-finals and the Bayern man duly delivered with a nine-point haul – the highest on Matchday 9 amongst defenders. Kimmich is once again projected to reward his #UCLfantasy owners whilst the Paris trio of Juan Bernat (€5.8m), Marquinhos (€6.0m) and Presnel Kimpembe (€5.6m) are also fancied to score well. Leipzig centre-back Lukas Klostermann (€4.7m) represents good value when looking at options outside of Bayern and Paris, while his team-mate Konrad Laimer (€4.3m) is even kinder on the wallet.

MIDFIELDERS

All five of the midfielders featured in our projections last week either scored or provided an assist, and it's a similar-looking list this time around. Bayern were an unstoppable attacking force against Barcelona in the quarter-finals with Serge Gnabry (€8.4m) and Ivan Perišić (€8.5m) both amongst the scorers and they are once more tipped to provide attacking returns against Lyon on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, the impressive Marcel Sabitzer (€6.8m) – four goals and three assists in the UEFA Champions League this season – could be key to Leipzig’s hopes against Paris, while Ángel Di María (€8.4m) returns from suspension. Lyon’s Houssem Aouar (€7.1m) is a tempting differential option following his two assists against Manchester City in the quarter-finals and has the additional attraction of being reasonably priced.

FORWARDS

No surprise that Robert Lewandowski (€11.0m) lead the way in the projections. The Bayern forward produced yet another double-digit points haul in the quarter-finals and now sits on 14 goals in the UEFA Champions League this season. The Pole was, however, upstaged by team-mate Thomas Müller (€9.0m) in the #UCLfantasy stakes last Friday as the German was the highest scoring striker on Matchday 9 with 13 points. Both are projected to deliver again in the semi-finals while the same can be said of Paris duo Neymar (€11.5m) and Kylian Mbappé (€10.7m). The pair have notched eight goals and eight assists between them in the competition this season and will be popular picks amongst #UCLfantasy managers.

Those looking to go against the grain could opt for Lyon’s Moussa Dembélé (€7.7m), whose late double off the bench eliminated Manchester City on Saturday, a performance that could potentially earn him a start in the semi-finals.