UCL Fantasy Football Matchday 1: Wednesday lessons

The high scoring continued for many #UCLfantasy managers as the 16 teams in Groups A to D got their 2020/21 UEFA Champions League off and running in the second half of Matchday 1 fixtures.

Whilst reigning champions Bayern got their campaign off to a fantastic start with a 4-0 win over Atlético, there were no goals for prolific forward Robert Lewandowski. Last season’s top #UCLfantasy points scorer failed to register a single attacking return against the Spanish side, with team-mate Kingsley Coman stealing the headlines instead. The Frenchman, who got the only goal in last season's final, racked up the highest score of Wednesday night, with two goals and an assist giving him a 16-point haul.

A number of modestly-priced assets also scored well in Wednesday's fixtures, giving #UCLfantasy managers plenty to ponder in the build-up to Matchday 2. One such name was Austrian midfielder Zlatko Junozović, who picked up 13 points after shining for Salzburg, with a goal and an assist in their 2-2 draw against Lokomotiv Moskva. Priced at just €5.5m, Junozović could turn a few heads ahead of next week’s second round of fixtures.

Ball recovery points once again provided an alternate route to #UCLfantasy points, with Real Madrid’s Casemiro the star of the show on Wednesday night. The Brazilian recorded 15 ball recoveries despite a shock 2-3 home defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk. This saw the midfield enforcer pick up an extra five points, a good return for the 16% of #UCLfantasy managers who have him in their squads.

We finish by highlighting the fact that Atalanta look to have carried their goalscoring exploits from last season into the current campaign. The Italian side registered a thumping 0-4 win away at Danish champions Midtjylland with goals from Duván Zapata (13 points), Luis Muriel (six points), substitute Aleksei Miranchuk (six points) and Alejandro Gómez (seven points). Attacking full-back Robin Gosens, a player highlighted by UEFA.com as a potential differential, also shone with a clean sheet and three ball recoveries giving him seven #UCLfantasy points. With a home tie against Ajax on Matchday 2, we may see many players from Gian Piero Gasperini’s side rise in ownership over the coming days.