Who should be my UCL Fantasy Football captain for Matchday 8?

The UEFA Champions League continues with the round of 16 second legs and UEFA.com are here to lend a helping hand to #UCLfantasy managers. Matchday 8 once again takes place over four separate days so here are some captaincy candidates for you to consider from each gameday.

TUESDAY 9 MARCH

Erling Haaland (€11.1m) vs Sevilla

Haaland is making it almost impossible for #UCLfantasy managers not to select him. Put simply, he is the top scorer in the competition at present on eight goals and has found the net in each of his five UEFA Champions League appearances this season. Having been on target twice in the first leg against Sevilla, in addition to providing an assist, the likelihood is that he will provide yet more Fantasy returns on Matchday 8. Sevilla will be forced to go on the front foot in search of turning the tie around and that is likely to leave space at the other end. Arguably there is no one better in world football right now at exploiting that than Haaland and he is therefore the standout captaincy option on the opening gameday of Matchday 8.
Other options: Jadon Sancho (€10.0m), Cristiano Ronaldo (€12.1m), Juan Cuadrado (€6.7m)

WEDNESDAY 10 MARCH

Kylian Mbappé (€10.9m) vs Barcelona

Mbappé featured in UEFA.com’s captain picks article ahead of Matchday 7 and duly delivered a sensational hat-trick against Barcelona, so he is understandably a prime candidate for the #UCLfantasy armband once more. All five of the Frenchman's UEFA Champions League goals this season have come over the course of the last two matchdays, and that has brought him 27 Fantasy points in those matches – more than any other player in that time. The Paris striker features in over a fifth of #UCLfantasy teams and is set to be one of the most popular captains on Matchday 8, so going without him would be harmful to your rank if he delivers a similar performance in the second leg.
Other options: Lionel Messi (€12.1m), Mohamed Salah (€11.6m), Sadio Mané (€11.0m)

TUESDAY 16 MARCH

Kevin De Bruyne (€11.4m) vs Mönchengladbach

Manchester City have been in simply incredible form in recent months and what is even more impressive is the fact that star creator De Bruyne has been absent for a good portion of their winning run. The Belgian has only featured in two of City's seven UEFA Champions League games and that helps explain why his ownership is a mere 5% at the time of writing. However, that only increases his appeal ahead of Matchday 8, as his differential value is undeniable now that he is back to full fitness. As with any Manchester City asset, there is always the threat of rotation but with great risk comes great reward and De Bruyne has the potential to produce significant Fantasy returns. His two appearances in the competitions so far have yielded four assists, and more could follow against Mönchengladbach.
Other options: Rúben Dias (€5.6m), Karim Benzema (€10.4m), Luis Muriel (€8.2m)

WEDNESDAY 17 MARCH

Robert Lewandowski (€12.1m) vs Lazio

If you first three captaincy options of Matchday 8 don't bring in the points, there is always a certain Robert Lewandowski to hang your hat on. Bayern were rampant in their first-leg victory over Italian side Lazio with the Polish striker typically amongst the goals and, despite the fact he was outscored by Haaland and Mbappé, he will still be at the forefront of #UCLfantasy managers' thinking heading into this round of games. Lewandowski's strike against Lazio took him to outright third on the list of all-time goalscorers in the UEFA Champions League and he remains the most selected player in #UCLfantasy this season. As a last throw of the dice, the Bayern frontman could well salvage your matchday.
Other options: Joshua Kimmich (€6.6m), Ciro Immobile (€10.6m), Luis Suárez (€9.8m)