UCL Fantasy Football popular picks and potential differentials

With the UEFA Champions final upon us, UEFA.com looks at some highly sought-after picks from Manchester City and Chelsea as they prepare to face off in Porto, as well as those lesser-owned selections who could burst out from under the radar on the biggest stage of all.

GOALKEEPERS

Popular pick

Edouard Mendy (€5.5m)
The second highest #UCLfantasy points scorer of all players remaining, it is no surprise that Chelsea's No16 is the more popular of the two goalkeepers expected to be on show in the final, although Fantasy managers will need to monitor his fitness given he went off with a rib injury in the Premier League finale at Aston Villa on Sunday. The Senegalese stopper has recorded eight clean sheets over the course of this season's competition, with 31 saves and 60 #UCLfantasy points accrued from 11 appearances. Saved penalties could also provide an unlikely if productive avenue for goalkeeper points over the course of Matchday 13 and having already saved one spot kick against Manchester City in the Premier League this season, Mendy could well prove the hero for both Chelsea and #UCLfantasy managers alike in the final.
Owned by 28%

Potential differential

Ederson (€6.0m)
With an ownership percentage at currently 7% less than that of Mendy and a €0.5m higher price tag, Ederson represents the marginal differential option of the two goalkeepers set to start in the final. The Brazilian star has acquired 52 #UCLfantasy points from his 11 starts, eight less than Mendy, and is also lower down when it comes to clean sheets and saves, having been present for seven shutouts and made 16 saves. However, it has been a different story on the domestic front, Ederson once again claiming the Premier League's golden glove award with 19 clean sheets, three more than his Chelsea rival. Therefore, to assume Ederson will automatically gain less #UCLfantasy points than Mendy on Matchday 13 could prove a mistake and at a lower ownership, those managers putting their faith in the Manchester City keeper may reap the rewards.
Owned by 21%

DEFENDERS

Popular pick

Rúben Dias (€5.8m)
Whilst Dias is the second highest owned #UCLfantasy defensive asset playing for Manchester City, he is certain to be one of the very first names on Josep Guardiola's teamsheet for the final. Dias represents a vital cog in the City central defence and that has been reflected in his performances this season in the UEFA Champions League with a total score of 57 points, helped by six clean sheets in ten appearances and 50 ball recoveries. Currently the joint second highest points scorer of all defenders left in the competition, Dias is unsurprisingly in high demand ahead of the final and while he is yet to score in the UEFA Champions League, he will also provide an attacking threat from set-pieces – another potential avenue that could lead to him picking up a high #UCLfantasy score on Matchday 13.
Owned by 18%

Potential differential

César Azpilicueta (€5.4m)
Chelsea’s club captain is set to play a huge role for Thomas Tuchel’s side in Portugal and whilst Fantasy managers have a plethora of options to choose from in the Chelsea defence, Azpilicueta may prove the steadiest option. The Spaniard has started in each of the last nine matchdays and has most recently been fielded at wing-back by Thomas Tuchel, which offers him more opportunity to roam forward. Azpilicueta has already recorded an assist against Manchester City when the two sides last locked horns in the Premier League recently and will be looking to add to that on Matchday 13, while #UCLfantasy investors can also be confident of a healthy return through ball recoveries given that he has logged 47 in ten UEFA Champions League appearances, the most of any Chelsea defender.
Owned by 12%

MIDFIELDERS

Popular pick

Phil Foden (€7.5m)
An assist for Foden in Manchester City's 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final second leg was his sixth attacking return in the UEFA Champions League this season and has helped establish him as the highest scoring #UCLfantasy asset of all players remaining in the competition. Foden has racked up three goals, three assists, 32 ball recoveries and a total score of 63 points, with 32 of those points coming over the course of the last five matchdays. Such form is impossible to ignore when assessing which players represent the best options to bring in ahead of the final. When Manchester City and Chelsea met at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League earlier this year, Foden scored one goal and set up another in a starring performance and that can only bode well for the 25% of #UCLfantasy managers who own the youngster.
Owned by 25%

Potential differential

Hakim Ziyech (€8.6m)
Whilst Ziyech has not been given a start since Matchday 8 in the UEFA Champions League, the Chelsea midfielder boasts a very strong record against Manchester City this season from an attacking perspective and could prove with his weight in #UCLfantasy gold should he be utilised from the start in Porto. The former Ajax star has both started and found the net in Chelsea's last two fixtures against Guardiola's side, firing the only goal in the London club's 1-0 victory in the FA Cup semi-final on 17 April before scoring again at City in a 2-1 Premier League win on 8 May. Waiting for team news is of paramount importance in regards to this selection as there is every chance that Ziyech will start Matchday 13 on the bench, although if the 28-year-old is named from the start by Thomas Tuchel, then he will represent an incredibly enticing #UCLfantasy option for those managers looking to make up ground on their rivals.
Owned by 3%

FORWARDS

Popular pick

Timo Werner (€10.4m)
Of the two sides remaining, neither have fielded an ever-present striker over the course of the competition with both often using midfielders in the position of a false nine instead. However, the forward most likely to be named from the start at the Estádio do Dragão is Chelsea’s Werner. The former Leipzig frontman played 67 minutes against Real Madrid in the semi-final second leg, scoring the opening goal to make it four in the UEFA Champions League this season and his sixth attacking return. Werner will certainly enter Matchday 13 as the most owned forward regardless of whether he starts in the final or not, although after his performance on Matchday 12 it would be a surprise if he wasn’t to be given the nod by Tuchel. Either way, keep an eye out for team news leading up to kick-off.
Owned by 15%

Potential differential

Sergio Aguero (€9.6m)
After a long and illustrious career at Manchester City that has established him as the club’s all-time record goalscorer, Agüero is set to make his final appearance in light blue on Matchday 13. The Argentinian has struck an incredible 260 goals in all competitions for Manchester City, including two as a substitute in his Premier League farewell on Sunday, but has never won club football’s biggest prize during his ten-year spell in England. Agüero seems unlikely to start the final against Chelsea but an appearance off the bench is very much a possibility and when taking into account the potential for extra time, the 32-year-old could well have at least one history-making goal in him for Manchester City. Considering how limited forward options are for Matchday 13, choosing Agüero represents far more than a nostalgia pick and could mean those Fantasy managers brave enough to bring him in reap the rewards.
Owned by 5%