Champions League Fantasy Football: Goalkeepers

As we approach the second leg ties in the round of 16, UEFA.com assesses which goalkeepers offer the best points potential for managers on Matchday 8 of #UCLfantasy, presented by PlayStation.

Despite conceding with virtually the last kick of the game in the first leg at Paris Saint-Germain, last time out, Thibaut Courtois (€6.5m) achieved the highest #UCLfantasy score among goalkeepers on Matchday 7. Nine saves overall, including keeping out a Lionel Messi penalty, contributed towards ten points for the Real Madrid No1, taking him to 42 points overall – more than any other goalkeeper.

Undoubtedly the most consistent #UCLfantasy goalkeeper is Edouard Mendy (€6.4m), with Matchday 7 bringing the Chelsea man a six-point score for the fifth time in the UEFA Champions League this season. Having been absent for the 3-3 draw with Zenit on Matchday 6, Mendy's net has only been breached once so far in the competition and his considerable #UCLfantasy ownership – 37% at the time of writing, more than 25% more than the next most popular selection – will be banking on him keeping a second consecutive clean sheet against LOSC Lille on Matchday 8.

It looks like Liverpool may have done the hard work in their tie with Inter, with their victory in Milan putting them in a strong position to advance to the quarter-finals. Alisson Becker (€6.3m), who has conceded just once in Liverpool's last four UEFA Champions League games, did not have to make a save in the first leg and his mere 5% ownership reveals him to be a solid differential option going forward.

It was somewhat surprising that it took until Matchday 7 for Manchester City to keep a clean sheet in this season's UEFA Champions League campaign, but they did just that in their convincing win away to Sporting CP. With the return leg at home, Ederson (€6.0m) has a strong chance of more returns and his relatively low ownership, as well as a cheaper price tag than some other premium options, makes the Brazilian a tempting purchase.

Odisseas Vlachodimos (€5.3m), second only to Courtois when it comes to overall #UCLfantasy points, was a busy man once again on Matchday 7. The Greek international made seven saves in Benfica's 2-2 draw with Ajax and more of the same is expected in the second leg in Amsterdam, with Vlachodimos' ability to rack up save points making him excellent value.

Many #UCLfantasy managers flocked towards Sven Ulreich (€4.5m) on Matchday 7, with the German taking over in the Bayern goal in place of the injured Manuel Neuer. At the time of writing, Neuer is unlikely to be fit to return for the second leg so the highly-affordable Ulreich looks set to deputise once again. Bayern head coach Julian Nagelsmann will be demanding a much-improved performance after their 1-1 draw at Salzburg and that will include tightening up in defence. If that is to be the case, then Ulreich could prove to be an astute asset.