Champions League Fantasy Football: Midfielders

Midfielders come into focus as UEFA.com, presented by PlayStation, handpicks some attractive options for #UCLfantasy managers ahead of Matchday 8.

Bayern München's first-leg draw with Salzburg was notable as Leroy Sané (€9.5m) failed to record an attacking return for just the second time in the UEFA Champions League this season but he remains top of the charts when it comes to total Fantasy points among midfielders. Owners would do well to keep hold of the German winger ahead of the second leg in Munich, while Kingsley Coman (€8.7m) – who scored Bayern's equaliser in Austria – is also one to consider having earned six points or more in his last five UEFA Champions League appearances.

Mohamed Salah (€11.0m) may be the most expensive midfielder in #UCLfantasy but he is proving to be worth the investment. The Liverpool man made it eight goals for the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League campaign with his strike at Inter and is more than capable of doing the same in the Anfield leg on Matchday 8. The Egyptian has been unstoppable all season and that is reflected in his 42% ownership, making him the highest owned midfielder in #UCLfantasy.

With Manchester City boasting so many talented midfielders, it is a difficult task to select the right one for your #UCLfantasy team. Those who opted for Bernardo Silva (€7.4m) on Matchday 7 were handsomely rewarded, with the Portuguese international returning a massive 19 points thanks to two goals, an assist and the Player of the Match award against Sporting CP.

Riyad Mahrez (€9.5m) was a more popular choice among #UCLfantasy managers and justified that faith with a goal and assist, while Raheem Sterling (€10.3m) recorded his highest Fantasy score of the season with 12 points. Given the size of their first-leg cushion, managers hoping to catch one of these points haul on Matchday 8 will face an anxious wait for the Manchester City line-up, but the rewards can be significant.

Daniel Parejo (€7.4m) has gone under the radar as despite amassing 38 #UCLfantasy points over the course of the season, the affordable Spaniard featuring in only 1% of teams at the time of writing. His performances have not gone unnoticed by UEFA's technical observers though as the Villarreal man has earned three Player of the Match awards so far, the latest in the 1-1 first-leg draw with Juventus. Parejo scored his side's goal in that match and he could play an integral role once again as Villarreal aim to make the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2009.

Kai Havertz (€9.1m) has proved to be the man for the big occasion in Chelsea colours and opened the scoring against LOSC Lille on Matchday 7. Should Thomas Tuchel once again choose to field the German international as a false nine in the return leg then, at 2% ownership, Havertz could be an excellent differential asset. A cheaper route into the Blues midfield is N'Golo Kanté (€5.5m), with an assist and Player of the Match award taking the Frenchman to 11 points on Matchday 7.