Champions League Fantasy Football: Midfielders
Friday, April 1, 2022
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Leroy Sané, Mohamed Salah, Arnaut Danjuma and Riyad Mahrez are the top-scoring midfielders ahead of the quarter-finals as UEFA.com ponders the options.
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With the quarter-finals just around the corner, UEFA.com shines a spotlight on a handful of midfield options who managers on #UCLfantasy, presented by Playstation, should consider ahead of Matchday 9.
Bayern's Leroy Sané (€9.6m) has been the standout #UCLfantasy midfielder throughout the campaign and he once again proved his worth on Matchday 8, with a 14-point haul against Salzburg taking him to 81 points overall – 19 more than his closest midfield competitor. The German winger now has six goals and six assists to his name in the UEFA Champions League this season, plus two Player of the Match awards, while his points total is further boosted by the fact half of his goals have come from outside the box.
Villarreal are up next for the Bundesliga side, and Sané is as close to essential as you can get, although differential hunters may be tempted by the lure of fellow Bayern options Serge Gnabry (€10.4m) and Kingsley Coman (€8.8m), who both recorded attacking returns against Salzburg.
It was a rare blank for Mohamed Salah (€11.1m) on Matchday 8, just the second time this season that he has failed to score or assist in the UEFA Champions League, but that is unlikely to deter #UCLfantasy managers with the Liverpool man in high demand ahead of the trip to Benfica on Matchday 9.
At 43% ownership, Salah is comfortably the most popular #UCLfantasy midfielder, and with eight goals so far – second only to Robert Lewandowski among the players still involved – it is easy to see why.
Manchester City boast an array of midfield options who have the potential to score significant #UCLfantasy points against Atlético de Madrid, but in terms of both ownership and total points scored, it is Riyad Mahrez (€9.6m) who leads the way. The Algerian has accumulated 52 points so far thanks to six goals and an assist, and has featured in all eight of his side's UEFA Champions League games this season despite fierce competition for places. The points can often be shared around the Manchester City midfield though, with Bernardo Silva (€7.6m), Raheem Sterling (€10.4m), Phil Foden (€8.2m), Kevin De Bruyne (€11.0m) and Jack Grealish (€8.0m) all viable alternatives.
Despite his affordable price and the fact he has racked up an impressive 54 #UCLfantasy points – third among all midfielders – the ownership of Villarreal's Arnaut Danjuma (€7.2m) remains relatively low. Only twice has the Dutch international failed to record an attacking return in the UEFA Champions League this season, and with a pair of Player of the Match awards under his belt, he is likely to be the Spanish side's main danger once again when they take on Bayern.
Having seemingly established himself in the central forward role at Chelsea, Kai Havertz (€9.2m) represents an enticing choice for #UCLfantasy managers looking for an out-of-position midfielder. The German has been in fine form of late, with his scoring run including a goal against LOSC Lille on Matchday 7, and with a meagre 3% ownership, he shapes up to be an excellent differential asset for Matchday 9 and beyond.
