Who should be my Champions League Fantasy Football Captain for Matchday 11?
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
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Kevin De Bruyne, Karim Benzema, Mohamed Salah and Arnaut Danjuma are among the contenders for the captain's armband in the semi-final first legs.
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The final four teams will contest the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, which means it is also crunch time for managers on #UCLfantasy, presented by Playstation. Who to captain on Matchday 11? UEFA.com lays out the leading options.
TUESDAY 26 APRIL
Kevin De Bruyne (€11.1m) vs Real Madrid (H)
De Bruyne may not have scored the most Fantasy points in the Manchester City squad, or even the most among their midfielders, but the Belgian has often been their star performer in big games and there are few more significant than a UEFA Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid. The 30-year-old scored the only goal in his side's quarter-final triumph against Atlético, and now another Spanish side stands in the way of a second successive UEFA Champions League final for Pep Guardiola's men. De Bruyne features in 10% of #UCLfantasy teams at present, and a significant portion of those will be tempted to stick the armband on the playmaker.
Karim Benzema (€10.6m) vs Manchester City (A)
Many #UCLfantasy managers will captain the form player in the competition though, and that is undoubtedly Benzema. A remarkable seven goals across his last three UEFA Champions League games – including successive hat-tricks – speak of a player who is at the top of his game right now, and those who brought the Real Madrid striker into their squads early have reaped the benefits. Closing in on 40 goals in all competitions this season, Benzema has struck 12 times in Europe and earned four Player of the Match awards, so his captaincy credentials are second to none heading into Matchday 11.
WEDNESDAY 27 APRIL
Mohamed Salah (€11.2m) vs Villarreal (H)
There is a case to be made for an array of Liverpool players, both attacking and defensive, when it comes to the captaincy, particularly as Salah has failed to register an attacking return in the UEFA Champions League since Matchday 7. However, goals and assists are never far way for the Egyptian and he remains the highest #UCLfantasy points scorer when it comes to midfielders. Salah has recently scored his 30th goal of the season in all competitions, and given that he sits on eight goals in Europe, looks well placed to reach double figures in the UEFA Champions League for the second time in his career. He is therefore a hugely enticing captaincy option when Liverpool welcome Villarreal on Matchday 11.
Arnaut Danjuma (€7.6m) vs Liverpool (A)
When it comes to consistency of Fantasy returns from the beginning of this season's competition, there are few who match Danjuma's output. The Dutch international has featured in all ten of Villarreal's UEFA Champions League matches to date and has either scored or provided an assist in seven of those. Furthermore, only once has he failed to produce away from home in the competition, and Villarreal begin their semi-final tie with a daunting trip to Anfield. The Spanish side have upset the form book several times this season though, coming through a competitive group before eliminating Juventus and Bayern in the last knockout rounds. For those looking for a differential captain on Matchday 11, Danjuma certainly stands out.
