Champions League Fantasy Football: Goalkeepers

UEFA.com reflects on the top-performing UEFA Champions League goalkeepers across the group stage on #UCLfantasy, presented by Playstation.

Having accumulated more Fantasy points than any other goalkeeper, Diogo Costa (€5.2m) will be a popular Matchday 7 choice for #UCLfantasy managers. The Porto stopper only gathered two points from his first two fixtures in Group B, but amassed an incredible 43 in the following three matchdays thanks to three clean sheets, three penalty saves, an assist, 15 saves and a Player of the Match award. Overall, the Portuguese international sits on 48 Fantasy points, nine more than the closest competitor in his position.

For the majority of the group stage, however, it was Simon Mignolet (€4.9m) who led the way among goalkeepers. It took until Matchday 5 for Club Brugge to concede their first goal in the UEFA Champions League this season, and while the 4-0 home defeat by Porto was a sobering one for Mignolet owners, normality resumed on Matchday 6 with a fifth clean sheet of the group stage. Mignolet has more shut-outs than any other goalkeeper in this season's competition, and remains a highly affordable option.

When considering points per appearance rather than total points, Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois (€5.9m) comes to the fore. The Belgian only featured in four of the reigning champions' six Group F encounters, but averaged over six points per game from those appearance, and having scored more Fantasy points than any other goalkeeper last season, his status as the highest-owned shot-stopper is set to remain the case. Bayern's Manuel Neuer (€6.0m) also missed a large portion of the group stage through injury, yet returned well when on the field. The German is sure to be a busy man against Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16, although Bayern have conceded in only one of their first six matches.

Another premium option worth considering is Ederson (€6.0m), who let in just one goal across his four appearances for Manchester City. The Premier League side have kept clean sheets in all four of their round of 16 matches across the last two seasons, and will look to repeat that feat against Leipzig this time around.

Despite featuring in a group containing Bayern and Barcelona, Inter's André Onana (€5.0m) scored three or more points on every matchday. Having recorded three clean sheets in such a difficult group, Onana looks a tempting and affordable option as the Italian side face Porto in the round of 16.

Although Benfica impressively finished top of Group H, the strength of the opposition they faced helps in part explain the modest returns of Odysseas Vlachodimos (€5.0m) compared to last season. The Greek international may only have 17 points at this stage, but the round of 16 draw paired Benfica with Club Brugge, who scored the joint fewest goals in the group stage from the teams still remaining in the competition.