Champions League Fantasy Football: When to play the Wildcard and Limitless chips and how best to use them

A key way for managers to succeed in Champions League Fantasy is to play the Wildcard and Limitless chips at the right moments and, with an increase in matchdays this season, there are more options available to Fantasy managers.

To assist, UEFA.com provides a rundown of the two chips available on #UCLfantasy, presented by Playstation.

WILDCARD

Activating the Wildcard chip allows Fantasy managers to make an unlimited number of player transfers for that specific matchday. Should you have already made a high volume of transfers before triggering the Wildcard then any resulting point deductions will not apply. Players transferred in on a Wildcard will remain in your squad moving forward, which underlines the importance of using it at the right time.

LIMITLESS

Activating the Limitless chip also allows Fantasy bosses to make as many transfers as desired across the matchday in which it is used. Unlike the Wildcard though, there is no restriction on transfer budget, meaning as many premium assets as you like can be brought into your squad. However, players transferred in via the Limitless chip will not stay in your squad after that matchday. Instead, the squad will revert back to how it was prior to use of the Limitless chip.

WHEN SHOULD THE WILDCARD BE USED?

With a league phase of eight matches and the newly introduced two-legged knockout play-offs ahead of the round of 16, choosing the right moment is tougher than ever. It's important to note that the Wildcard chip cannot be activated on Matchdays 1, 9 and 11, with Fantasy managers already guaranteed free unlimited transfers for those.

Picking the right matchday to use the Wildcard depends on multiple factors, including injuries, suspensions, poor Fantasy performance within your current squad or fixtures that draw you towards transferring in multiple assets.

In previous years, Fantasy managers would often activate the Wildcard following the conclusion of Matchday 2, as Matchdays 3 and 4 would involve the same teams facing each other home and away. However, this strategy no longer applies under the new league phase format, as teams now take on eight different opponents instead of three.

Instead, a smart move may be to trigger the Wildcard ahead of Matchday 8, the final round of league phase fixtures. All scheduled Matchday 8 fixtures take place on the same day and kick off at exactly the same time. Therefore, with Fantasy bosses able to check the starting line-ups of each side before the transfer deadline, this serves as the ideal opportunity to play a Wildcard and take full advantage of that information.

This also gives managers the chance to fill the bench with the cheapest Fantasy assets available regardless of whether they feature on Matchday 8 or not, freeing up funds to use on your starting XI for premium players.

WHEN SHOULD THE LIMITLESS BE USED?

As is the case with the Wildcard, the Limitless cannot be used before the start of Matchday 1 (beginning of the league phase), Matchday 9 (knockout play-off first legs), or Matchday 11 (round of 16 first legs).

The sensible play for Fantasy managers would be to single out a matchday where a high number of top-performing assets all boast enticing fixtures on paper, which would put them in a position to record substantial returns.

Under the previous format, the final round of group stage fixtures on Matchday 6 was a popular time to activate the Limitless chip, as everyone was aware of which clubs and players still have something to play for.

That strategy could still prove effective under the new league stage format, with the final round of games will take place on Matchday 8. However, by doing this managers risk lessening the value of the Limitless chip, with no points scored from the four selected substitutes.

With that in mind, Matchday 3 appears a potentially lucrative option when it comes to using this chip. Managers who have had a good start to the league phase from a Fantasy point of view could consolidate that advantage over mini-league rivals by playing the Limitless at this point.

Alternately, those who have struggled to gain points on the opening two matchdays can use the Limitless as a tool to turn things in their favour. Matchday 3 is also early enough in the league phase that no club will have qualified, meaning the threat of squad rotation should not be a major factor.

WHAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WHEN UTILISING A CHIP?

Many factors come into play, but key for Fantasy managers is to ensure that their squad of players are spread out across a single matchday, which generally lasts two days. This allows more effective use of substitutions and captaincy selections.

However, as mentioned above, Matchday 8 will be played across one single day, so anyone choosing to activate a Chip for that final round of league phase fixtures must bear this in mind, as any substitutions within their squad will not feature.

Keep an eye on UEFA.com for lots more Fantasy tips in the build-up to the Matchday 1 deadline on 17 September!