How should Champions League Fantasy Football managers approach Matchday 8?

With all 18 UEFA Champions League fixtures taking place at the same time on Matchday 8, Fantasy managers have a unique opportunity to maximise their returns as the league phase comes to a close.

UEFA.com offers some helpful tips for managers who may be wondering how to tackle Matchday 8 of #UCLFantasy, presented by Playstation.

How Matchday 8 will work

• All 18 fixtures take place on Wednesday 29 January and kick off at 21:00 CET, which is the Fantasy deadline.

• Starting line-ups for every team will therefore be available prior to the deadline, meaning Fantasy bosses will know when selecting players if they are involved in the game.

• Post-deadline, there will be no opportunity to make manual changes to your squads. Automatic substitutions will only take effect if one or more of the players in your starting XI do not play.

• Only one captain can be selected on Matchday 8.

Chip use

With unlimited transfers ahead of the knockout phase play-off first legs as well as the start of the round of 16, Matchday 8 could be the best remaining opportunity to capitalise on your remaining chips.

Limitless
The lack of budget restraints and unlimited free transfers is always welcome. However, the fact that you can only use 11 players in your squad rather than the usual 15 means that you may not get the full benefits of using this chip compared to other matchdays.

Wildcard
In theory, the Wildcard is almost as powerful as the Limitless on Matchday 8 due to the fact that you can select the cheapest possible players for your bench. This allows you to use the majority of your funds for your starting XI.

Managers should also note no chips are able to be played on Matchdays 9 and 11.

One captain

With no option to change this time around, selecting a strong-performing captain is perhaps more important than ever. Be sure to check out our guide to some of the leading captaincy candidates on Matchday 8.

For managers looking to make up ground in their mini-leagues, the availability of the starting line-ups should reveal plenty of tempting differentials, but remember that you will not be able to select another player after the deadline.

Team selection

Although one of the key features of Fantasy is the ability to make manual changes between fixtures, Matchday 8 offers a unique opportunity to focus solely on the 11 players you will start with.

Being able to see the line-ups for all Matchday 8 fixtures ahead of kick-off is a huge advantage to Fantasy managers, who will be able to pick players they know are starting.

With no need to use players from your bench, the majority of funds can be spent on your starting players, allowing more premium assets to be selected.

While many will be tempted to focus on players from teams whose qualification fate is yet to be determined, potential rotation amongst other teams could offer Fantasy bosses the opportunity to select some high-impact differentials.

As previously mentioned, unlimited transfers will be granted following the completion of the league phase, so Fantasy managers can put all their attention on Matchday 8 when it come to team selection.