#UCLfantasy: Matchday 1 captain contenders
Monday, September 16, 2019
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With the 2019/20 season kicking off, UEFA.com look at four players with #UCLfantasy captain credentials.
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Choosing your captain is always a tricky decision in #UCLfantasy, with double points on offer; UEFA.com examines the credentials of four leading contenders on Matchday 1.
TUESDAY 17 SEPTEMBER
Dušan Tadić (€9.0m), AJAX v LOSC Lille
Only Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski found the net more times in last season's UEFA Champions League than Tadić, so it is perhaps surprising to see the Ajax forward featuring in just 8% of #UCLfantasy squads at present. This puts him firmly in differential captain territory however, and given that he has started the season with eight goals in ten club games, the 30-year-old is a tempting armband prospect indeed.
Lionel Messi (€11.5m), Dortmund v BARCELONA
A calf injury has kept Messi out so far this season, but in a timely boost for Barcelona and #UCLfantasy managers alike, the Argentinian has returned to team training. Scorer of 112 UEFA Champions League goals, Messi is always in the thick of the captaincy debate so the real question here is how much playing time you think he will be given after his lay-off. Barcelona travel to Dortmund on matchday one, the first meeting between the sides this century. Messi has scored 16 times against German opposition in the UEFA Champions League, and – if fit – could add Dortmund to that list.
WEDNESDAY 18 SEPTEMBER
Kevin De Bruyne (€10.5m), Shakhtar v MAN CITY
Plagued by injuries, De Bruyne still managed to record four assists in just 247 minutes of European action in 2018/19. Now back to full fitness, the Belgian has started the season in sensational form with two goals and eight assists in eight appearances for club and country. On the bench at the weekend, City's surprise loss at Norwich illustrated again how important the midfielder is to a side who are facing Shakhtar Donetsk in the group stage for the third season running, scoring nine goals without reply in 2018/19 to reiterate the value of their attacking assets.
Robert Lewandowski (€10.5m), BAYERN v Crvena zvezda
If your Tuesday captain doesn't work out, Lewandowski could be the man to save your #UCLfantasy matchday as his armband credentials are compelling. The Polish striker has scored in five consecutive domestic appearances for Bayern this season, notching eight goals in that period. There's also his consistency in the early stages of the UEFA Champions League to consider, as he has scored 16 group stage goals in the past three seasons, including eight last year.