#UCLfantasy matchday 1: The Scout squad
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
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The Scout's 15-man squad for the opening round of matches relies heavily on players from Internazionale and Bayern.
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The Scout is back for the new #UCLfantasy season, with the spine of the matchday one squad coming from just two clubs: Internazionale and Bayern München.
Goalkeepers
Bayer Leverkusen and Inter both face promising home fixtures on matchday one, against Lokomotiv Moskva and Slavia Praha respectively, so it is perhaps little surprise The Scout is anticipating at least one clean sheet. The Nerazzurri's Samir Handanovič (€5.5m) is the pricier of the two goalkeepers chosen, although it would be hard for anyone to compete with the potential value offered by Leverkusen No1 Lukáš Hrádecký (€4.5m).
Defenders
Leverkusen and Inter also provide a defender apiece; Sven Bender (€5.0m) is another strong budget choice from the German club, while Milan Škriniar (€5.5m) is a strong option in the Inter back line. A 2018/19 success story, Ajax's Nicolás Tagliafico (€5.0m) is selected again by virtue of a strong matchday one fixture at home to LOSC Lille, while it is hard to see anything other than a Bayern win at home against Crvena zvezda, with summer signing Lucas Hernández (€5.5m) the German club's defensive representative. Alex Grimaldo (€5.0m) is another returning #UCLfantasy veteran, despite a tough fixture at home to Bundesliga leaders Leipzig.
Midfielders
Hakim Ziyech (€8.0m) is another Ajax player who impressed last season and makes the squad again, thanks to that appealing home game, while the Inter contingent is rounded out by Stefano Sensi (€5.0m), who has two goals in three Serie A outings so far in 2019/20. Chelsea newcomer Mason Mount (€6.5m) is another to have shown some sparkling early-season form thanks to three Premier League goals already, although Raheem Sterling (€11.0m) outshines him; the Manchester City man has five league goals to his name, and added two more for England in the recent international break. Bayern's Kingsley Coman (€8.0m) is also in form, hitting three goals in two matches for France earlier this month.
Forwards
Up front, the prospect of Bayern's Robert Lewandowski (€10.5m) taking on Crvena zvezda is mouth-watering for #UCLfantasy managers; the Polish striker scored eight goals in last season's group stage and has seven in four Bundesliga matches this season. Sergio Agüero (€10.5m) also has seven league goals to his name in 2019/20, the Manchester City forward finding the net in the first five Premier League matches, while a left-field selection completes the front line. Erling Braut Håland (€4.5m) has made only six European appearances, but the 19-year-old has run in four goals during that time and has 11 in just seven Austrian Bundesliga appearances in the current campaign for Salzburg, who kick off against Genk.