The Tipster: Mike Hammond's team

It is hotting up at the top of the UEFA Europa League Fantasy leaderboard. Unfortunately, though, my hopes of finishing in the top 100 – where I was throughout the second half of the group stage – took a massive hit with that late goal conceded by SSC Napoli at home to FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.

Yevhen Seleznyov's unlikely 81st-minute equaliser sliced 13 points off what looked like being a very respectable matchday total. Just as frustrating for me was the catalogue of saves made by Dnipro keeper Denis Boyko from my captain, Gonzalo Higuaín. Blessed with better fortune and a less obdurate adversary, the Argentinian striker could have had a hat-trick.

On the plus side, the three Sevilla FC players in my team – Carlos Bacca, Vitolo and Stéphane Mbia – provided 17 points between them to give me 32 in total, but the consequence of those misadventures in the Stadio San Paolo was a drop in my overall standing to 389th.

I shall be hoping for a more favourable roll of the dice this week, but with just one free transfer permitted between the two legs, I can't really afford to make too many adjustments to my team. In fact, persuaded as I am that only bad luck punished me in the first legs, I am tempted to retain my entire starting XI.

I still fancy Napoli, the club supplying five members of my team (Andújar, Britos, Albiol, Hamšík and Higuaín), to overcome Dnipro and reach the final – remember how impressive they were away from home in the quarter-final against VfL Wolfsburg. While Sevilla appear to be virtually through already, I expect ACF Fiorentina to put up a strong fight in Tuscany, so midfielders Mohamed Salah and Borja Valero will, fitness permitting, retain their places.

As ever, I shall be checking out the squads on Thursday morning and the lineups in the hour before kick-off before cementing my selection. Then it's a case of crossing my fingers and hoping that this time the faith I have placed in my chosen ones is duly rewarded.