Img Source (It's back, baby!)

Oh boy, the Champions League is back and it means that Tuesday and Wednesday will become more than just days in between weekends. The first round starts tomorrow and without a doubt, Liverpool-PSG will be the most interesting match. Mane-Firmino-Salah versus Cavani-Mbappe-Neymar. Can football get any better than that?

Of course, to make the Champions League even more interesting, I decided to join the fantasy and pick my team. Last year I finished somewhere among the top 20 in my country and I was even in the top 5 after the group stage, so I it won't be easy to show even better results. I will try, though!

UCL Fantasy format is a little different from FPL so there are also a few things we need to consider before choosing our teams. Also, with so many powerful teams it gets way harder to pick your 15 men. I mean, how can you choose between Neymar, Ronaldo, Messi, Lewandowski, Suarez, Salah and many more great talents? That is why CLF can become way more interesting to play. You can look at your friend's team and see completely different players, which never happens in FPL.

Most Important UCL Fantasy Tips

  1. Almost everything that applies to FPL works in UCL Fantasy as well, however, some things work differently. I will dwell on those things. All the common sense stuff about not buying 2 strong goalkeepers on trying to avoid two forwards from the same team, applies here as well.
  2. When you pick your goalkeepers, make sure that you pick them from teams that play on different days. Otherwise, you won't be able to make any substitutions during the round, which means that one of your goalkeepers will remain useless. You cannot allow that to happen.
  3. If you can buy some cheap and terrible players in FPL just to save some money for your starting XI, that won't do in UCL Fantasy. In UCL Fantasy you can make substitutions after the Tuesday matches are over, which means that you want to have 15 players who are ready to score and make an impact every day. Also, try to have almost the same amount of players who play on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. That will give you some flexibility with your picks.
  4. Make sure to check line-ups one hour before the matches start. In UCL Fantasy, you can make transfers and subs before the kick-off of the first match of the day, meaning that sometimes you can see if your player will start the game on the bench or on the pitch. You don't have to be guessing like in the FPL.
  5. Check the groups and matchups before buying players. I understand that Neymar looks like a wonderful player to have but remember that PSG will have to play against Liverpool and Napoli, which can limit Neymar's chances to score points. In contrary, players from Bayern and Man City should be under your radar as both teams have relatively easy groups and we might see a lot of 5-0 scores. 
  6. Look into the leaders of smaller teams. Those players might be very cheap and score you points every week even though their team sucks. Also, take a look at players who take set-pieces.
  7. Don't waste money on defensive midfielders. This is common sense, but an extremely important thing to note if you are about to rock the UCL Fantasy. After all, there are numerous attacking midfielders to choose from - better take a cheap attacking midfielder from Cervena Zvezda than Casemiro, Matuidi or even Modric.

My Team

Goalkeepers

R.Olsen, the main goalkeeper of Roma after Alisson has left for Liverpool, only cost 4 million. I couldn't resist taking him. However, I will expect Burki to score more points. He was the best I could get from keepers of teams that play tomorrow. I was thinking about Oblak and Ter Stegen as well, but they cost 0.5 million more. In the end, I only spent 9.5 million on two keepers and saved at least 1 million if not 2. That is very important.

Defenders

Marcelo and Kimmich are the two most popular choices among fantasy players this year. I couldn't ignore those two as well. I guess I don't need to explain why attacking defenders of the top clubs should be on your team.

Telles is one of Porto leaders this season and he is even taking some penalty kicks. On top of that, Porto plays in an easy group so expect quite a few clean sheets as well.

Shaw is one of a few MU players I actually enjoyed to watch this year. He is already fit and Mourinho confirmed that Shaw will start on Wednesday night. He only cost 5 million, so it would be dumb not to have him on my team. MU is a defensive team most of the time but when they attack, Shaw loves to join.

Trippier takes some set-pieces this year, which makes him a very valuable defender. Also, I do believe that Tottenham can show good results in the Champions League this year. I only hope that Trippier starts the game on the pitch which is not yet for granted. However, Tottenham is the first team to kick-off the Champions League season, so I will know if he is on the starting XI before the deadline to make transfers.

Midfielders

Milner, Pizzi, and Marlos are my cheap players on the team. I had to pick some because of limited budget and I believe I've made a right choice. Milner looks wonderful this season so far and he collects a lot of assists from corners and set pieces. Also, he is one of the first options to take the penalty kick, which is something we need to consider.

Marlos is on a scoring streak for Shakhtar and I cannot ignore his form. Also, Shakhtar can do much in their group. Pizzi is one of the go-to guys in Benfica, so if Benfica scores, I expect Pizzi to take part of those goals in some way.

After Ronaldo left, Asensio is now getting his chance to become a world-class player. His form at the beginning of the season is spectacular and I have to have him on my team. Also, Real Madrid plays in an easy group, which will allow them to shine on the attack.

I couldn't decide between Reus/Mane/Pogba for a very long time but decided to trust the German this time. Pogba plays to deep in my opinion and Mane will face PSG, which is not a great matchup. This leaves me with Reus, who will have one week to prove to me that he is worth a permanent spot on my team. However, if he fails to deliver, I will sell him and buy Mane next week.

Forwards

Bayern, from all the top clubs, will play against the easiest opponents. That is the main reason why I decided to buy Lewandowski instead of other top class strikers. To be honest, I believe that Lewandowski will be the highest scoring forward in the Champions League after the group stage. 

Aguero has a little injury and I am pretty sure that Jesus will start the game on the pitch. Also, Manchester City plays in a very weak group, which makes me think that we might see a lot of goals. Also, Jesus is not getting his minutes in the Premier League so far, so Pep might want to award him with playing time in the Champions League. For 8.5 million, he is worth the risk.

Huntelaar might not look like an obvious choice but just look at his form so far. He scores almost every game and Ajax is playing wonderful football. I don't expect Huntellar to shine against Bayern, but AEK and Benfica are definitely teams which Huntelaar might punish.