You shouldn’t want to have it any other way. The vast majority of the games in the second leg of the Round of 16 of the UCL have everything to play for, and plenty of potential fantasy football heroes playing in them.
Looking for a win? It won’t be easy! But here, I reckon, are your best choices for your fantasy football Champions League selection.
And, if you’re serious about winning, sign up for this free fantasy football contest. Prizes are guaranteed for the top teams.
These Are the Players You Need for the Champions League Fantasy Football Round of 16 Second Leg
The Essential Picks
No reason to overthink it! I always say that you should make the easiest choices first when playing fantasy football. What are those for us this time around?
Arsenal’s a ruthless winning machine, playing unremarkable football. That’s enough for a decisive win against Leverkusen. Expect a lot of sideways passes from Rice and Zubimendi. Expect Eze to shoot from distance. And expect Saliba and Gabriel to make a few important tackles in the second half. Unspectacular, but great for earning points. Good, albeit expensive picks!
There’s also Atletico playing Tottenham with the clear notion that things are already over. Ruggeri, Simeone or Cardoso are all players who could earn you points. Alvarez might score, of course. But the “must pick” here is Pubil.
Those are great options, but if you want to stick to budget ones, Bodo/Glimt is still your best choice. Sporting’s going to come out swinging, which suits the Norwegians just fine.
Let’s see Hauge on the counterattack. And, consider the inevitably brave defensive efforts of Blomberg, Gundersen and Bjorkan. All these players are, by the way, free to pick in FootballCoin. I might even have to, once again, recommend Haikin, the brand-new Livakovic of fantasy soccer.
The “Might as Well Give Them a Shot” Picks
There are familiar cries of “Why isn’t Osimhen signed to the biggest club in the world?” And, to be fair, the Nigerian seems to feel the same way. Galatasaray shone against Juventus and now Liverpool, and could do the same in the second leg.
There are a number of great picks here. Bardakci, Gabriel and Lang are free in FootballCoin and great picks. Osimhen and Lemina are very much worth the risk.
It’s hard to make the same case about Liverpool, although it’s hard to create a competitive fantasy football team without Van Dijk and, possibly, Szoboszlai. They’ll likely add a good deal of points to your tally.
The “I’m Desperate for a Miracle” Picks
Real Madrid’s got enough strength to avoid losing by three or more goals against Manchester City. What that means is that, likely, Haaland will score, at least once, and that this won’t be enough. Still, the Norwegian is a good pick.
It also means that Vinicius, Valverde and Guler could get chances on the break. And, lastly, it means that Semenyo, Rodri and Cherki will see an awful lot of the ball.
Unless that possession turns into goals, this won’t matter. However, if City does turn this around, you’ll be happy you picked them.
And These Are Players that You Should Avoid for the Round of 16 Second Leg
There used to be a time when a strong UCL fantasy football side would include 6-7 Liverpool players. This is not the season for that. In fact, Salah, Konate, Kerkez, and even Mac Allister are the first names I’d avoid.
It’s not just their recent performances that clinch it, but their price tag, as well.
Will Tottenham go to the trouble of playing their strongest line-up, and why bother? And, what’s Spurs’ strongest line-up anyway at this point in the season?
Do yourself a favour that Igor Tudor cannot manage to do for himself. Keep away from players like Simmons (never witnessed a decent performance out of him), Danso, Grey (is easier to push over than a granny in a supermarket queue), or Tel. Richarlison could, at best, be the “desperate pick” I was talking about.
There were moments in Real Madrid’s victory over City where the Spanish team’s players would double or triple the right-back position. Why? To save Alexander-Arnold from making a mistake. Avoid making one yourself!
Finally, Courtois is, I think, the world’s best goalkeeper right now. But there will be a lot for him to do against City. This means one of two things – either he’ll concede a lot, or he’ll be the game’s MVP. Choosing which one, this time around, is all about your intuition and risk tolerance.
