#UCLfantasy Tipster: Andrew's team
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Article summary
Andrew Haslam is pondering wholesale changes for the penultimate round of group games, with midfield in need of special attention.
Article top media content
Article body
After a strong start to the campaign, Las Haslamas are in danger of sinking into mediocrity. Matchday four brought in just 40 points, and serious surgery is needed on my squad to get things back on track.
Luckily, I've still got my wildcard in reserve. I generally like to play it on matchday five or six, when clubs traditionally start to rest players – and I'm expecting this year to be no different.
In goal, I've been reasonably pleased with both Roman Bürki (Dortmund) and Ederson (Benfica), but is there better value out there? I'd be tempted by Alphonse Aréola if Paris Saint-Germain weren't travelling to Arsenal on matchday five, while Manuel Neuer, Gianluigi Buffon and Jan Oblak might prove out of my price range. One more modestly priced contender is Lyon's Anthony Lopes, with a game looming against a Dinamo Zagreb side who still haven't scored.
In defence, Raphaël Varane hasn't paid off, unlike Daniel Alves, Gabriel Mercado and Kamil Glik. Samuel Umtiti might be worth a recall with Barcelona facing Celtic and Borussia Mönchengladbach in their last two group outings, while Dortmund, Leicester and Atlético Madrid are all well worth a look.
Further forward Dele Alli will be making way, whereas I'm not sure whether to retain Raheem Sterling or not – Manchester City's last two fixtures are enticing – but Alex Iwobi definitely drops out. I'm also somewhat unconvinced by Thiago Alcántara, so some serious reinforcements are required in midfield.
So what are my options? I like Corentin Tolisso at Lyon, who has really impressed me this season – as have Joshua Kimmich (Bayern), Yannick Carrasco (Atlético) and André Silva (Porto). I also wonder if I could do a straight City swap, with Sterling out and İlkay Gündoğan in.
In attack, it's hard to argue with Sergio Agüero and Luis Suárez although the gamble on Ousmane Dembélé hasn't paid off. Dries Martens at Napoli merits consideration, and I might spring a surprise and bring in Moussa Dembélé of Celtic – he's been their standout player so far.
Remember the transfer deadline is 18:00CET on Tuesday so you'll have to take a gamble without knowing the starting line-ups. Good luck!