#UCLFantasy: Free-kick specialists
Monday, September 11, 2017
Article summary
Shooting at goal or supplying a perfect delivery, these players provide the set-piece goods.
Article top media content
Article body
Anderlecht: Leander Dendoncker (MF, €5.0m) is a powerful striker of the ball.
APOEL: Stathis Aloneftis (MF, €5.5m) will take most of the direct free-kicks although Lorenzo Ebecilio (MF, €5.0m) is the usual taker when the ball is to be whipped into the area with George Efrem (MF, €6.0m) also in contention.
Atlético Madrid: Koke (MF, €8.0m); if it's not a position where Antoine Griezmann (FW, €10.0m) can go for goal, Koke will be charged with delivering the perfect cross; achieved ten assists last season.
Barcelona: Lionel Messi (FW, €12.0m) rarely cedes this duty to others, regularly scores. Nobody in history has scored more direct free-kicks for Barça.
Basel: Renato Steffen (MF, €6.5m) often shares set-piece duties with Luca Zuffi, racking up — like his team-mate — 12 assists in the Swiss Super League last term.
Bayern München: Robert Lewandowski (FW, €11.0m) supplied a delightful strike into the top corner against Atlético in last season's group stage.
Benfica: Jonas (FW, €7.5m), Alex Grimaldo (DF, €4.5m), Pizzi (MF, €7.0m).
Beşiktaş: Anderson Talisca (MF, €7.5m) got five goals and an assist from free-kicks last season.
Celtic: Leigh Griffiths (FW, €6.0m) scored two direct free-kick goals last season followed by two in three minutes for Scotland against England in June.
Chelsea: Willian (MF, €7.5m) has scored eight of his 31 Chelsea goals directly from free-kicks since joining in 2013.
CSKA Moskva: Bibras Natcho (MF, €6.5m) will take any free-kicks within shooting range with Sergei Ignashevich (DF, €4.5m) stepping up for anything more than 25 metres from goal.
Borussia Dortmund: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (FW, €11.0m), Raphaël Guerreiro (€6.0m) are both regular takers, although their goals are few and far between.
Feyenoord: Sam Larsson (FW, €6.0m) scored two direct free-kicks in the Eredivisie last season.
Juventus: Paulo Dybala (FW, €9.5m) scored three free-kicks last season and added another in this summer's Italian Super Cup against Lazio. Miralem Pjanić (MF, €8.5m) also struck three direct free-kicks last term.
Leipzig: Emil Forsberg (MF, €9m) provided two assists from free-kicks last season.
Liverpool: Three of Philippe Coutinho's (MF, €9.0m) 13 league goals last season came from direct free-kicks although Trent Alexander-Arnold (DF, €4.0m) opened the scoring with a brilliant free-kick in the play-off first-leg victory at Hoffenheim.
Manchester City: Kevin De Bruyne (MF, €9.5m) had two goals from free-kicks last season, including one in win over Barcelona.
Manchester United: With the injured Zlatan Ibrahimović (FW, €9.0m) having scored two free-kicks last season, the chance is there for Marcus Rashford (FW, €7.0m) and Romelu Lukaku (FW, €10.0m), who both scored once from free-kicks in 2016/17.
Maribor: Dare Vršič (FW, €4.5m) has five free-kick goals in his career, and 11 assists total in last season's Prva liga.
Monaco: Thomas Lemar (MF, €8.5m) scored one direct free-kick and set up four goals from set plays in the 2016/2017 Ligue 1 season.
Napoli: Dries Mertens (FW, €10.0m) from range; Lorenzo Insigne (FW, €8.5m) from the edge of the box.
Olympiacos: Kostas Fortounis (MF, €6.0m) takes all set pieces and frequently goes for the lgol olímpico' as well – a goal direct from a corner.
Paris Saint-Germain: Neymar (FW, €11.0m) got three goals and an assist from free-kicks last season.
Porto: Alex Telles (DF, €5.5m) weighed in with ten assists last season.Qarabağ: Míchel (MF, €5.5m), Dani Quintana (MF, €6.5m) and Afran Ismayilov (MF, €5.5m) will all try their luck from set-pieces.
Real Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo (FW, €12.0m) scored three goals from direct free-kicks last season while Toni Kroos's (MF, €8.0m) dead-ball delivery helped him to 17 assists.
Roma: Edin Džeko (FW, €10.5m) took 32 free-kicks, scoring five direct last season.
Sevilla: Éver Banega (MF, €6.5m) will almost certainly take the majority of the direct free-kicks. Scored them in each of last three seasons for both Sevilla and Internazionale Milano.
Shakhtar: Darijo Srna (DF, €5.5m) has scored 19 free-kick goals in his Shakhtar career.
Spartak Moskva: Fernando (MF, €5.5m) is capable of spectacular goals from set-pieces, and also providing assists.
Sporting: Bruno Fernandes (MF, €5.5m) showed his capablities with a set-piece wonder goal against Estoril in August.
Tottenham Hotspur: Christian Eriksen (MF, €8.5m) has scored nine goals from free-kicks since joining Spurs in 2013.