#UCLFantasy Scout: matchday bargains

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This Fantasy game is all about finding the bargain buys who can guarantee you a good points' tally while also freeing up the funds to boost your team with a Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo-type signing.

So far this season there has been one definite trend: various players come with a very attractive price tag but they are seldom defenders. At the back, the norm is that the more you spend, the better your chances become of a decent points' haul. There are two notable exceptions though, both from teams going really well with a couple of clean sheets already: Man. City's John Stones and Paris full-back Layvin Kurzawa, each priced at €5.5m.

PSG keeper Alphonse Areola may also be worth recruiting at €4.5m. With a double-header looming against Anderlecht, who have yet to score in their group, and with Paris tending to boss things at the other end of the park, Areola should continue to harvest points over the next two matchdays.

In midfield, there are several option to ponder. Joaquín Correa (€6.0m) has had a fine campaign to date, goals included. His Sevilla side visit Spartak Moskva next, and there is a player in the Russian club's ranks who may also catch your eye: set-piece specialist Fernando (€5.5m). You could count too on Real Madrid's Casemiro (€6.0m) – watch out for his long-range shooting – or Chelsea's Tiemoué Bakayoko (€5.5m) though Chelsea face tough opposition in Roma.

Up front, Sevilla's Wissam Ben Yedder has four goals already, making his €5.5m price tag hard to resist. With Álvaro Morata sidelined at Chelsea, opportunity likely knocks for Michy Batshuayi (€7.5m). However, in my book, the best attacking option is Ryan Babel. Beşiktaş's Dutch forward is on a roll, scoring and assisting for club and country, and comes at the very affordable price of €6.5m.

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