#UCLfantasy Matchday 2: What the numbers say
Friday, September 27, 2019
Article summary
UEFA.com crunches the numbers to find out which players are predicted for big Matchday 2 totals.
Article top media content
Article body
Predicting which Fantasy players are going to perform on a given matchday is a difficult task. Through crunching the numbers, a projected points total for each player has been calculated based on the player's historical performance in the UEFA Champions League. Goals, assists, clean sheets and the likelihood of playing are the major parameters used in our projections.
The top projected players for each position for Matchday 2 are given below. As ever, check team news before making your final selections.
GOALKEEPERS
| Player | Price | Club | Opponents | Home/Away | Gameday | Projected |
| Marc-André ter Stegen | 6.0 | Barcelona | Inter | H | Wednesday | 7.2 |
| Adrián | 4.5 | Liverpool | Salzburg | H | Wednesday | 6.8 |
| Wojciech Szczęsny | 6.5 | Juventus | Leverkusen | H | Tuesday | 6.5 |
| Thibaut Courtois | 6.0 | Real Madrid | Club Brugge | H | Tuesday | 6.1 |
| Andrei Lunev | 5.0 | Zenit | Benfica | H | Wednesday | 6.0 |
Top of the pile is Marc-André ter Stegen, with Barcelona boasting an excellent defensive record at the Camp Nou having kept 11 clean sheets in their last 16 home UEFA Champions League matches. With Juventus keeping two clean sheets in their last three home group stage matches Wojciech Szczęsny is one to consider, while Liverpool's Adrián, Real Madrid No1 Thibaut Courtois and Andrei Lunev of Zenit also have home fixtures on matchday two.
DEFENDERS
| Player | Price | Club | Opponents | Home/Away | Gameday | Projected |
| Nicolás Tagliafico | 5.0 | Ajax | Valencia | A | Wednesday | 8.6 |
| Sergio Ramos | 6.5 | Real Madrid | Club Brugge | H | Tuesday | 8.0 |
| Andrew Robertson | 7.0 | Liverpool | Salzburg | H | Wednesday | 7.8 |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | 7.0 | Liverpool | Salzburg | H | Wednesday | 7.7 |
| Nicolás Otamendi | 5.5 | Man City | Dinamo Zagreb | H | Tuesday | 7.5 |
| Alex Sandro | 5.5 | Juventus | Leverkusen | H | Tuesday | 7.2 |
| Clément Lenglet | 5.5 | Barcelona | Inter | H | Wednesday | 7.0 |
| Matthijs de Ligt | 6.5 | Juventus | Leverkusen | H | Tuesday | 6.9 |
| Thomas Meunier | 5.5 | Paris | Galatasaray | A | Tuesday | 6.9 |
| Kyle Walker | 6.0 | Man City | Dinamo Zagreb | H | Tuesday | 6.8 |
Nicolas Tagliáfico had a sensational matchday one, the Ajax full-back scoring, providing an assist, keeping a clean sheet and recording nine ball recoveries against LOSC. All this added up to a massive 18 points and he will be a popular #UCLfantasy buy ahead of matchday two.
Sergio Ramos should be back in the Real Madrid starting XI after suspension and combines the possibility of a clean sheet with potential attacking returns, not least as he takes the penalties.
Manchester City's Nicolas Otámendi recovered six balls last time out while Barcelona centre-back Clément Lenglet managed seven. With this new avenue of #UCLfantasy points on offer, players with such attributes make for attractive options.
MIDFIELDERS
| Player | Price | Club | Opponents | Home/Away | Gameday | Projected |
| Eden Hazard | 11.0 | Real Madrid | Club Brugge | H | Tuesday | 7.0 |
| Mohamed Salah | 11.0 | Liverpoo | Salzburg | H | Wednesday | 6.7 |
| Sadio Mané | 10.5 | Liverpool | Salzburg | H | Wednesday | 6.6 |
| Riyad Mahrez | 8.5 | Man City | Dinamo Zagreb | H | Tuesday | 6.4 |
| Āngel Di María | 8.5 | Paris | Galatasaray | A | Tuesday | 6.2 |
| Thiago Alcántara | 7.0 | Bayern | Tottenham | A | Tuesday | 6.1 |
| Blaise Matuidi | 5.5 | Juventus | Leverkusen | H | Tuesday | 6.0 |
| Kevin De Bruyne | 10.5 | Man City | Dinamo Zagreb | H | Tuesday | 5.9 |
| Raheem Sterling | 11.0 | Man City | Dinamo Zagreb | H | Tuesday | 5.4 |
| Mathieu Valbuena | 6.0 | Olympiacos | Crvena zvezda | A | Tuesday | 5.2 |
Eden Hazard is likely to make his home UEFA Champions League debut for Real Madrid while Liverpool's attacking duo Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané, who scored a combined 115 #UCLfantasy points last season, face off against matchday one goal machines Salzburg at Anfield.
A trio of Manchester City players feature: Riyad Mahrez, Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling. Mahrez and De Bruyne both produced attacking returns on matchday one while Sterling has scored nine times for club and country this season. As ever with City though, there is a risk of rotation so it is worth keeping an eye on domestic team sheets this weekend for any clues on who will start on matchday two.
FORWARDS
| Player | Price | Club | Opponents | Home/Away | Gameday | Projected |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 11.5 | Juventus | Leverkusen | H | Tuesday | 8.2 |
The UEFA Champions League's all-time leading scorer Cristiano Ronaldo will be looking to open his 2019/20 account, in contrast to Timo Werner and Memphis Depay, who both found the net on matchday one. Karim Benzema is in a rich vein of form with five league goals to his name already this season, while Robert Lewandowski and Harry Kane were both on the scoresheet in matchday one while the in-form Sergio Agüero, assuming he isn't rested again, is another premium option capable of big returns.
