#UCLfantasy: Matchday 5 captain contenders
Friday, November 22, 2019
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UEFA.com considers who might be worth choosing for the captaincy, and double points, in the penultimate round of group games.
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Only three sides have booked their passage to the round of 16 at this stage so there is still plenty to play for on Matchday 5, and plenty of points on offer for #UCLfantasy managers too. Here are four candidates to consider for the captaincy.
TUESDAY 26 NOVEMBER
Raheem Sterling (€11.1m) vs Shakhtar Donetsk (H)
Given that he's currently the highest #UCLfantasy points scorer, it was only natural that Sterling is at the forefront of our captaincy thoughts. The Englishman is firmly in the 'essential category having averaged 13 #UCLfantasy points over the last three matchdays and with Manchester City on the brink of qualifying from Group C, Josep Guardiola will no doubt be looking to the likes of Sterling to fire them into the next round. Despite losing to the reigning Premier League champions on Matchday 1, Shakhtar managed to keep Sterling at bay on that occasion, but doing so at the City of Manchester Stadium will be a different proposition.
Heung-Min Son (€9.5m) vs Olympiacos (H)
Another Premier League star comes under the spotlight here and for good reason, as Son has been rapidly improving his #UCLfantasy output with each matchday this season. Scores of 1, 7, 13 and 17 points show a player who has grown in influence throughout the group stage and with José Mourinho now in the Tottenham dugout, the potential for a 'new manager bounce' only increases the South Korean's appeal. Tottenham host winless Olympiacos on Matchday 5 as they seek to confirm their spot in the knockout stage.
WEDNESDAY 27 NOVEMBER
Lionel Messi (€11.5m) vs Borussia Dortmund (H)
Twenty-four #UCLfantasy forwards have accrued more points than Messi at this stage in what has been a frustrating European campaign so far for owners of the Argentinian, but this is a player you write off at your peril. Messi has scored five goals in three matches for club and country since his unexpected Matchday 4 blank against Slavia Praha, and despite the fact he also failed to find the net against Dortmund on Matchday 1 – albeit in a game he started on the bench – he has scored 16 UEFA Champions League goals against German opposition over the course of his glittering career.
Erling Braut Haaland (€4.6m) vs Genk (A)
Touted before the campaign as a budget-friendly differential, Haaland has now positioned himself as a prime captaincy candidate following some blistering performances this season. The Salzburg striker leads the scoring charts with seven goals in the group stage and now faces a Genk side who will remember him all too well after he struck three goals against them on matchday 1. The Norwegian sensation recently helped himself to another hat-trick in the Austrian Bundesliga, and his incredible scoring rate is showing no signs of slowing down.