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#UCLfantasy Matchday 5: What the numbers say

UEFA.com crunches the numbers to find out which players are predicted for big Matchday 5 totals.

Dinamo Zagreb's Mislav Oršić is projected to score 9.0 points on Matchday 5
Dinamo Zagreb's Mislav Oršić is projected to score 9.0 points on Matchday 5 ©AFP/Getty Images

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 5 are given below. As ever, check team news before making your final selections.

PLAY UCL FANTASY

GOALKEEPERS

PlayerPrice
ClubOpponentsHome/AwayGamedayProjected

Keylor Navas

A good range of values are represented here as, alongside two €6.0m options, there are also two €4.5m choices. Paris goalkeeper Keylor Navas (€5.5m) is still yet to concede in the UEFA Champions League this season, with the French champions the only side in the competition to boast such a record. Manuel Neuer (€6.0m) also stands out as Bayern have an excellent defensive record in this season's UEFA Champions League having kept two clean sheets already, one of them against Matchday 5 opponents Crvena zvezda.

On the budget side, Fernando Muslera (€4.5m) is an excellent option as Galatasaray face Club Brugge on Matchday 5. The Belgian side have failed to score in three of their four group stage matches and Muslera kept a clean sheet when the two sides met on Matchday 1.

DEFENDERS

PlayerPrice
ClubOpponentsHome/AwayGamedayProjected
Juan Bernat5.6ParisReal MadridATuesday7.8
Thomas Meunier5.7ParisReal MadridATuesday7.7
Thiago Silva5.6ParisReal MadridATuesday7.5
Christian Luyindama4.5GalatasarayClub BruggeHTuesday7.4
Clément Lenglet5.5BarcelonaDortmundHWednesday7.1
Presnel Kimpembe5.6ParisReal MadridATuesday7.0
Achraf Hakimi5.6DortmundBarcelonaAWednesday6.8
Joshua Kimmich6.5BayernCrvena zvezdaATuesday6.8
Nicolás Tagliafico5.2AjaxLOSCAWednesday6.4
Mariano Ferreira4.5GalatasarayClub BruggeHTuesday6.3

The Paris back line again features strongly here as Juan Bernat (€5.6m), Thomas Meunier (€5.7m), Thiago Silva (€5.6m) or Presnel Kimpembe (€5.6m) have all returned six or more #UCLfantasy points on any UEFA Champions League match they have started this season, even with a game at Real Madrid to come.

Alongside the deluge from Paris are a number of highly recognisable #UCLfantasy assets alongside some differential options. Achraf Hakimi (€5.6m), Joshua Kimmich (€6.5m) and Nicolás Tagliafico (€5.2m) are all highly owned and for good reason – the trio have combined to score 100 points so far. Meanwhile, Galatasaray's Christian Luyindama (€4.5m) and Mariano Ferreira (€4.5m) feature in very few #UCLfantasy squads and are worthy of consideration with an attractive home game.

MIDFIELDERS

PlayerPrice
ClubOpponentsHome/AwayGamedayProjected
Raheem Sterling11.1Man CityShakhtarHTuesday9.2
Mislav Oršić6.2DinamoAtalantaATuesday9.0

Heung-Min Son

Raheem Sterling (€11.1m) backed up his 22-point haul on Matchday 3 with a goal and eight more points in the fourth round of fixtures, so it's little surprise that the algorithm is backing another stellar Fantasy performance from the Englishman.

After playing just 17 minutes against Matchday 5 opponents Olympiacos in the reverse fixture, Heung-Min Son (€9.5m) has been sensational since. From Matchdays 2 to 4, the South Korean scored five goals, provided one assist and accrued 37 #UCLfantasy points – an average of 12.3 per matchday.

There are few better budget-friendly options than Dinamo Zagreb's Mislav Oršić (€6.2m). The Croatian side have only failed to score against Manchester City during this year’s UEFA Champions League campaign and beat Matchday 5 opponents Atalanta 4-0 in the reverse fixture back on matchday 1. Oršić scored a hat-trick in that encounters and only Sterling and Son have scored more goals from midfield than the Dinamo player.

FORWARDS

PlayerPrice
ClubOpponentsHome/AwayGamedayProjected

Erling Braut Haaland

The current UEFA Champions League top scorer with seven goals, Erling Braut Haaland (€4.6m) just keeps finding the net. The 19-year-old faces Genk on Matchday 5, the side against whom he came to widespread prominence back on Matchday 1 when he bagged a hat-trick along with 14 #UCLfantasy points.

No team has scored more goals during this season’s group stage than Bayern. Robert Lewandowski (€10.6m) has been responsible for six of those and currently boasts the impressive record of having scored in each of the four matches played so far.

In contrast, Lionel Messi (€11.5m) has just one goal, one assist and 14 points after the opening four rounds of matches and is yet to find the net in either of Barcelona's two home matches in the group. The last time Messi failed to find the net in over two consecutive home UEFA Champions League matches, however, was back in 2011.

NOW PICK YOUR TEAM FOR MATCHDAY 5

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