Who should be my UCL Fantasy Football Captain for Matchday 1?

Some key choices face #UCLfantasy managers ahead of Matchday 1 and chief among those is who to give the armband to – no easy decision with double points on offer. UEFA.com picks out four of the leading contenders.

TUESDAY 20 OCTOBER

Barcelona captain Lionel MessiIcon Sport via Getty Images

Lionel Messi (€12.0m) vs Ferencváros (H)

Hungarian side Ferencváros mark their first appearance in the UEFA Champions League group stage since 1995/96 with a daunting trip to face Barcelona at the Camp Nou, and they are tasked with the prospect of containing Messi. The Argentinian’s numbers speak for themselves but as a reminder, he has scored 115 career goals in the UEFA Champions League and has finished as the top scorer in the competition on six separate occasions. Messi is always a popular pick amongst #UCLfantasy managers and is likely to be one of the most highly-captained players on Matchday 1, so he warrants careful consideration for the armband.

Erling Braut Haaland (€11.0m) vs Lazio (A)

Haaland was a budget gem last season and has understandably been given a significant price increase for 2020/21, but he is likely to remain just as popular among #UCLfantasy managers this time around. The Norwegian sensation has began the season in blistering form for Dortmund and recently notched his first international hat-trick so there is plenty to be said for captaining him in the Bundesliga sides's opener against Lazio on Tuesday. Haaland opened his UEFA Champions League account with a hat-trick for Salzburg on Matchday 1 last season, his debut in the competition, so his owners will be hoping that history repeats itself.

WEDNESDAY 21 OCTOBER

Inter's Lautaro Martínez is a player in formGetty Images

Lautaro Martínez (€10.5m) vs Mönchengladbach (H)

Another Argentinian makes the list and another player who has seen a price hike since last season but that is hardly surprising given the regularity in which Lautaro Martínez finds the net for Internazionale. In the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League campaign Martínez – who has formed a fearsome partnership with Romelu Lukaku for the Serie A side – scored five goals in his six appearances while he also registered an assist and, given the manner in which he has started the current campaign for club and country, more goals could be on the way for the talented 23-year-old as his side face Mönchengladbach on Wednesday. With a fairly low ownership at present, Martínez also offers differential value when it comes to captaincy.

Robert Lewandowski (€12.0m) vs Atlético (H)

There aren’t many players who would be tipped for the captaincy when Atlético are the opponents, but Lewandowski is no ordinary player. The Pole is arguably the most reliable goalscorer in the world right now and was recently awarded the UEFA Men's Player of the Year for his stunning consistency throughout 2019/20. The Bayern forward scored an eye-watering 15 UEFA Champions League goals last season and is only three strikes behind the legendary Raúl González in the all-time stakes. He was the only player in the 2019/20 campaign to surpass the 100-point mark in #UCLfantasy so there is no player more deserving of the captaincy, regardless of the fixture. If your Tuesday captain fails to deliver, Lewandowski represents a stellar back-up choice.