UCL Fantasy Football: The Scout squad

The return of UCL Fantasy Football means The Scout has been scouring the domestic leagues for pointers as to which players are in form – although the first squad of the season retains plenty of players who came up trumps in last term's UEFA Champions League.

Goalkeepers

One of the basic premises in Champions League Fantasy is to make sure you have a spread of players in action across the two days of a gameweek – sometimes easier said than done, but relatively straightforward as far as goalkeepers are concerned. Leipzig's Péter Gulácsi (€5.5m) has had a price rise since last season, but an enticing opening fixture at home to newcomers İstanbul Başakşehir warrants his inclusion; Gulácsi will come in if Mikhail Kerzhakov (€4.5m) fails to deliver on Tuesday, with his Zenit side at home to Club Brugge.

Defenders

Leipzig are also represented in defence, with Angeliño (€5.0m) included thanks to the prospect of points at both ends of the pitch – the left-back managed two clean sheets and two assists in his five 2019/20 appearances. Mats Hummels (€5.0m) is another of last season's stars to return, due mainly to his 79 balls recovered which brought 24 of his 41 points, while Atalanta's Hans Hateboer (€5.0m) is back on account of his attacking role in the team. The same applies to Achraf Hakimi (€6.0m), a Dortmund player in last season's UEFA Champions League and now at Inter – but still with the same attacking intent – while the renewal process at Barcelona means Sergiño Dest (€5.0m), who picked up 27 points for Ajax in last year's group stage, is selected.

Midfielders

The value of ball recoveries means midfield can be a balance between budget players who could score highly in terms of balls recovered and those who post more of an attacking threat. Zenit pair Wílmar Barrios (€4.5m) – who sits in 46% of teams at the time of writing – and Aleksandr Erokhin (€5.0m) cover both those elements, while matchday 1 opponents Club Brugge provide Krépin Diatta (€5.5m), another potential differential. More predictably, the form of Manchester City and Raheem Sterling (€10.5m) demands inclusion, with Porto the visitors to north-west England – especially with City's other premium midfield asset Kevin De Bruyne, a fitness doubt – and Ansu Fati (€8.0m), who scored in Barcelona's first three league games of the new campaign, could profit from the visit of Ferencváros to the Camp Nou.

Forwards

Two more players who delivered big hauls in last term's UEFA Champions League make the cut up front. Erling Braut Haaland (€11.0m) might have more than doubled in value from his 2019/20 price, but his ten goals in last season's competition make a strong case for selection; Alejandro Gómez (€8.5m) might have been reclassified as a forward instead of a midfielder, but his 33 points in Atalanta's run to last season's quarter-finals – plus four goals and two assists in Serie A this autumn – mean he is picked ahead of a trip to Midtjylland. Lastly, Romelu Lukaku (€11.0m) is given the chance to translate his UEFA Europa League form into the premier competition – the Belgian has seven goals in as many matches for club and country in 2020/21.