UCL Fantasy Football: Will Lewandowski, Mbappé and Haaland score big on Matchday 2?

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 latest team news before picking your team.

GOALKEEPERS

Bayern, Chelsea and Liverpool all kept clean sheets on Matchday 1 with Manuel Neuer and Edouard Mendy projected to bring in the points again, while the fit-again Alisson Becker could benefit from another Liverpool shutout.

Despite their heavy defeat at Bayern last week, Atlético should not be discounted when it comes to clean sheets. The Spanish side have kept their opponents out in six of their last seven home games in the UEFA Champions League, and have conceded just once in three matches at home this season, so Jan Oblak remains a strong goalkeeping option.

DEFENDERS

Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich tops the projected defenders list having registered a clean sheet and an assist in last week’s 4-0 win against Atlético, a sure sign that he is set to be one of the top #UCLfantasy defenders once more this season. Owners of Angelino, meanwhile, benefitted from his 19-point haul against İstanbul Başakşehir on Matchday 1.

Having kept a clean sheet against Ajax last week, Liverpool’s full-back duo Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold feature once more, with owners hoping that attacking returns will soon follow, while the same can be said of Internazionale’s attack-minded Achraf Hakimi, who is set to return to the fold for his side’s trip to Shakhtar. Another who missed out last week was Sergio Ramos, but the Real Madrid captain scored a penalty in the Clásico over the weekend and is always a useful option.

MIDFIELDERS

After scoring the winner in the UEFA Champions League final in August, Kingsley Coman began the new campaign in exactly the same manner as his two goals and assist on Matchday 1 was good enough for 16 #UCLfantasy points. The Bayern winger is predicted to perform well once more, whilst Bruno Fernandes, Joaquín Correa, Juan Cuadrado and Ansu Fati – who all registered attacking returns last week – feature in the top ten projected midfielders.

Owners of Jadon Sancho, Thomas Müller and Premier League trio Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and Raheem Sterling may have been disappointed with their modest points totals on Matchday 1 but, given their pedigree in the competition, it could well be worth keeping faith if you own them.

FORWARDS

One of the Matchday 1 surprises involved Robert Lewandowski, with owners scratching their heads at the fact he wasn’t involved in any of Bayern’s four goals. The Pole was back amongst it over the weekend though, scoring yet another hat-trick in the Bundesliga, and it is surely only a matter of time before he opens his European account for the season. Our algorithm thinks so, in any case, while it also favours fellow Bundesliga striker Erling Braut Haaland to find the net again, with Dortmund hosting Zenit on Matchday 2.

Elsewhere, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar will be relied upon to fire Paris to victory on Matchday 2 following their defeat to Manchester United last week, while Romelu Lukaku, Duván Zapata, Ciro Immobile, Alejandro Gómez and Lionel Messi are projected to add to their goals from last week.