Who were the top UCL Fantasy Football ball-winners on Matchday 2?

With Matchday 2 of the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League completed, UEFA.com takes a look at some of the highest-scoring players in terms of ball recoveries.

A total of 23 players completed ten or more ball recoveries on Matchday 2, with the top scoring player – Atalanta’s Cristian Romero – recording a total of 19 ball recoveries during his side’s 2-2 draw with Ajax. What would normally have constituted a score of just one #UCLfantasy point ended up being a return of seven – a reminder once again of the benefits for Fantasy managers when you select a player with an emphasis on their ball recovery record. Romero now has an overall total of 33 ball recoveries over the course of Atalanta’s opening two group stage games and offers fantastic value at his modest price of €4.7m.

Coming in behind Romero on Matchday 2 were two Dortmund defenders who each racked up five Fantasy points for ball recoveries. Manuel Akanji did not feature in the first round of group games but announced his arrival in this season’s UEFA Champions League in dramatic style on Matchday 2 with 17 ball recoveries, a clean sheet and 11 #UCLfantasy points in total as Dortmund defeated Zenit 2-0 in Germany. Rounding off the top three was Mats Hummels, with 15 ball recoveries, an improvement on what was already an impressive 11 on Matchday 1. Hummels, like Akanji finished with a score of 11 #UCLfantasy points overall.

Matchday 3 brings a number of interesting options for #UCLfantasy selection from a ball recovery perspective. Atalanta host Liverpool for those looking at bringing Romero into their side, whilst Dortmund travel to Club Brugge for any manager looking at Akanji and/or Hummels.

However, another German club who boast a number of ball-winning Fantasy assets are reigning European champions Bayern. Priced at €5.0m and €5.5m respectively, both Niklas Süle and David Alaba completed 11 ball recoveries on Matchday 2, adding three points each to their #UCLfantasy scores. The pair could prove shrewd additions as Bayern face off against Salzburg on Matchday 3.

Matchday 2: Most ball recoveries