UCL Fantasy Football Matchday 7: What the numbers say

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 7 are given below. As usual, check the latest injury news and predicted line-ups before making your final selection.

GOALKEEPERS

Manchester City conceded just once across the whole of the group stage so it is no surprise to see Ederson topping the bill when it comes to projected goalkeepers. The Brazilian's side face Mönchengladbach on Matchday 7, but #UCLfantasy managers will need to wait until the final gameday to reap the benefits so selecting Juventus's Wojciech Szczęsny – who plays a week earlier – for the second goalkeeper spot could be a wise choice. Both are projected to score over six points, as are Jan Oblak, Manuel Neuer and Edouard Mendy.

DEFENDERS

Cristian Romero has already proved a big hit in #UCLfantasy thanks to his incredible returns in the group stage, and both new and returning owners will be hoping he can continue in the same manner in the round of 16 when his Atalanta side face 13-time champions Real Madrid. Fantasy managers will also have fond memories of Joshua Kimmich, who accrued 28 points before injury interrupted his season. The algorithm certainly hasn’t forgotten about the versatile German, as he is the second highest projected defender for Matchday 7.

Plenty of other defenders with attacking potential feature, including Leipzig's Angeliño, who only kept one clean sheet in Group H but supplemented that with an incredible three goals and three assists. Manchester City's João Cancelo also finds himself in advanced positions on a regular basis and threatens similar returns, while Atalanta wing-back Robin Gosens is one to keep an eye on for the same reason.

MIDFIELDERS

The projections take into recent account domestic form in addition to group stage performance and is it no surprise İlkay Gündoğan finds himself at the top of the projected midfielders list. The Manchester City man hasn't always been known for his attacking output but his recent burst of form has made him the top scorer for his club in the Premier League this season, and he could also be on penalty duty against Mönchengladbach if Kevin De Bruyne fails to recover from injury in time.

Elsewhere, Bayern's Leroy Sané – a former team-mate of Gündoğan – features prominently having scored twice in his four group stage appearances, and he will face off against Lazio's Joaquín Correa, an under-the-radar pick with just 1% ownership who provided steady Fantasy returns (two goals, two assists) throughout the group stage.

Set-pieces and ball-winning abilities also bring other types of midfielders to the fore, shown by the fact that Jorginho – on penalty duty at Chelsea – and Real Madrid's Casemiro – with 42 ball recoveries to his name so far – make the top ten. Neither player will break your bank, and are viable #UCLfantasy assets in their own right.

FORWARDS

As established in our statistical look at the top 1k, #UCLfantasy managers are more likely to captain a forward than any other position, so big returns will be expected from those listed above. Recently-crowned world champions Bayern are gunning for back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles and with Robert Lewandowski in their ranks, anything is possible. The Pole struck three times in the group stage and Matchday 7 sees him goes head-to-head with Lazio's Ciro Immobile, a hugely tempting #UCLfantasy asset himself given his consistency.

UEFA Champions League all-time top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo has provided attacking returns in all four of his appearances in the competition this season and, given his propensity to truly come alive in the knockout stages, represents an enticing option. An interesting alternative though is Luis Suárez, who is looking lethal in a fearsome Atlético side. The Uruguayan striker has yet to score in Europe this season, but if his domestic form is anything to go by, it is only a matter of time before he delivers.