UCL Fantasy Football: The Scout squad

All #UCLfantasy managers have the opportunity to make unlimited changes to their squad as the round of 16 kicks off, meaning a comprehensive overhaul could be the order of the day. The Scout's 15-man squad relies heavily on players from Manchester City and Sevilla, although some other familiar faces have also earned their places.

Goalkeepers

As usual, the key is to choose two goalkeepers who play on different gamedays. Sevilla's Yassine Bounou (€5.0m) has kept seven successive clean sheets – and five in a row at home – and has been beaten just once in his last nine matches ahead of this week's visit of an out-of-sorts Borussia Dortmund. Should Bounou and Sevilla fail to shut out the German side, it's over to Manchester City's Ederson (€6.0m), who has recorded a remarkable 14 shut-outs in his last 16 appearances – conceding one goal in his last ten matches.

Defenders

The defensive strength of Sevilla and Manchester City is such that both are also represented among the defenders – and further forward – in the squad. John Stones (€5.1m) has formed a solid partnership with Rúben Dias at the heart of City's rearguard; the English international is the cheaper option of the two, so he comes in. Sevilla's Diego Carlos (€5.1m) has been a regular all season, both for his clean-sheet potential and his ball-winning capabilities, with 14 of his 30 #UCLfantasy points coming via the latter route. The undisputed master of ball recoveries this season, however, is Cristian Romero (€5.1m) who has picked up a remarkable 22 points via that route – even with Real Madrid the visitors in the first leg, he is again impossible to overlook. Stefan Savić (€4.6m) offers a low-cost route into the Atlético de Madrid defence for the game with Chelsea, while Angeliño (€5.4m) has proved an asset at both ends of the pitch as his Leipzig side take on a stuttering Liverpool.

Midfielders

Manchester City provide two members of the five-man midfield as well; with Guardiola favouring no out-and-out striker for much of the season, İlkay Gündoğan (€6.7m) has come into his own, scoring 11 goals in his last 12 Premier League matches. With Kevin De Bruyne injured and Raheem Sterling out of the price range, Phil Foden (€7.1m) also makes the squad, despite the ever-present risk of rotation. On the ball-winning front, Real Madrid's Casemiro (€6.2m) is the choice for the game at Atalanta, with the home side represented by budget pick Aleksei Miranchuk (€4.7m); Casemiro collected 13 of his 29 group stage points via ball recoveries, while Miranchuk is a left-field pick but has scored twice in the Coppa Italia in 2021. That frees up funds for Atlético's Ángel Correa (€7.5m), who has three goals in his last six Liga matches ahead of the first leg against Chelsea.

Forwards

The careful budgeting elsewhere in the squad frees up the funds for two big investments up front. When it comes to the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds, history shows there are few better investments than Cristiano Ronaldo (€12.0m), who managed four goals in the group stage and has found the net in his last three matches in the competition ahead of a game against old rivals Porto. Robert Lewandowski (€12.1m) may not have hit last season's heights just yet – although he still managed three goals in his four group appearances – but 14 in 13 matches in all competitions since Matchday 6 shows his touch is as deadly as ever. Also in form is Sevilla's Youssef En-Nesyri (€7.4m), who has eight goals in his last seven home matches for the Spanish club, with Dortmund next in his sights.