UCL Fantasy Football: Who to turn to now

With the remaining UEFA Champions League teams having been reduced from 16 to eight, #UCLfantasy managers are now tasked with replacing players in their squad who will be taking no further part in the competition.

Five free transfers are available for managers to reshuffle their squads ahead of Matchday 9, so who are the high-performing players that need replacing?

Cristian Romero (Atalanta)

Filling a Romero-shaped hole in your team is no easy task as the Atalanta centre-back remains the highest-scoring Fantasy player across any position with 58 points. Ball recoveries were his key asset so #UCLfantasy managers looking for a like-for-like replacement may want to consider Dortmund's Mats Hummels (€5.4m), whose 67 ball recoveries throughout the tournament mean he tops the list from the teams still remaining in the competition.

When looking at more recent high-performers in this category, two stand-out names are César Azpilicueta (€5.0m) of Chelsea and Real Madrid’s Raphaël Varane (€5.7m), who both accumulated 18 ball recoveries over the course of their two round of 16 ties and are likely to see their ownership rise in the run-up to Matchday 9.

Angeliño (Leipzig)

Fantasy managers love an attacking player in their back line and there are few better than Angeliño in that department, with the Spanish wing-back providing three goals and three assists during Leipzig's run to the round of 16.

There are plenty of attack-minded full-backs ready to fill his void though, and Angeliño's former team Manchester City may be the place to look. João Cancelo (€5.9m) is enjoying a superb season and is often to be found pushing into an attacking midfield position while the Premier League side are in possession, with the Portuguese international having registered a goal and assist so far in the UEFA Champions League.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold (€6.7m) currently the joint highest-scoring active #UCLfantasy defender with 50 points and club-mate Andy Robertson (€6.5m) just a point behind him, it is tempting to look at 2018/19 UEFA Champions League champions Liverpool for full-backs with attacking potential. Real Madrid's Ferland Mendy (€5.7m) – who faces off against Liverpool in the quarter-finals – scored the only goal in the Matchday 7 victory at Atalanta and is owned by a mere 5% of #UCLfantasy managers.

Juan Cuadrado (Juventus)

Cuadrado offered excellent value thanks to the six assists he made across his six appearances – a competition high – and many #UCLfantasy managers will now be on the hunt for a suitable replacement that doesn't break the bank.

We once more look to Manchester City, with the form of İlkay Gündoğan (€6.6m) difficult to ignore. The German has scored 14 goals in his last 23 club appearances in all competitions while he has struck three times in this season's European campaign and at €6.6m, he offers excellent value. Fellow City midfielder Phil Foden (€7.1m) is also worth a look, with the Englishman having featured in all eight of his side’s UEFA Champions League matches so far which has yielded a return of a goal and two assists.

Also boasting a goal and two assists is Luka Modrić (€7.6m), with the experienced midfielder impressing in both of Real Madrid's victories over Atalanta in the round of 16. The Croat is likely to line-up against recently-returned Liverpool star Diogo Jota (€7.9m), who also haunted Atalanta with a sensational hat-trick against the Italian side in the group stage.

Lionel Messi (Barcelona) / Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)

Given their €12.0m price tags, Messi and Ronaldo sellers will have money to burn heading into the quarter-finals and have the luxury of choosing from a star-studded list of exceptional strikers. If they aren't already in your team, then Bundesliga pair Erling Haaland (€11.1m) is an obvious replacement; Robert Lewandowski (€12.1m) would also be in contention but for an injury that is expected to keep him out for a month. Dortmund superstar Haaland continues to amaze with a frankly ridiculous record of 20 goals in 14 UEFA Champions League games.

Elsewhere, Paris pair Kylian Mbappé (€11.0m) and Neymar (€11.6m) have scored 12 goals between them in Europe this season while Real Madrid stalwart and four-time UEFA Champions League winner Karim Benzema (€10.4m) has flown a little under the radar but has undeniable pedigree in the latter stages.

Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla)

Sevilla's exit means that there is a spot in many #UCLfantasy managers' teams for a budget striker so, if you’re not looking to load your front line with three premium options, there are a few alternatives to consider.

Porto's Moussa Marega (€7.9m) has helped himself to a couple of goals in the UEFA Champions League this season and he is also one of the few strikers to have gained points from ball recoveries. In terms of starts, some riskier options would be Chelsea's Olivier Giroud (€7.7m) and Paris's budget-enabler Moise Kean (€6.0m), who have scored nine goals between them so far. Kean has plenty of competition for a starting berth but did start and score against Barcelona on Matchday 7, while Giroud hit Sevilla for four on Matchday 5 – good enough for 20 Fantasy points – and will surely be in Thomas Tuchel's thinking for a start on Matchday 9.