UCL Fantasy Football popular picks and potential differentials

Ahead of Matchday 9, UEFA.com looks at some sought after picks, as well as those who could spring a surprise.

GOALKEEPERS

Popular pick

Edouard Mendy (€5.2m) vs Porto
Chelsea have established themselves as one of the strongest defensive units in European football since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel. Under the German's stewardship, the Blues have amassed 12 clean sheets from 14 games in all competitions, with their last seven matches all ending in shutouts. Unsurprisingly this has led to goalkeeper Mendy becoming a popular #UCLfantasy pick for Matchday 9, with the Senegalese stopper having been in scintillating form throughout his first season in the competition. Mendy has already kept six clean sheets, recording 20 saves and racking up 42 #UCLfantasy points, the most of all remaining goalkeepers who are still involved.
Owned by 19%

Potential differential

Alisson Becker (€5.9m) vs Real Madrid
Whilst injuries to key personnel have contributed to Liverpool's defensive struggles in the Premier League, it has been a different story entirely in the UEFA Champions League as they have kept six clean sheets in their eight games. After missing Matchdays 5 and 6, Alisson returned between for Liverpool's round of 16 tie against Leipzig. The Brazilian international hugely impressed, preventing the Bundesliga side from scoring over two legs in a 4-0 aggregate victory. Alisson is expected to be busy once again on Matchday 9 as Liverpool face Real Madrid in their quarter-final first leg. However, at 3% ownership, he may prove a valuable differential selection with a small pool of goalkeepers to choose from at this stage.
Owned by 3%

DEFENDERS

Popular pick

Trent Alexander-Arnold (€6.7m) vs Real Madrid
Despite Liverpool's domestic travails, one player who has remained a popular #UCLfantasy choice throughout the campaign has been defender Alexander-Arnold. The right-back has provided his high ownership with Fantasy points both in defence and going forward, with five clean sheets supplemented by two assists over the course of his six UEFA Champions League appearances. That has brought him 50 points in total, making Alexander-Arnold the joint highest scoring #UCLfantasy defender heading into the quarter-final stage. The England international's ability from set-pieces could prove crucial in Liverpool's quest to unlock the Madrid defence, which brings both goal and assist potential. Combine that with the Premier League side's clean sheet numbers in this season’s UEFA Champions League and it’s easy to see why the 22-year-old is highly owned going into Matchday 9.
Owned by 21%

Potential differential

Alessandro Florenzi (€5.0m) vs Bayern
Florenzi has started in all of Paris's eight matches in this season's competition and Maurizio Pochettino's side will head to Munich desperate to keep a clean sheet in the first leg of their quarter-final. The Italian full-back has been part of a defence who have recorded just two shut-outs in eight games but, with 33 completed ball recoveries , Florenzi has managed to accrue an extra nine points for his small ownership, giving him a total score of 32 points. Whilst the ball recovery system provides Florenzi with a welcome avenue for points accumulation, the absence of injured Bayern forward Robert Lewandowski significantly boosts his and Paris's prospects of keeping a clean sheet on Matchday 9.
Owned by 2%

MIDFIELDERS

Popular pick

Casemiro (€6.3m) vs Liverpool
After sitting Matchday 8 due to suspension, Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro is expected to return to the starting line-up against Liverpool on Matchday 9. The Brazilian has picked up a large number of #UCLfantasy owners due to his ball-winning ability, as he has recorded the highest amount of ball recoveries of all the midfielders involved in the quarter-finals (53). Those recoveries have meant his Fantasy score has risen by a massive 16 points as a result, but it is also worth taking into account the midfielder's attacking threat having registered both a goal and an assist during the group stage. These factors combine to make Casemiro a highly-fancied Fantasy option for Matchday 9.
Owned by 17%

Potential differential

Kevin De Bruyne (€11.3m) vs Dortmund
Whilst De Bruyne has not featured as much as might have been expected for Manchester City in this season’s UEFA Champions League due to injury problems, the Belgian midfielder has shone whenever he has taken to the field. From his three European starts on Matchdays 2, 3 and 8, De Bruyne has acquired ten-point scores on each occasion with one goal and four assists to his name, meaning that he has hugely rewarded his low #UCLfantasy ownership on those rare appearances. Manchester City enter the quarter-final stage with De Bruyne is expected to be one of the first names on Josep Guardiola's teamsheet, and the midfielder looks an extremely enticing, if somewhat unexpected, differential pick for Matchday 9.
Owned by 6%

FORWARDS

Popular pick

Kylian Mbappé (€11.0m) vs Bayern
One of the stars of the round of 16, Mbappé played the main role for Paris in eliminating Barcelona after his first-leg hat-trick was backed up by another goal on Matchday 8 to help the Parisians advance to the quarter-finals. The 22-year-old is in scintillating UEFA Champions League form, having racked up six goals and an assist in Paris's last three European matches, giving him a total of 33 #UCLfantasy points from those fixtures alone. Overall Mbappé has a score of 47 points, behind only Dortmund's Erling Haaland among the forwards. Owners of the French superstar will be expecting him to add to that tally against Bayern on Matchday 9. The defending champions failed to keep a clean sheet in either leg of their round of 16 tie against Lazio and Mbappé will no doubt provide a huge goalscoring threat on the counterattack in particular.
Owned by 27%

Potential differential

Karim Benzema (€10.4m) vs Liverpool
After recovering from an injury that kept him out of the Real Madrid side for their round of 16 first-leg win away at Atalanta, Benzema played a crucial role in the second leg on Matchday 8, hitting his fifth UEFA Champions League goal of the season in a 3-1 win. The 33-year-old forward has found the net three times in his last two UEFA Champions League fixtures, accruing 18 #UCLfantasy points over the course of those 180 minutes, and he has excelled in front of goal recently by scoring in each of his last six appearances in all competitions, racking up eight goals in that time and 23 over the course of the season. Given such compelling statistics, the Frenchman represents a shrewd differential option.
Owned by 6%