#UCL Fantasy Football Matchday 10: 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 main parameters used in our projections.

The top projected players for each position for Matchday 10 are given below. As ever, check latest team news before making your final selection.

GOALKEEPERS

Edouard Mendy naturally tops the projected goalkeepers list once more with Chelsea having been the only team to record a clean sheet on Matchday 9. The Blues are yet to concede a goal in the knockout stage and this makes Mendy an obvious choice for #UCLfantasy managers. An alternative option on the opening gameday could be Keylor Navas though, as the Paris stopper accrued four points in the first leg despite conceding twice to Bayern. Navas's tally was topped up by the fact he made ten saves and over the course of the tournament he has added an extra 13 points to his tally purely from his shot-stopping.

Manchester City know that a clean sheet against Dortmund on Matchday 10 will send them through to the semi-finals. That’s easier said than done of course, but Josep Guardiola's men have only conceded two goals in the UEFA Champions League this season and it will be a tall order for Haaland and Co to find a way past Ederson again.

DEFENDERS

The dependable César Azpilicueta is predicted to be the most reliable asset on Matchday 10 and he is joined in the top five by Chelsea team-mate Ben Chilwell. The left-back would be projected higher would it not be for the fact Thomas Tuchel often rotates him with Marcos Alonso but Chilwell showed his Fantasy worth by returning 13 points on Matchday 9 – more than any other player.

The Paris-Bayern second leg has the potential to be another high-octane goalfest, so the inclusion of Joshua Kimmich is more to do with his attacking output than the likelihood of clean sheet points. The versatile German has amassed five attacking returns in his six UEFA Champions League appearances this season – a goal and four assists – and largely lives up to his hefty price tag.

Although João Cancelo and Rúben Dias are more commonly found in #UCLfantasy back lines, Kyle Walker should not be overlooked as the English full-back has been quietly racking up some solid scores. With clean sheets difficult to come by at this stage, ball recoveries become even more important when it comes to picking up those extra points and Walker has excelled in that area, averaging 6.6 per appearance in Europe this season.

MIDFIELDERS

Kevin De Bruyne topped the projected midfielders list ahead of Matchday 9 and he duly delivered so he naturally retains that spot for the return leg against Dortmund. The Belgian has now been directly involved in six goals in his four appearances in the competition and will no doubt feature prominently on Matchday 10.

Luka Modrić makes his first appearance in the projections this season but it has been a long time coming as the Real Madrid star has scored five or more #UCLfantasy points in every game since Matchday 4. The Croatian has been particularly effective in the knockout stage, having registered an assist in each of his last three games.

Premier League pair Mohamed Salah and Mason Mount were both on the scoresheet on Matchday 9 for their respective clubs while Matchday 10 brings the return of Sérgio Oliveira from suspension. The generously-priced Porto midfielder has been the Portuguese side's main source of goals in the UEFA Champions League this season with an excellent return of five goals in seven appearances.

FORWARDS

It feels as if you simply can’t go without Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland in your #UCLfantasy team as the pair continue to rack up the points for their many owners. While Haaland failed to score for the first time in the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League on Matchday 9, he still managed an assist, while Mbappé is on fire right now with his double against Bayern on taking him to eight goals in the competition this season – two behind Haaland. Neymar is of course a viable option too as the Brazilian is averaging 8.2 #UCLfantasy points per game in the current UEFA Champions League campaign – a statistic only bettered by Haaland when it comes to forwards.

Coming in at almost half the cost of that premium trio is Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who spearheaded Bayern’s attack on Matchday 9 and is likely to do so again in the second leg. The ex-Paris forward seems to enjoy the big stage as half of his goals this season have come in the UEFA Champions League and he is the obvious choice for #UCLfantasy managers when it comes to a cost-friendly third striker.