UCL Fantasy Football: The Scout squad

With little to separate the four semi-finalists, the Scout has considered the possible significance of home advantage when picking the squad for the second legs.

Goalkeepers

The two semi-finals are finely poised and – though home advantage has been less of a consideration than usual this season – the respective defensive records of Manchester City and Chelsea mean their goalkeepers seem to be the sensible selections for the second legs. Ederson (€6.0m) ended a run of five games without a clean sheet in all competitions at Crystal Palace on Saturday but has managed six in ten in this season's UEFA Champions League; Edouard Mendy (€5.5m) has kept 24 clean sheets in his 39 Chelsea appearances in all competitions including 14 in his last 20 and also managed a shut-out at the weekend.

Defenders

With none of the four semi-finalists managing a clean sheet in the first legs, it's perhaps better to save funds where possible among the back line and budget options don't come much better priced than Oleksandr Zinchenko (€4.4m). As ever with Manchester City assets there is the risk of rotation, but the Ukrainian is a low-risk option who could pick up points at both ends of the field if selected. Zinchenko's City team-mate John Stones (€5.2m) is a more likely starter having played 90 minutes of the first leg, his fourth successive appearance in this season's knockout rounds. Chelsea pair César Azpilicueta (€5.4m) and Antonio Rüdiger (€4.9m) both sat out the weekend Premier League win – in the case of the latter, with a minor knock that is unlikely to threaten his participation at home to Real Madrid – so are likely to return refreshed to the side, while Nacho (€5.0m) is again the chosen representative from a Madrid defence that has kept five clean sheets in their last six fixtures, the exception the first game against Chelsea.

Midfielders

There is a stand-out attacking option in midfield in the shape of Kevin De Bruyne (€11.4m) who is likely to once again start as a false nine at home to Paris Saint-Germain. The Belgian has scored in three of his last four UEFA Champions League appearances – picking up 27 Fantasy points from those games alone – and looks to be his team's most obvious threat. De Bruyne's price forces compromises elsewhere, however; with both Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden proving too expensive as a result, İlkay Gündoğan (€6.9m) is the other Manchester City midfield selection. The ball-recovery potential of N'Golo Kanté (€5.5m) and Jorginho (€6.3m) means that the Chelsea pair both make the cut, and similar criteria gives Casemiro (€6.3m) the nod – exactly half (24) of the Real Madrid man's 48 points in Fantasy this season have come from ball recoveries.

Forwards

As with the first leg, the probable starters up front are all top-priced Fantasy assets, meaning some tough decisions need to be made. The inclusion of De Bruyne means no funds for both Neymar and Kylian Mbappé (€11.2m) – the latter, who has scored in Paris's last seven away games in all competitions, and has a remarkable 14 goals in that run, is the favoured choice. Similarly Karim Benzema (€10.4m), who scored Real Madrid's goal at home to Chelsea, is in a rich vein of form with 16 goals in 22 games in all competitions this year and, with the Spanish side needing a goal at Stamford Bridge, could be the man to provide it. Chelsea's forward line is harder to predict but Timo Werner (€10.5m), who set up their first-leg goal, has started four of their five knockout games this season and could well be included again.