UCL Fantasy Football: Forwards

With two English teams set to fight it out for European supremacy, the choices are narrowing down in terms of #UCLfantasy options but UEFA.com are on hand to examine the remaining forwards.

Those looking for a #UCLfantasy asset among Manchester City forwards have been left with little to choose from in recent matchdays, with Josep Guardiola preferring to deploy a formation that suits the utilisation of a midfield player as a false nine in the form of either Bernardo Silva or Kevin De Bruyne. Such a tactic has flourished as the new Premier League champions have advanced through the knockout stage and into the final, with their latest triumph a 2-0 win over Paris in the semi-final second leg.

However, regardless of whether Guardiola chooses to field a side with no registered strikers against Chelsea, two Manchester City forwards are still well worth considering from a #UCLfantasy perspective. Sergio Agüero (€9.6m) is set to make his final appearance in a City shirt and the club's all-time record goalscorer has never won the UEFA Champions League, so what better way to finish than by playing a part in lifting the one trophy that has eluded him during his ten years in Manchester?

Whilst Agüero seems unlikely to start in Porto, it would be a surprise if he is not at least brought off on the bench over the course of the match and with extra time a possibility, the stage could be set for one more famous Agüero goal. One thing is for certain; it's unlikely to be a Panenka penalty, following his miss from the spot against Chelsea in the Premier League on 8 May.

Another forward who could feature in the final is Gabriel Jesus (€9.2m), a scorer of two goals in this season’s competition. The 24-year-old came off the bench to score all the way back on Matchday 3 and his fresh legs could play a crucial role in the latter stages of the final, assuming he is brought on as a substitute. As always, waiting for team news will be crucial for #UCLfantasy managers, particularly in the case of the Brazilian, whose last start came on Matchday 7 where he found the net in a 2-0 win against Mönchengladbach, accruing a total of seven Fantasy points. Should Jesus make an unlikely start on Matchday 13, he will become a very attractive #UCLfantasy proposition indeed.

For Chelsea, one name clearly stands out among their forwards as an enticing #UCLfantasy option. After making a slow start to life in West London following his summer move from Leipzig, Timo Werner (€10.4m) looks to be hitting form at just the right time for Thomas Tuchel's side. The German has enjoyed a solid first UEFA Champions League campaign at Chelsea, accumulating six attacking returns and 46 #UCLfantasy points, the most of any forward remaining in the competition.

Werner got his fourth European goal this season on Matchday 12, scoring the opener in his team’s 2-0 second leg win against Real Madrid, and backed that up with an assist three days later in Chelsea's 2-1 Premier League victory away at City in a dress rehearsal for the final. Whilst waiting for team news is of paramount importance, there is a strong chance that Werner may be the only forward who plays from the start on Matchday 13. Therefore, he is likely to prove exceedingly popular with #UCLfantasy managers looking to cover that position.

For anyone looking for a second forward asset among the Chelsea ranks, Olivier Giroud (€7.4m) represents the only other viable option. Giroud's last start in the UEFA Champions League came on Matchday 7, where he acquired six #UCLfantasy points after scoring the only goal in Chelsea's 1-0 win against Atlético. In fact, Giroud boasts an incredible starting record this season, having scored five goals in his only two European starts after scoring four times against Sevilla on Matchday 5.

With an extremely impressive 26 Fantasy points accumulated over the course of those two starts, Giroud would become arguably the most attractive #UCLfantasy option available on Matchday 13 should Chelsea boss Tuchel surprise everyone and name the World Cup winner in his starting line-up. The likelihood however, is that Giroud appears from the bench, although when taking into account his threat from set-pieces along with the possibility of extra time, it would be a mistake to write him off as a credible #UCLfantasy asset.