Champions League Fantasy Football: What the numbers say

Predicting which Fantasy players are going to perform on any 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 major parameters used in our projections.

The top projected players for each position for Matchday 2 are given below. As ever, check the latest team news and possible line-ups before making your final choice.

GOALKEEPERS

At the time of writing, Bayern have kept four clean sheets in their last five games in all competitions – including their 3-0 win at Barcelona on Matchday 1 – so Manuel Neuer is the strongest #UCLfantasy goalkeeper for Matchday 2, according to the projections.

Edouard Mendy helped Chelsea keep a clean sheet against Zenit and should line up on Matchday 2 providing he recovers from a rib injury, while the budget-conscious might want to consider Wolfsburg's Koen Casteels. The German outfit – who face Sevilla – have the joint best defensive record in the Bundesliga at present and kept Group G opponents LOSC Lille at bay in their opening fixture.

DEFENDERS

Joshua Kimmich recorded a modest five #UCLfantasy points on Matchday 1 but, with the algorithm factoring in past European performances as well as domestic form, the Bayern man is projected to perform even better against Dynamo Kyiv. Kimmich scored twice in a recent Bundesliga fixture, illustrating his considerable attacking threat, and owners will be banking on him translating that form into the UEFA Champions League.

Fellow Bundesliga side Dortmund boast two attractive #UCLfantasy defensive assets in Thomas Meunier and Raphaël Guerreiro, with both making attacking contributions against Union Berlin in the league match that followed the Matchday 1 victory at Beşiktaş.

Paris full-back Achraf Hakimi is another option famed for his attacking potential and has recorded three goals and two assists in all competitions for his new club this season, including a match-winning double against Metz on 22 September. At €2.0m cheaper though, compatriot Noussair Mazraoui could be the one to opt for. After provided an assist on Matchday 1, the full-back went on to score in successive Eredivisie games and could deliver further returns in an attack-minded Ajax side.

MIDFIELDERS

Jude Bellingham played a starring role for Dortmund on Matchday 1, a goal and an assist contributing to him being named Player of the Match to bring in an additional three #UCLfantasy points. The Englishman tops the projections for Matchday 2 as a result although the top-scoring midfielder so far is Christopher Nkunku, who on Matchday 1 became the first Leipzig player to score a UEFA Champions League hat-trick, although he was also only the fourth player in the competition's history to score three goals in a losing cause.

The three most expensive midfielders in #UCLfantasy – all Premier League players – feature in the projections. Mohamed Salah, Bruno Fernandes and Kevin De Bruyne each gained a slightly underwhelming five points last time out but their consistency keeps them in the reckoning for Matchday 2. Owners of the cheapest midfielder on this list, Jorginho, will be hoping a penalty comes Chelsea's way at Juventus.

FORWARDS

It's largely a list of familiar faces when it comes to the top projected forwards, with many of Europe's leading strikers finding the net in their respective club's openers. Robert Lewandowski, Erling Haaland and Cristiano Ronaldo are up and running already and have home fixtures on Matchday 2.

Sébastien Haller is a new name in the list following his sensational performance against Sporting CP that earned the Ajax striker a matchday-high of 21 points. Team-mate Dušan Tadić, meanwhile, will be looking to get off the mark in the competition after being amongst the goals in the Eredivisie recently.

Karim Adeyemi had an eventful Matchday 1 having earned three penalties in Salzburg's 1-1 draw with Sevilla. Despite missing the one spot kick he took himself, his overall performance earned him the Player of the Match award and he represents excellent value ahead of the Austrian side's Matchday 2 meeting with LOSC Lille.