Champions League Fantasy Football: The Scout squad for Matchday 3

Two matches into this season's UEFA Champions League and a number of players have already staked their credentials in #UCLfantasy, presented by Playstation. The Scout's squad for Matchday 3 is largely based around those who have already picked up large points hauls, although several others who have been includedwill be looking to boost their totals this week.

Goalkeepers

Clean sheets have been relatively common in the group stage so far, with 11 sides managing a Matchday 1 shut-out and ten in the second round of fixtures, although with only four clubs – Shakhtar, Bayern, Benfica and Juventus – keeping two clean sheets to date, identifying the goalkeepers who could deliver large points hauls may prove hard than it initially appears. Sheriff's Giorgos Athanasiadis (€4.6m) is the top-scoring keeper on the game so far with 15 points and is selected for the game away to an Inter side who are still to score. Wednesday's pick is Edouard Mendy (€6.0m), with holders Chelsea welcoming a Malmö side who have also not yet found the net in this season's competition.

Defenders

Such has been Sheriff's impact in this season's competition that Cristiano (€4.7m), who has picked up a bumper 21 points so far, the joint highest total among defenders, gets the nod despite that potentially tricky trip to Inter, while César Azpilicueta (€5.1m) is included given Chelsea's appealing home fixture against Malmö.

Selecting a Manchester City defender is always risky given the potential for rotation, but Aymeric Laporte (€5.0m) looks a relatively safe bet for the game at Club Brugge having started their last three Premier League games and also played 90 minutes on Matchday 2. The two remaining defenders are picked for their attacking potential in the Dortmund-Ajax contest; Thomas Meunier (€5.1m) has picked up 15 points so far, one more than Noussair Mazraoui (€4.5m) with both players having one clean sheet and one assist to their names already.

Midfielders

A trip to Atlético de Madrid would not normally lead to inclusion in the Scout squad – the Spanish side have lost only one of the last 30 European matches in their own stadium – but with Mohamed Salah (€10.5m) having scored in his last seven Liverpool games, there is an exception to every rule as the Egyptian looks to add to his 21 #UCLfantasy points to date. Just behind Salah in the scoring charts is Dortmund's Jude Bellingham (€7.2m), who has a goal and two assists to his name already, while Sheriff's Adama Traoré (€5.7m) is belying his price tag to sit sixth on the highest-scoring midfielders chart with 16 points thanks mainly to a goal and an assist.

Manchester City's Phil Foden (€8.0m) picked up a single point from each of the first two UEFA Champions League appearances this season but has a goal and an assist in his two Premier League games since Matchday 2, suggesting bigger returns may be on the cards. Noah Okafor (€5.0m) could prove to be a useful budget differential as part of a Salzburg team that has scored 46 goals already this season, the 21-year-old supplying six of them.

Forwards

Okafor's Salzburg team-mate Karim Adeyemi (€7.1m) is fast proving a hugely useful selection up front; not only does his price allow for funds to be reallocated elsewhere but his total of 24 points so far is the third highest among all players ahead of the visit of a Wolfsburg side who have conceded eight goals in their last three Bundesliga games.

With only Robert Lewandowski among the premium-priced forwards in the top eight in terms of points after two rounds of matches, the Scout had plumped for two pedigree players with enticing home games. Romelu Lukaku (€10.5m) got Chelsea's winner on the opening night but is without a goal in his last five club appearances so the visit of a Malmö side that have conceded seven times already could be just the thing to rediscover his scoring touch; Leipzig are the only side to have shipped more than Malmö, with eight, meaning Lionel Messi (€11.0m) can be optimistic of adding to his solitary Paris Saint-Germain goal, scored on Matchday 2.