Champions League Fantasy Football: Defenders

UEFA.com focuses on a selection of top-performing defenders with a specific emphasis on those who may prove attractive picks for Matchday 6 on #UCLfantasy, presented by Playstation.

It was a very successful Matchday 5 for Chelsea defenders as Thomas Tuchel's side triumphed 4-0 over Juventus. Both Trevoh Chalobah (€4.3m) and Reece James (€5.3m) finished among the top three highest scoring #UCLfantasy defenders, accruing 15 and 14 points respectively after both found the net at Stamford Bridge. The Blues have conceded just one goal across the entire group stage so far and whilst they have already sealed their spot in the round of 16, any of their defenders who are awarded a starting berth away to Zenit on Matchday 6 should prove enticing #UCLfantasy assets. With a busy fixture schedule ahead, rotation is likely and it would be no surprise if the likes of César Azpilicueta (€5.6m) and Andreas Christensen (€5.7m) were to start after both were named on the bench against Juventus.

The only non-Chelsea defender who ranked among the top six highest scoring #UCLfantasy players on Matchday 5 was Nicolás Otamendi (€5.0m), who played a starring role in Benfica's hard-fought 0-0 draw at Barcelona. The Argentinian racked up 16 ball recoveries, the most of any player on Matchday 5, leading to him being named the Player of the Match and accumulating 14 Fantasy points. Benfica know that victory at home to Dynamo Kyiv on Matchday 6 would see them through to the knockout stage provided Barcelona fail to beat Bayern in Germany. They will be doing everything possible to secure their fourth clean sheet of the group stage and when also taking into account Otamendi's attacking threat from set pieces, his #UCLfantasy points potential is undeniable.

Whilst Ajax's Daley Blind (€5.6m) picked up just two #UCLfantasy points on Matchday 5, the 31-year-old remains the second highest points scorer among defenders so far this season. Ajax are yet to concede at home in the group stage with Blind acquiring 29 points across their two home Group C fixtures, including a goal and an assist, to help him to an overall tally of 37 points.

Successive Group G victories have put LOSC in an excellent position to qualify for the knockout stage, with just a point needed at Wolfsburg on Matchday 6. The French champions are certain to prioritise defensive stability, which makes their defenders even more appealing from a #UCLfantasy perspective.

Both José Fonte (€5.6m) and Reinildo Mandava (€5.2m) have been in excellent form recently, each picking up 16 points across the last two matchdays. The ball recovery prowess of both players has helped lead to their significant point hauls with Fonte completing 16 ball recoveries across Matchdays 4 and 5, whilst Mandava managed an impressive 26. This, alongside their clean sheet potential, should make them well worth consideration in the eyes of #UCLfantasy managers.