Who should be my Champions League Fantasy Football captain for Matchday 8?

UEFA.com, presented by PlayStation, assesses the credentials of four #UCLfantasy captaincy options ahead of the second legs in the round of 16.

TUESDAY 8 MARCH

Robert Lewandowski (€12.1m) vs Salzburg (H)

The first leg in Austria proved to be a frustrating evening for Lewandowski and his Bayern team-mates, with a late Kingsley Coman strike salvaging a draw for the German champions. It was a rare blank for Lewandowski and his many #UCLfantasy owners but keeping faith in the Polish forward could be a wise move for the return leg on Matchday 8. Bayern have scored 13 goals in their three home UEFA Champions League games this season, and Lewandowski has been involved in over half of those. Such compelling numbers will surely mean the 33-year-old is heavily captained on the opening night of Matchday 8.

Other options: Leroy Sané (€9.5m), Mohamed Salah (€11.0m), Virgil van Dijk (€6.1m)

WEDNESDAY 9 MARCH

Kylian Mbappé (€11.0m) vs Real Madrid (A)

Just one moment of magic that separated Paris and Real Madrid in the first leg, and the provider of that inspiration was no surprise. With the contest fizzling out into a stalemate, Mbappé took centre stage to give the Ligue 1 side a priceless advantage heading into the second leg, and placing the armband on the French superstar could be an astute move for #UCLfantasy managers. With Real behind in the tie and needing to apply pressure, Paris could have some joy on the counterattack and there is no player more deadly in that scenario than Mbappé, who has scored 15 goals in his last 13 appearances in all competitions.

Other options: Lionel Messi (€11.4m), Karim Benzema (€10.4m), Gabriel Jesus (€8.8m)

TUESDAY 15 MARCH

Sébastien Haller (€9.4m) vs Benfica (H)

The first leg was an eventful one for the competition's top scorer, who managed to score at both ends in Ajax's 2-2 draw with Benfica. Despite a four-point return being his lowest #UCLfantasy score of the season, Haller still kept up his streak of finding the net in every UEFA Champions League fixture for Ajax this season, so he remains one of the most reliable assets to own. In their own back yard, Ajax are goal-hungry to say the least with 31 in their last six matches in all competitions at Johan Cruijff ArenA. What that in mind, Haller is the standout captaincy choice for the Dutch side on Matchday 8.

Other options: Dušan Tadić (€9.2m), Bruno Fernandes (€10.9m), Cristiano Ronaldo (€11.5m)

WEDNESDAY 16 MARCH

Thiago Silva (€5.7m) vs LOSC Lille (A)

Chelsea were typically resolute at the back in their first-leg win against LOSC as they kept a fifth clean sheet of the UEFA Champions League campaign. As is often the case, Thiago Silva was at the heart of their defensive organisation, putting in a commanding performance that brought him ten #UCLfantasy points. His 14 ball recoveries was comfortably the most of any player on Matchday 7 and despite only starting five of his side's seven games so far, he leads that particular statistic when it comes to Chelsea defenders. #UCLfantasy managers who have failed to select a profitable captain by this point could do a lot worse than to put their faith in the experienced Brazilian centre-back.

Other options: Kai Havertz (€9.1m), Dušan Vlahović (€9.5m), Arnaut Danjuma (€7.0m)