Champions League Fantasy Football: What the numbers say

Ahead of Matchday 10, UEFA.com crunches the numbers to find out which players are predicted for big points hauls.

Predicting which Fantasy players are going to perform on any given matchday is a difficult task but a projected points total for each player has been calculated based on their 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 10 are given below. As ever, check possible line-ups and latest team news before making your final selection.

• Popular picks and potential differentials
• Who should be your Fantasy captain for Matchday 10?
• Considering the options for the second legs
• Fantasy team of the week Matchday 9

GOALKEEPERS

Ederson did not face a single shot on goal during the first-leg win at home to Atlético, and although the return in Spain should feature more attacking threat from Diego Simeone's side, the Manchester City No1 finds himself as the highest projected goalkeeper. It is now three successive clean sheets in the competition for the Premier League side having managed none in the group stage.

Liverpool's Alisson Becker, Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid and Bayern's Manuel Neuer are alternative premium options, while Odisseas Vlachodimos continues to offer excellent value. The Benfica keeper has kept a joint-high five clean sheets in this season's UEFA Champions League and his 36 saves is second only to Courtois.

DEFENDERS

The algorithm is once again favouring the Manchester City back line with João Cancelo and Aymeric Laporte featuring prominently. Cancelo has accumulated more Fantasy points than any other defender this season, while Laporte's last three UEFA Champions League appearances have brought 23 points.

While there are other Liverpool defenders who may court attention from #UCLfantasy managers, the algorithm favours Virgil van Dijk due to his quantity of ball recoveries. The Dutchman made nine recoveries against Benfica on Matchday 9, once again showing he can return points even when his team concedes.

Reinildo Mandava is another centre-back who excels in this department, with the Atlético man having made a competition-high 66 ball recoveries so far. If the second leg against Manchester City is anything like the first, Mandava will be a busy man once again.

MIDFIELDERS

Many #UCLfantasy managers were dismayed to see Leroy Sané on the bench for the first leg at Villarreal, a surprise as the German had started in all of Bayern's first eight UEFA Champions League games. Given the defeat, Julian Nagelsmann could well revert to type on Matchday 10.

There was also frustration for those that own Mohamed Salah, as the Liverpool winger failed to register an attacking return for the second UEFA Champions League match in succession. Losing faith in the Egyptian could prove costly, however. As is the case with Sané, the algorithm remains confident in Salah's points potential.

There were goals for Arnaut Danjuma and Kevin De Bruyne on Matchday 9, while Daniel Parejo has gone largely unnoticed despite a remarkably consistent output. Three Player of the Match awards have contributed towards 50 Fantasy points this season, and a budget-friendly price tag makes the 1%-owned midfielder even more appealing.

FORWARDS

UEFA Champions League top scorer Robert Lewandowski has long held top spot when it comes to the projected forwards, but he has finally been dethroned by a man who is now just one goal behind in this season's competition. Karim Benzema's stunning hat-trick against Chelsea in the first leg followed on from his three goals against Paris Saint-Germain on Matchday 8, not to mention four in two Liga games between those matches. The Frenchman has found the net in his last seven games in all competitions, with 13 goals in that period, and is fancied to continue that form on Matchday 10.

Luis Díaz's first UEFA Champions League start for Liverpool ended in a 12-point haul, and another start at Anfield would be most welcome for his new owners. Opponents Benfica have a deadly forward of their own, however, with Darwin Núñez sitting on five goals in the competition and his Fantasy total boosted by a pair of Player of the Match awards.