Champions League Fantasy Football: Defenders
Monday, April 18, 2022
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Manchester City defenders are leading contenders given their four straight clean sheets although Raúl Albiol, Éder Militão and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all also appealing options.
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With four clubs remaining in the UEFA Champions League, UEFA.com highlights a collection of defenders who boast significant appeal on #UCLfantasy, presented by Playstation, ahead of the semi-final first legs.
Manchester City recorded a fourth successive shut-out at Atlético in the quarter-final second leg, so it was no surprise to see John Stones (€5.8m) and Kyle Walker (€5.6m) among the top three points scorers in their position. Stones has started all four of City's knockout stage fixtures, those four clean sheets helping him to 31 Fantasy points, and is perhaps the leading City option for Matchday 11 given Walker was forced off by injury in Madrid.
City are at home to Real Madrid on Matchday 11 and will be deprived of João Cancelo through suspension, but Aymeric Laporte (€5.6m) represents an excellent option for those looking for a Cancelo replacement. Laporte, like Stones, has started in every knockout fixture this season, although the return from injury of Rúben Dias (€6.1m) means that waiting for the City line-up is a wise strategy for #UCLfantasy managers.
Of the five highest-scoring defenders remaining in the competition, two play for Villarreal, who conceded just one goal in ousting Bayern in the quarter-finals. Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool lie between the Spanish side and the final and, although shutting out the Reds at Anfield on Matchday 11 will prove a formidable assignment, that shouldn't lessen the #UCLfantasy appeal of Raúl Albiol (€5.6m). The 36-year-old has accumulated 62 ball recoveries in this season's competition, the most of any defender still involved, and could therefore still emerge with a healthy points total even if Villarreal concede.
Sitting just behind Albiol in the ball recovery charts, on 58, is Éder Militão (€5.9m). The Brazilian was suspended for Matchday 10, but is expected to return to the Real Madrid side as they travel to Manchester City. The reigning Premier League champions have scored just once across their last three UEFA Champions League fixtures so owners of Militão can hope for a clean sheet as well as ball recovery points.
Liverpool advanced to the semi-finals following a two-legged quarter-final triumph over Benfica but failed to shut out the Portuguese side across the last two matchdays, conceding four goals. However, this is unlikely to deter #UCLfantasy managers from owning Liverpool defenders, particularly given their attacking prowess.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (€6.9m) and Virgil van Dijk (€6.4m) were both left out of the starting line-up in the quarter-final second leg and both will no doubt be restored for the home game with Villarreal on Matchday 11. Not only will this improve Liverpool from a defensive perspective, but Alexander-Arnold in particular poses a significant offensive threat, with three assists in the UEFA Champions League so far this season.