Champions League Fantasy Football: Midfielders

UEFA.com looks at a selection of midfielders that managers on #UCLfantasy, presented by Playstation, will be eyeing up ahead of Matchday 11.

• Defenders in focus
• Goalkeeper options
• Fantasy team of the week Matchday 10

Despite remaining the highest points scorer among midfielders, Mohamed Salah (€11.2m) owners were once again left disappointed on Matchday 10 as the Egyptian failed to register an attacking return for the third straight UEFA Champions League fixture. It's worth noting, however, that Salah began from the bench due to Liverpool’s first-leg lead over Benfica, which allowed boss Jürgen Klopp to rotate his squad. He will almost certainly return to the Reds’ starting line-up against Villarreal on Matchday 11 and represents an expensive but potentially lucrative selection for #UCLfantasy managers.

However, team-mate Sadio Mané (€10.5m) may well prove a shrewder pick in midfield due to his current superior form in front of goal. At the time of writing, the Senegalese international has scored four goals in his last three starts in all competitions.

Due to Salah having failed to significantly add to his overall #UCLfantasy score on recent matchdays, a number of midfielders are closing in on his current points total. One of those hot on his heels is Arnaut Danjuma (€7.6m), who has been deployed largely as a striker by head coach Unai Emery throughout Villarreal's UEFA Champions League campaign. Danjuma has produced six goals, two assists and 64 Fantasy points so far, and his pace will pose a huge threat to the Liverpool back line at Anfield on Matchday 11.

Danjuma's Villarreal team-mates Étienne Capoue (€6.8m) and Daniel Parejo (€8.0m) both offer multiple #UCLfantasy point-scoring avenues. Capoue has racked up two goals, two assists and 54 ball recoveries, the latter accounting for 14 of his 52 points so far, while Parejo boasts a goal, an assist and 26 points in the knockout stage alone.

Manchester City's star midfield performer across their quarter-final triumph against Atlético was Kevin De Bruyne (€11.1m), who scored the only goal of the tie on Matchday 9, while Riyad Mahrez (€9.7m) should court plenty of interest having accumulated six goals and one assist in the competition to date, with his #UCLfantasy score of 57 points bettered by just two other active midfielders. Bernardo Silva (€7.8m) is also worth considering, after proving his attacking worth on Matchday 7 with a hat-trick and 19 #UCLfantasy points in City's win at Sporting CP.

Luka Modrić (€8.4m) produced a masterclass to help Real Madrid overcome Chelsea in the quarter-finals to set up the tie against City. An assist, plus a Player of the Match award, earned Modrić nine #UCLfantasy points, while team-mate Casemiro (€7.4m) picked up four points in the same fixture. Although the Brazilian is not renowned for his attacking returns, his strong ball recovery skills make him a smart #UCLfantasy purchase. No midfielder who could feature on Matchday 11 has gained more ball recoveries than Casemiro's 57, which account for 16 of his total 35 Fantasy points.