Champions League Fantasy Football: Matchday 12 options

With three free transfers available for #UCLfantasy managers ahead of Matchday 12, UEFA.com weighs up some of the most enticing #UCLfantasy assets in all positions going into those all-important semi-final second legs.

• Fantasy team of the week Matchday 11

GOALKEEPERS

Only one of the four goalkeepers managed to keep a clean sheet on Matchday 11, with Alisson Becker (€6.4m) not needing to make a save as Liverpool overcame Villarreal 2-0 at Anfield. The Reds have proven extremely difficult for opposing teams to breach recently and have recorded three consecutive shut-outs in all competitions. Opposing keeper Gerónimo Rulli (€5.3m) will need to be at his very best if Villarreal are to overturn a two-goal deficit in Spain.

Ederson (€6.3m) and Thibaut Courtois (€6.7m) could only manage one #UCLfantasy point between them on Matchday 11 as Manchester City edged Real Madrid in a 4-3 thriller. It would be no surprise to see a similarly attacking contest on Matchday 12 as the two meet again in Madrid. Although the clean-sheet prospects of neither keeper are high, each could accumulate a high number of saves, which offers an alternative avenue towards points.

DEFENDERS

Liverpool shutting out Villarreal on Matchday 11 will have been celebrated by the numerous #UCLfantasy managers who had doubled, if not tripled up on the Reds' back line. Trent Alexander-Arnold (€6.9m), Virgil van Dijk (€6.4m) and Ibrahima Konaté (€5.7m) all delivered decent totals, Konaté registering a second successive eight-point score. The Frenchman appears to have established himself as Jürgen Klopp's preferred partner for Van Dijk in the UEFA Champions League, and with two goals across the last three matchdays, stands out as an ideal Matchday 12 transfer for those managers looking to bring in a new defender.

After missing out on Matchday 11 through suspension, João Cancelo (€6.7m) is expected to regain his place in the Manchester City starting line-up for their second leg in Madrid. The attacking full-back remains comfortably the highest-scoring defender in terms of #UCLfantasy points, and his presence should help City tighten up defensively. On the opposing side, Ferland Mendy (€5.8m) may have been part of a Real Madrid defence that shipped four goals in Manchester, but the full-back did deliver an assist and his tendency to roam forward makes him an enticing #UCLfantasy option for Matchday 12.

MIDFIELDERS

If you were an owner of multiple Manchester City midfielders, then the likelihood is that Matchday 11 was a lucrative one. Of the three players in all positions who gained double-figure point returns, two came from the City midfield in the form of Kevin De Bruyne (€11.2m) and Bernardo Silva (€7.9m), who both found the net against Real Madrid. Although De Bruyne also managed an assist, Bernardo was named Player of the Match, with Phil Foden (€8.2m) also on the scoresheet for the Premier League leaders, and all three represent attractive Matchday 12 options.

With Villarreal needing to overhaul a two-goal deficit to reach the UEFA Champions League final, Unai Emery is likely to have to sacrifice his team's celebrated defensive security in a bid to prove more of an attacking force against Liverpool on Matchday 12. This could benefit Arnaut Danjuma (€7.8m), who should be afforded more support by his team-mates going forward, although it may also bode well for owners of Liverpool assets such as Mohamed Salah (€11.2m) and Sadio Mané (€10.5m), who will each prove huge threats on the counterattack.

FORWARDS

Continuing his exceptional form in this season's UEFA Champions League knockout stage, Karim Benezema (€10.7m) added another ten points to his #UCLfantasy total on Matchday 11, his third double-figure score across the last four matchdays after contributing two of Real Madrid's three goals at Manchester City. If Carlo Ancelotti's side are to turn their semi-final tie around, their star striker will need to be on top form once again. But with nine goals and 50 Fantasy points in his last four European appearances, it would take a brave #UCLfantasy manager not to include Benzema on Matchday 12.

Benzema isn't the only Real Madrid forward worthy of consideration, with Vinícius Júnior (€9.1m) also finding the net in the first leg. The Brazilian has gained an attacking return in each of his last four UEFA Champions League appearances and may represent a shrewd Matchday 12 transfer. Elsewhere, Gabriel Jesus (€8.5m) was another Brazilian on target on Matchday 11, and the in-form Manchester City man could well feature again in the return leg against Real Madrid.