Champions League Fantasy Football: Goalkeepers

With just two teams left in this season's UEFA Champions League, the choices are narrowing down in terms of options for #UCLfantasy, presented by PlayStation. Here, UEFA.com assesses the point-scoring credentials of the remaining goalkeepers for the final.

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Judging by #UCLfantasy performance over the course of the season, it is Thibaut Courtois (€6.7m) who appears to be the stronger option at first glance. The Real Madrid No1 has played every minute of Champions League action this season, helping his side keep four clean sheets.

The Belgian's main appeal, however, is the number of saves he has made, his total of 52 significantly outweighing his opposite number and earning the Belgian international an additional 13 #UCLfantasy points, while his Matchday 7 penalty save against Paris Saint-Germain and Player of the Match performance against Manchester City on Matchday 12 further boosted his overall total. Owned by 20% of Fantasy managers, Courtois has 57 points for the season at an average of 4.8 per game.

• Fantasy tips for the final
• Fantasy Team of the Week: Matchday 12

At the other end, Alisson Becker (€6.4m) will be seeking his second Champions League winners' medal after success with Liverpool in 2018/19. The Brazilian kept a clean sheet in that final and has four clean sheets already in the competition this season. Liverpool have conceded 13 goals in the Champions League this term, one fewer than Real Madrid, while the Premier League side have kept two clean sheets in the knockout stage to their opponents' zero.

The ownership levels of both goalkeepers are almost identical so there is very little to split the two in the eyes of #UCLfantasy managers. Alisson's slightly lower price may be the clincher for some, but Courtois' vastly superior save total is difficult to argue against. Assuming the final involves goals at both ends, the Belgian looks likelier to record more points.

From a strategy perspective, selecting a cheap second goalkeeper could prove worthwhile to free up funds for reinvestment elsewhere. To that end, the likes of Caoimhin Kelleher (€4.0m) and Andriy Lunin (€4.0m) are handy budget-enablers for #UCLfantasy managers with enough free transfers at their disposal.