Who should be my Champions League Fantasy Football captain for Matchday 3?

The UEFA Champions League returns for Matchday 3 and UEFA.com assesses some of the captaincy options for managers on #UCLfantasy, presented by Playstation.

TUESDAY 4 OCTOBER

Leroy Sané (€9.1m) vs Plzeň (H)

Sané has made a superb start to Bayern's campaign, scoring in both of the German side's Group C victories over Inter and Barcelona, earning 23 #UCLfantasy points in the process. This is hardly surprising given the 26-year-old scored more Fantasy points than any other midfielder last season, and now has eight goals in his last ten starts in the competition. On Matchday 3 Bayern are at home to Czech side Plzeň, who have lost both games so far and conceded seven goals. Sané's ownership currently stands at 15% but is likely to rise ahead of the deadline, and many of his owners will consider him for the Fantasy armband.

Mohamed Salah (€11.0m) vs Rangers (H)

Closely following Sané last season in terms of #UCLfantasy points was Salah, who is likewise up and running in the current campaign following his Matchday 2 strike against Ajax. By his high standards, Salah has had a somewhat modest start to the season and that helps to explain his relatively low ownership of just 8%. Seasoned #UCLfantasy managers know full well what the Egyptian is capable of though, and his unexpected differential appeal makes him all the more tempting a prospect for the Matchday 3 captaincy. Salah scored seven goals in the group stage last year, and there is still plenty of time for him to put up similar numbers this time around.

WEDNESDAY 5 OCTOBER

Erling Haaland (€11.1m) vs Copenhagen (H)

Those whose Tuesday captains fail to shine on Matchday 3 can rest easy in the knowledge that they can move the armband to one of the most reliable strikers around for Wednesday's fixtures. Haaland's sensational goal against Dortmund last time out took him to three in Europe this season, and a remarkable 26 strikes in 21 games in his UEFA Champions League career. At the time of writing, the Norwegian has scored 13 goals in his last eight competitive games for club and country, so his captaincy credentials speak for themselves when Manchester City host Copenhagen in Group G.

Vinícius Júnior (€10.0m) vs Shakhtar Donetsk (H)

There was much hype about Vinícius Júnior's #UCLfantasy potential this season prior to this season, and that is reflected in the fact that he is the highest-owned midfielder in the game. The Real Madrid man has duly recorded attacking returns in both games to date – wins against Celtic and Leipzig – and will now line up against Shakhtar in the next two fixtures. With Matchday 3 being the home fixture, the Brazilian – who has helped himself to five goals and three assists in all competitions this season – represents a tempting captaincy alternative on Wednesday, especially given the fact that Real Madrid have won all nine of their competitive games in 2022/23.