Champions League Fantasy Football: Defenders

UEFA.com assesses the top-performing defenders in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second legs and looks ahead to the opening fixtures in the quarter-finals on #UCLfantasy, presented by Playstation.

Of all the defenders who remain in the UEFA Champions League heading into the quarter-final stage, four managed a double-figure points score on Matchday 8. The two highest scorers were both from Premier League clubs, one being Manchester City's Manuel Akanji (€5.0m). The 27-year-old has started five of his side's eight fixtures so far, but was selected for both legs of City's round of 16 win against Leipzig, racking up 11 Fantasy points on Matchday 8 having recorded two assists and a clean sheet in a resounding 7-0 victory. It would be no surprise if Akanji featured from the start once again on Matchday 9, when City are at home to Bayern.

Chelsea's Marc Cucurella (€4.8m) matched Akanji's Matchday 8 score of 11 points after playing a starring role in a 2-0 home win against Dortmund. It was Cucurella's first start since Matchday 5 and a clean sheet alongside nine ball recoveries helped him to the Player of the Match award. His modest price tag enhances his Fantasy appeal, although Chelsea face a tough quarter-final against holders Real Madrid.

Napoli assets have proven worthwhile investments across this season's competition, particularly Giovanni Di Lorenzo (€5.2m). The full-back has not only been part of a defence that has kept four clean sheets, but his attacking qualities brought him an assist in both legs of their round of 16 triumph against Frankfurt. Luciano Spalletti’s side followed a win in Germany with a 3-0 victory in Naples on Matchday 8, Di Lorenzo recording his fourth double-figure score of the campaign.

Di Lorenzo is now the highest-scoring Fantasy asset in all positions going into the quarter-finals with 65 points. However, Di Lorenzo is not the only Napoli defender who appeals ahead of their all-Italian tie against Milan. Kim Min-jae (€4.6m) recorded two scores of eight points in both legs of the round of 16 and his bargain price means he should attract significant interest moving forward.

Although Benfica conceded a late goal to lose their clean sheet on Matchday 8, Alejandro Grimaldo (€5.4m) remains a highly valued Fantasy asset, picking up an assist and five points in that second leg. The full-back has accumulated 29 points over the course of the last four matchdays and his side have home advantage on Matchday 9 against Inter, who scored just once across two legs as they edged past Porto in the round of 16. A cheaper Benfica defender in Alexander Bah (€4.7m) is also worth considering, having picked up 25 #UCLfantasy points since Matchday 6.