Champions League Fantasy Football: Midfielders

Midfielders come under the spotlight as UEFA.com casts an eye back at the top performers on UEFA Champions League Matchday 8 and looks ahead to the quarter-finals on #UCLfantasy, presented by Playstation.

Benfica's João Mário (€6.4m) continued his superb form in the UEFA Champions League when he both scored and provided an assist against Club Brugge on Matchday 8. That took the Portuguese international to eight goal contributions in the competition this season, and the already-popular Fantasy asset's ownership should rise even further ahead of the Matchday 9 meeting with Inter.

João Mario's 11 points on Matchday 8 was matched by Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne (€10.5m), who recorded his first double-figure Fantasy return of the season. The Belgian playmaker scored one goal and set up another in a 7-0 defeat of Leipzig, and has only once failed to provide an attacking return in his five UEFA Champions League appearances this season. Despite De Bruyne's high price, his point-scoring potential could make him worth the investment for City's quarter-final against Bayern.

Napoli's Piotr Zieliński (€7.2m) was the only other Fantasy midfielder to reach double figures for points on Matchday 8, converting a penalty he had won himself in the 3-0 victory against Frankfurt. The Polish international boasts six goal involvements in the competition this season.

In terms of consistent Fantasy output though, no one can match Vinícius Júnior (€10.1m), who produced his ninth attacking return of the campaign against Liverpool in the round of 16 second leg. The Brazilian has either scored or assisted in all seven of his Champions League starts this season, and has 63 Fantasy points, more points than any other midfielder still involved.

Raheem Sterling (€9.5m) scored a crucial goal in Chelsea's 2-0 second-leg victory against Dortmund, his third strike in the Champions League this season. Four of his seven appearances in the competition for the Blues have yielded an attacking contribution, and although he is sidelined with a hamstring injury, he should return for Matchday 9.

One under-the-radar option that Fantasy managers should keep an eye on is Hakan Çalhanoğlu (€7.5m), who played a starring role in Inter's progression from the round of 16. After picking up seven points in a Player of the Match display on Matchday 7 against Porto, the Turkish international recorded eight on Matchday 8, his six ball recoveries in the return leg helping him to 15 points across both matches.

Those looking at Bayern midfielders will have a tough decision to make given the German side's riches in that department. Leon Goretzka (€6.7m), Serge Gnabry (€8.9m), Jamal Musiala (€7.0m) and Joshua Kimmich (€6.8m) all returned four points or more on Matchday 8, while Kingsley Coman (€8.1m), Sadio Mané (€10.7m) and Leroy Sané (€9.3m) are also viable options to consider. Fortunately for Fantasy managers, Bayern's trip to Manchester City is on Tuesday of Matchday 9, so the starting line-ups will be available pre-deadline.