Champions League Fantasy Football: Forwards

With one stand-out candidate and three forward places to fill, UEFA.com considers the best attacking options for the UEFA Champions League final on #UCLfantasy, presented by Playstation.

There is only one place to start: Erling Haaland (€11.2m) is the clear top scorer in this season's Champions League, part of 52 goals in all competitions in his debut season at Manchester City. The Norwegian's 12 European strikes in 2022/23 is four more than his nearest competitor and eight more than any other player set to feature on Matchday 13 despite Haaland sitting out two group games and playing just 45 minutes in another. Despite not finding the net in either leg against Real Madrid in the semi-finals, Haaland is sure to be a popular captain choice in the final as he features in two-thirds of all Fantasy squads.

Leading the charge for Inter will be World Cup winner Lautaro Martínez (€8.6m), who is likely to captain the Nerazzurri in the final. The Argentinian is his club's top scorer this season having struck 28 times in all competitions, and while he may have only found the net three times in the Champions League, one of those came in a Player of the Match performance against local rivals Milan on Matchday 12. With three goal involvements in his last three European outings, and nine goals in his last nine games in all competition, Martínez looks to be hitting form at the right time.

Inter's top scorer in this season's Champions League is Edin Džeko (€7.5m). Despite fierce competition up front, the veteran Bosnian has featured in all 12 of the Italian team's European games this season, starting the last six, and will be out to make a big impact against his former club in Istanbul. Like Martínez, Džeko was on target in the semi-finals and should be a particular threat from set pieces.

Romelu Lukaku (€9.0m) presents a different option for Inter coach Simone Inzaghi thanks to five goals in four starts in all competitions, and scored five times against Manchester City during his time at Everton. Even if he begins the final on the bench, Lukaku invariably comes on and has three goals and an assist in just 144 minutes of Champions League football this season.

A final option for Fantasy managers to consider is Julián Álvarez (€5.8m). Although he has been Haaland's understudy for much of the season, the Argentinian has made plenty of impact when given the chance and has played in ten of Manchester City's 12 European games this campaign. That suggest he is likely to take appear at some point in the final, making him a tempting second or third striker option.