Champions League Fantasy Football: Popular Picks for Matchday 1

With the UEFA Champions League group stage not far away, UEFA.com studies a selection of players in all four positions who have been attracting the most interest among managers on #UCLfantasy, presented by Playstation.

GOALKEEPERS

With two clean sheets already in Barcelona’s 2023/24 campaign, over a quarter of Fantasy managers will be hoping Marc-André ter Stegen (€5.5m) can add to that tally in this season's Champions League opener. No goalkeeper currently commands a higher ownership than the German international's 27% ahead of Barcelona's Matchday 1 meeting with debutants Antwerp.

Last season's finalists Inter Milan have recruited the experienced Yann Sommer (€4.5m) as their new No1 and the 34-year-old has yet to concede a goal for his new club, who recorded eight clean sheets in Europe last season.

Ederson (€6.0m) shut out Inter in last season's final, the Manchester City No1's seventh clean sheet of a memorable campaign. The Brazilian accrued 53 Fantasy points in 2022/23, the third highest score among goalkeepers.

Other popular choices: Kepa (15%), André Onana (10%), Mike Maignan (7%)

DEFENDERS

The offensive prowess of Theo Hernández (€6.5m) and Alphonso Davies (€6.0m) means both left-backs are courting substantial attention, both boasting an ownership percentage of 27% at the time of writing. Hernández has already found the net for AC Milan this season while Bayern's Davies has three assists in his last three games.

Only one defender gained a higher Fantasy score in 2022/23 than Rúben Dias (€5.5m), who accumulated 75 points. The Manchester City centre-back recorded seven clean sheets and 61 ball recoveries and is in a quarter of Fantasy teams ahead of the Matchday 1 fixture against Crvena zvezda.

Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni (€5.5m) went one better than Dias last season with 76 Fantasy points, the highest score in his position. Whilst the 24-year-old's 19% ownership is lower at present, Bastoni is still among the top five highest-owned defenders.

Other popular choices: Giovanni Di Lorenzo (17%), João Cancelo (16%), Matthijs de Ligt (15%)

MIDFIELDERS

Jude Bellingham (€7.5m) is out on his own in terms of Fantasy popularity among midfielders following an incredible start at Real Madrid, finding the net in his first four La Liga fixtures for Carlo Ancelotti's side. Bellingham scored in the opening four rounds of last season's Champions League group stage and is currently the highest-owned Fantasy asset in all positions on 72%.

Although he is generally known for his ball recovery prowess rather than his attacking endeavours, Rodri (€6.5m) scored Manchester City's winner in last season's final and has already found the net twice in the 2023/24 Premier League. The multiple avenues in which the Spaniard can score points means his 30% ownership is only bettered by Bellingham.

Always a popular Fantasy asset, Joshua Kimmich (€6.5m) recorded a goal, three assists, 49 ball recoveries and 49 points last season for Bayern. Potential owners will have taken note of Kimmich's two assists in Bayern’s recent Bundesliga victory at Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Other popular choices: Bukayo Saka (18%), Federico Valverde (13%), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (11%)

FORWARDS

Top scorer in the 2022/23 Champions League with 12 goals, Erling Haaland (€11.5m) is one of only two players in all positions with a Fantasy ownership of over 70% going into the group stage. Having scored 52 goals in all competitions in his first Manchester City campaign, the Norwegian has six to his name already this season.

Kylian Mbappé (€11.5m) remains a highly sought-after asset having managed seven goals, three assists and 65 Fantasy points in 2022/23. Over a quarter of managers (27%) have already brought him into their teams.

Bayern's summer signing Harry Kane (€10.0m) is attracting significant attention following an excellent start Germany having already managed three goals and an assist for his new club. Vinícius Júnior (€11.0m) – who has been reclassified as a forward this season – boasts a significant ownership but that is likely to drop as the Brazilian is set to miss Matchday 1 at least due to injury.

Other popular choices: Robert Lewandowski (14%), Julian Álvarez (11%), Victor Osimhen (9%)