Champions League Fantasy Football: Top performers on Matchday 9

After a thrilling round of first legs across the quarter-finals of the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League, UEFA.com casts an eye on the top-scoring players in every position over the course of Matchday 9 on #UCLfantasy, presented by Playstation.

GOALKEEPERS

With none of the four first legs yielding any clean sheets, goalkeepers accumulated the majority of their Fantasy points through saves. Dortmund were beaten 2-1 by Atlético de Madrid but were indebted to Gregor Kobel (€5.0m) for keeping the aggregate deficit to just one goal. The Swiss international recorded seven saves, more than any other goalkeeper on Matchday 9.

Kobel's score of three Fantasy points was matched by opposite number Jan Oblak (€6.0m), the only goalkeeper across all four quarter-final first legs not to concede more than one goal. In a low-scoring matchday for keepers, Gianluigi Donnarumma (€6.0m) and Marc-André ter Stegen (€5.5m) both picked up two points in Barcelona's thrilling 3-2 triumph at Paris Saint-Germain, while Andriy Lunin (€4.8m) and Stefan Ortega (€4.4m) matched those two-point tallies as Real Madrid and Manchester City drew 3-3. Ortega kept his place over Ederson (€6.0m), who has been on the bench for City's last two games.

After playing a starring role for Arsenal and his Fantasy owners on Matchday 8 with a ten-point haul, David Raya (€5.0m) could only manage one point from a 2-2 draw at home to Bayern. Manuel Neuer (€5.9m) was passed fit for the six-time European champions, but also picked up just a single Fantasy point.

DEFENDERS

Only one defender managed a double-figure return of Fantasy points on Matchday 9: Joško Gvardiol (€5.5m). The Croatian scored Manchester City's third goal in Madrid which, when combined with his 11 ball recoveries, was enough for a score of 11 points – the joint-second highest managed by any player on Matchday 9.

Another defender to find the net in the first legs, Andreas Christensen (€4.9m) came off the bench to score the winner for Barcelona in Paris, earning the versatile Dane six points. However, Fantasy managers should be aware that Christensen is suspended for Matchday 10 due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

There were assists for both Ben White (€5.4m) and John Stones (€5.3m), the pair each acquiring five points overall. Dortmund centre-back Mats Hummels (€5.1m) continues to lead the ball recovery charts by a huge margin, his 11 at Atlético de Madrid taking his overall tally to 90 in this season's Champions League.

MIDFIELDERS

Whether it be the group stage or the knockout stage, Phil Foden (€8.2m) continues to shine brightly for Manchester City. The Englishman's magnificent goal on Matchday 9, his fifth in the 2023/24 Champions League, helped earn him the Player of the Match award and a total of 11 points. That made it four double-figure returns for Foden in seven appearances and 60 points overall, overtaking Jude Bellingham (€8.0m) as the top-scoring Fantasy midfielder this season.

The only other midfielder to have racked up more than 50 points is Bukayo Saka (€9.8m), and the Arsenal man managed seven points on Tuesday after opening the scoring against Bayern. It was Saka's fourth Champions League goal of the campaign and eighth attacking return.

Rodrigo De Paul (€6.7m) delivered a double-figure score on Matchday 9, recording ten points after scoring Atlético de Madrid's first goal against Dortmund along with seven ball recoveries. Atleti team-mate Samuel Lino (€6.4m) was also on the scoresheet, continuing his excellent form in the Champions League and taking seven Fantasy points although, like Christensen, he will miss Matchday 10 through suspension.

FORWARDS

Although he no longer plays his domestic football in England, Bayern's Harry Kane (€10.1m) continued to haunt Arsenal as he scored from the penalty spot, enough for five Fantasy points. That goal puts Kane as the outright top scorer in this season's Champions League.

Other high-profile Fantasy forwards such as Erling Haaland (€11.7m) and Kylian Mbappé (€11.6m) drew a blank on Matchday 9, but while Antoine Griezmann (€10.7m) failed to score, a superb all-round performance which included an assist earned the Frenchman the Player of the Match award against Dortmund. Although Griezmann's assist tally was bettered by Vinícius Júnior (€11.0m), who set up two Real Madrid goals, the latter ended up with a point less than the Atlético de Madrid forward.

Robert Lewandowski (€10.3m) may not have scored highly from a Fantasy point of view but he was a superb focal point in the Barcelona front line, allowing Raphinha (€8.3m) in particular to flourish. The Brazilian scored two crucial goals and 13 Fantasy points, comfortably the most of any forward on Matchday 9.