Champions League Fantasy Football: Scout notes 17 September

Defending champions Real Madrid are in action on Tuesday, while former winners Milan and Liverpool face off as the new league phase of the UEFA Champions League begins.

From expected line-ups to advice on substitutions and captain changes, the scout notes offer a helping hand to managers of #UCLfantasy, presented by Playstation.

Fantasy decisions

• The first deadline of the season is at 18:45 CET on Tuesday – the kick-off times of both Young Boys vs Aston Villa and Juventus vs PSV Eindhoven.

• Make sure you don't have any players on your bench who are involved in any of Tuesday's six fixtures.

• Captain one of your players in action on Tuesday, but be aware that you can always change to a different player within your squad featuring on Wednesday or Thursday should you wish.

YOUNG BOYS VS ASTON VILLA (18:45 CET)

Key Fantasy players

Ollie Watkins (€7.5m) – Aston Villa
Scored his first goals of the campaign with a double against Everton in the Premier League on Saturday.

Jhon Durán (€5.5m) – Aston Villa
Three goals in four games this season for the budget-friendly striker.

Predicted starting line-ups

Young Boys: Von Ballmoos; Blum, Zoukrou, Camara, Hadjam; Niasse, Lauper; Monteiro, Ugrinic, Colley; Ganvoula

Aston Villa: Martínez; Nedeljković, Konsa, Pau Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Ramsey; Watkins

JUVENTUS VS PSV (18:45)

Key Fantasy players

Michele Di Gregorio (€4.5m) – Juventus
Has not conceded this season and is proving to be a popular budget goalkeeper.

Luuk de Jong – €7.0m – PSV
Four goals and four assists in all competitions for the Dutch champions in 2024/25.

Predicted starting line-ups

Juventus: Di Gregorio; Danilo, Gatti, Bremer, Cambiaso; Thuram, Douglas Luiz; González, Koopmeiners, Kenan Yıldız; Vlahović

PSV: Benítez; Ledezma, Flamingo, Boscagli, Dams; Til, Schouten, Veerman; Bakayoko, L de Jong, Tillman

SPORTING CP VS LOSC LILLE (21:00)

Key Fantasy players

Viktor Gyökeres (€7.5m) – Sporting CP
Sixteen attacking returns in eight matches for club and country this season, and on target in each of his last seven games.

Pedro Gonçalves (€6.5m) – Sporting CP
Five goals and four assists in his last six club appearances.

Predicted starting line-ups

Sporting CP: Israel; Eduardo Quaresma, Diomande, Gonçalo Inácio; Catamo, Morita, Hjulmand, Nuno Santos; Francisco Trincão, Gyökeres, Pedro Gonçalves

LOSC Lille: Chevalier; Tiago Santos, Alexsandro, Diakité, Meunier, Gudmundsson; Zhegrova, André, Bouaddi, Cabella; Bayo

MILAN VS LIVERPOOL (21:00)

Key Fantasy players

Mohamed Salah (€10.0m) – Liverpool
Three goals and three assists in the Premier League for a player currently in 25% of Fantasy squad.

Christian Pulišić (€7.5m) – Milan
Three goals and two assists in his six appearances for club and country this season.

Predicted starting line-ups

Milan: Maignan; Calabria, Pavlović, Tomori, T Hernández; Fofana, Loftus-Cheek; Chukwueze, Pulišić, Rafael Leão; Morata

Liverpool: Alisson Becker; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson; MacAllister, Gravenberch; Salah, Szoboszlai, Luis Díaz; Diogo Jota

BAYERN MÜNCHEN VS GNK DINAMO (21:00)

Key Fantasy players

Harry Kane (€10.5m) – Bayern München
Comes into Matchday 1 after scoring a hat-trick in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Jamal Musiala (€9.0m) – Bayern München
Has been directly involved in nine goals in his last 11 appearances for club and country.

Predicted starting line-ups

Bayern München: Neuer; Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Guerreiro; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Olise, Musiala, Gnabry; Kane

GNK Dinamo: Nevistić; Ristovski, Théophile-Catherine, Mmaee, Pierre-Gabriel; Mišić, Sučić; Pjaca, Baturina, Hoxha; Petković

REAL MADRID VS STUTTGART (21:00)

Key Fantasy players

Kylian Mbappé (€11.0m) – Real Madrid
Joint top scorer in the UEFA Champions League last season, and has three goals in his last two games for his new club.

Antonio Rüdiger (€6.0m) – Real Madrid
Kept three clean sheets and contributed an assist along with 47 ball recoveries in the triumphant 2023/24 Champions League campaign.

Predicted starting line-ups

Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal, Éder Militão, Rüdiger, Fran García; Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior

Stuttgart: Nübel; Vagnoman, Chase, Chabot, Mittelstädt; Rieder, Karazor, Stiller, Leweling; Undav; Demirović