Who should be my Champions League Fantasy Football captain for Matchday 9?

The first legs of the UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-offs are fast approaching and Ousmane Dembélé, Serhou Guirassy, Harry Kane and Thilo Kehrer could all prove strong captaincy choices for managers on #UCLfantasy, presented by Playstation.

TUESDAY 11 FEBRUARY

Ousmane Dembélé (€8.4m) vs Brest (A)

One of the most in-form players in European football, Dembélé is only owned by 5% of Fantasy managers but that could increase dramatically ahead of Matchday 9. Until recently Dembélé had not scored a hat-trick since March 2016 but the Paris Saint-Germain forward has now struck back-to-back three-goal hauls, firstly in the 4-1 win at Stuttgart on Matchday 8 – which helped the French champions progress – and again in Ligue 1 three days later against Brest, the same opponents Paris will face in the knockout phase play-offs.

Serhou Guirassy (€8.0m) vs Sporting CP (A)

Five forwards set to feature in the play-offs currently have a higher ownership than Guirassy, but none of them have registered an attacking return on every matchday to date. The Dortmund striker has, recording a total of nine goals, two assists, two penalties earned and a Player of the Match award during the league phase. Guirassy is the joint-top scorer in this season's Champions League and has struck 18 times in all competitions for his club in 2024/25.

Other options: Erling Haaland (€11.0m), Vinícius Júnior (€11.2m), Kylian Mbappé (€10.9m)

WEDNESDAY 12 FEBRUARY

Harry Kane (€10.7m) vs Celtic (A)

Kane is never far away from the captaincy conversation, and as one of the highest-owned forwards heading into Matchday 9, is likely to be a popular choice again when Bayern München take on Celtic. Of all the teams featuring in the knockout phase play-offs, only Bundesliga rivals Dortmund outscored Bayern in the league phase, Vincent Kompany's side averaging more than two goals per game. Kane scored six in his seven appearances, including four against GNK Dinamo on Matchday 1 to demonstrate his devastating potential as a captaincy option.

Thilo Kehrer (€4.8m) vs Benfica (H)

Fantasy managers considering a differential captain on Matchday 9 may want to give some thought to Kehrer, who proved to be an excellent source of points in the Monaco defence during the league phase. The French side only picked up two clean sheets in their eight fixtures but Kehrer demonstrated his attacking threat with a goal and two assists and also made 46 ball recoveries. The German has recorded two double-figure returns so far and has scored twice in his last three Ligue 1 appearances.

Other options: Mateo Retegui (€5.5m), Jamal Musiala (€9.0m), Christian Pulišić (€7.5m)