Champions League Fantasy Football: When to play the Wildcard and Limitless chips and how best to use them

Playing the Wildcard and Limitless chips at the right moment can be key to success in Champions League Fantasy, presented by Playstation. UEFA.com looks at how they work.

WILDCARD

The Wildcard chip allows Fantasy managers to make unlimited transfers for that matchday. If you have already made a high volume of transfers before triggering the Wildcard then any resulting point deductions will not apply. Players transferred in on a Wildcard will remain in your squad moving forward, which underlines the importance of using it at the right time.

LIMITLESS

Activating the Limitless chip also allows Fantasy managers to make as many transfers as they want for one matchday. Unlike the Wildcard though, there are no budget restrictions, meaning as many premium-priced players as you like can be brought into your squad. However, players transferred in via the Limitless chip will not remain in your squad after that matchday. Instead, the squad will revert back to how it was prior to use of the Limitless chip.

WHEN SHOULD THE WILDCARD BE USED?

With a league phase of eight matches preceding the two-legged knockout phase play-offs and then the round of 16, choosing the right moment is no easy task. It's important to note that the Wildcard chip cannot be used on Matchdays 1, 9 and 11, with Fantasy managers already given free unlimited transfers for those.

Picking the right matchday to use the Wildcard depends on multiple factors, including injuries, suspensions, poor Fantasy performance within your current squad or fixtures that draw you towards transferring in multiple assets.

Last season was the first using the new format and many managers targeted Matchday 8 for the Wildcard, despite the fact that unlimited transfers are granted following its completion. That was because, unlike all other matchdays in the league phase, all 18 matches took place simultaneously. The same will happen this season, meaning that all 36 starting line-ups will be available to Fantasy managers prior to the deadline.

This also gives managers the chance to fill the bench with the cheapest Fantasy assets available regardless of whether they feature on Matchday 8 or not, freeing up funds to use on your starting XI for premium players.

WHEN SHOULD THE LIMITLESS BE USED?

As is the case with the Wildcard, the Limitless cannot be used before the start of Matchday 1 (beginning of the league phase), Matchday 9 (knockout phase play-off first legs), or Matchday 11 (round of 16 first legs).

The sensible move for Fantasy managers would be to single out a matchday where a high number of top-performing assets all have enticing fixtures on paper, which would put them in a position to record substantial returns.

As is the case with the Wildcard, Matchday 8 could also be an opportune time to use the Limitless. However, by doing this managers risk lessening the value of the Limitless chip, with no points scored from the four selected substitutes.

With that in mind, Matchday 3 appears a potentially lucrative option when it comes to using this chip. Managers who have had a good start to the league phase from a Fantasy point of view could consolidate that advantage over mini-league rivals by playing the Limitless at this point.

Alternately, those who have struggled to gain points on the opening two matchdays can use the Limitless as a tool to turn things in their favour. Matchday 3 is also early enough in the league phase that no club will have qualified, meaning the threat of squad rotation should not be a major factor.

WHAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WHEN PLAYING A CHIP?

Many factors come into play, but key for Fantasy managers is to ensure that their squad of players are spread out across the matchday, which generally lasts two days. This allows more effective use of substitutions and captaincy selections.

However, as mentioned above, Matchday 8 will be played across one single day, so anyone choosing to activate a Chip for that final round of league phase fixtures must bear this in mind as any substitutions within their squad will not feature.

Keep an eye on UEFA.com for lots more Fantasy tips in the build-up to the Matchday 1 deadline on 16 September!