Champions League Fantasy Football: Scout squad for Matchday 1

The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign is almost here and the Scout has picked a squad packed with some of Europe's biggest stars for the first round of games on #UCLfantasy, presented by PlayStation.

Goalkeepers

Both goalkeepers come from Portuguese clubs who enjoy home advantage on Matchday 1. Benfica kick off against Qarabağ on Tuesday and, after four clean sheets from four qualifying appearances, Anatoliy Trubin (€4.5m) is the standout option.

Elsewhere in Lisbon on Thursday, Sporting CP begin against debutants Kairat Almaty. The Portuguese champions have conceded only four goals in their first five league games of the new season, while their visitors have scored only once in their last four Champions League qualifiers – drawing a blank in the last three – making Rui Silva (€5.0m) a strong selection.

Defenders

Benfica's fine defensive record in qualifying means a place for Nicolás Otamendi (€5.0m), who is invariably a reliable source of Fantasy points – particularly via ball recoveries. Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk (€6.0m) also regularly picks up healthy Fantasy scores from the same route, ahead of Atlético de Madrid's trip to Anfield.

Paris Saint-Germain kick off their title defence at home to Atalanta and, after passing 100 Fantasy points in 2024/25, Nuno Mendes (€6.0m) is their defensive representative. Gabriel (€5.5m) helped Arsenal keep four clean sheets in last season's Champions League with the Gunners looking to kick off with another at Athletic Club. Olympiacos have started the new Greek league season with three clean sheets from three matches, and Panagiotis Retsos (€4.5m) is the pick for their home opener against newcomers Pafos.

Midfielders

Paris, Liverpool and Sporting CP also provide players in midfield, with Bradley Barcola (€7.5m) likely to shoulder more of the holders' attacking responsibilities in the injury absences of Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué. Mohamed Salah (€10.5m) struck his second goal of the Premier League season on Sunday, while Pedro Gonçalves (€6.0m) has four for the campaign and was also on target at the weekend.

Two more players who have started 2025/26 in scoring form are Arda Güler (€6.0m) and Hakan Çalhanoğlu (€7.0m). Turkiye midfielder Güler has found the net in Real Madrid's last two Liga games ahead of the visit of Marseille, while his international team-mate Çalhanoğlu struck twice on Saturday as last season's runners-up Inter kick off at Ajax.

Forwards

Up front, two established Champions League stars are joined by a newcomer. Erling Haaland (€10.5m) is a goal away from 50 in the competition, and is also the top scorer in the Premier League with five already – including two in Manchester City's derby win on Sunday. Kylian Mbappé (€10.5m) has four goals in as many La Liga appearances this season and has six in six for club and country.

Luis Suárez (€5.0m) has three goals in his first five league appearances for Sporting CP since his summer move from Almería, for whom he hit 27 league goals in 2024/25 – and could also prove a useful budget differential when Kairat come to Lisbon.