Champions League Fantasy Football: The Scout squad for Matchday 7

Ahead of the resumption of the UEFA Champions League this week, the Scout has included premium strikers Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane in the Matchday 7 squad on #UCLfantasy, presented by PlayStation, with Bayern providing three players and Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle, Chelsea and Manchester City two each.

Goalkeepers

Clean sheets could prove to be a tall order on Tuesday, when the two the best defensive records in the league phase meet in Milan. Both Arsenal (one goal conceded) and Inter (four) could of course deliver again, but the Scout has opted for Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier (€4.5m) with the holders at Sporting CP.

Wednesday's fixtures look an easier prospect from a clean sheet point of view with Chelsea, Atalanta and Barcelona all strong contenders; The Scout's pick is Michele Di Gregorio (€4.3m), whose Juventus team are at home to Benfica having managed five shut-outs in their last eight games in all competitions.

Defenders

Arsenal do provide a representative in the back line, the combination of defensive solidity and set-piece threat of Gabriel (€5.7m) proving irresistible with the Brazilian looking to add to his 36 Fantasy points after four clean sheets, one goal and an assist. At the other end of the popularity spectrum, Giorgio Scalvini (€4.4m) is set to make his first appearance since Matchday 1 as Atalanta take on an Athletic Club side without a goal in their last three league phase games; the Italian side have conceded only two goals in their last six games in all competitions, keeping four clean sheets.

The defence is completed by budget-friendly selections from Premier League clubs. Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah (€4.4m) could be a key differential, featuring in just 2% of teams as he looks for a third clean sheet of the campaign at home to Pafos, while Lewis Hall (€4.1m) also has home advantage as Newcastle take on PSV Eindhoven. Rico Lewis (€4.3m) and Manchester City go to Bodø/Glimt, the versatile defender having both a clean sheet and an assist in the league phase to show his alternative routes to Fantasy points.

Midfielders

Bayern München are at home to Union Saint-Gilloise on Matchday 7 and, with 18 goals in their first six games – and 22 in five in all competitions since their last Champions League outings – their attacking players will be a key target for Fantasy managers this matchweek. Four goals and eight assists in his last eight appearances in all competitions make Michael Olise (€8.2m) an obvious pick with Serge Gnabry (€6.3m) also included after scoring in his last two games, making it three goals and three assists in six matches.

Vitinha (€7.2m) is the second highest scorer on Fantasy with 53 points, the Paris midfielder scoring four goals and laying on an assists, while he should add to his 38 ball recoveries – worth an additional 11 Fantasy points – at Sporting CP. Enzo Fernández (€6.6m) will shoulder much of Chelsea's attacking threat at home to Pafos after three goals and two assists in his last six games, while Newcastle's Harvey Barnes (€6.9m) has four Champions League goals, and four in his last three appearances at St James' Park, where PSV are the next visitors.

Forwards

The three strikers are a straightforward selection. Fifty-seven points – mostly from his nine competition-leading nine goals – makes Kylian Mbappé (€10.9m) the top Fantasy scorer, the France forward having 12 goals in nine games in all competitions ahead of Real Madrid's home game versus his former club Monaco.

Harry Kane (€10.8m) and Erling Haaland (€10.7m) are level on 40 Fantasy points. Kane has five Champions League goals this season, one less than the Norwegian, but has found the net in four of Bayern's last five games. Haaland has endured an unusually lean time in front of goal, finding the net only once in seven matches, and will hope to rediscover his scoring touch at Bodø/Glimt, where he could become the first Norwegian to score against a Norwegian club in the Champions League.