EURO 2020 Fantasy Football quarter-finals: What the numbers say

Predicting which Fantasy players are going to perform on any given matchday is a difficult task. Through crunching the numbers, a projected points total for each player has been calculated. Goals, assists, clean sheets and the likelihood of playing are the main parameters used in our projections. Ahead of the quarter-finals, UEFA.com breaks down the numbers to find out which players are predicted to perform well.

GOALKEEPERS

Having kept clean sheets in all four of England's UEFA EURO 2020 matches so far, Jordan Pickford understandably tops the bill when it comes to projected goalkeepers for the quarter-finals. Italy's Gianluigi Donnarumma is not far behind despite letting in his first goal of the tournament against Austria last time out.

Thibaut Courtois remains a strong option with Belgium also having conceded just once, and cheaper options Tomáš Vaclík and Unai Simón should be considered by Fantasy managers, too, having both recorded clean sheets in half of their respective sides' fixtures to date.

DEFENDERS

With 27 points on the board, Thomas Meunier is the highest-scoring Fantasy defender entering the quarter-final stage and the algorithm is backing the Belgian to produce again. Meunier has provided two clean sheets, a goal and two assists already and his ability to score points in different ways is what makes him a hugely attractive asset.

England pair John Stones and Luke Shaw are projected to continue performing for their Fantasy owners when their side take on Ukraine on Saturday. Stones, who has started every match, is the epitome of consistency when you look at his six-point returns on each of those appearances. Meanwhile, Shaw looks to be improving with each game and delivered a crucial assist against Germany in the last 16.

Despite Spain conceding three times to Croatia in the first knockout round, the algorithm still has faith in Aymeric Laporte's ability to produce Fantasy returns, while it is easy to see why Joakim Mæhle has been included. The Dane has now scored in consecutive matches and his attacking threat down the left-hand side makes him an excellent watch for his Fantasy owners.

MIDFIELDERS

Off the back of his third goal of the tournament, Raheem Sterling's ownership has skyrocketed and will surely continue to surge up until the quarter-final deadline. The projections tally with this groundswell of interest in the England winger as he is the highest projected midfielder for the quarter-finals.

Spain duo Pablo Sarabia and Ferran Torres have been directly involved in seven goals so far at UEFA EURO 2020, all in the last two fixtures. Such form will be difficult to ignore for head coach Luis Enrique who must surely be tempted to start the two of them for the second game running against Switzerland on Friday.

Steven Zuber, with a mere 1% ownership, appears to have fallen completely under the radar but his displays have not gone unnoticed by the algorithm. The Swiss midfielder's four assists are more than any other player has managed in the finals and his valuation means he’s highly affordable, too. Andriy Yarmolenko has either scored or assisted in three of Ukraine's four EURO 2020 matches and remains an appealing proposition for Fantasy managers needing to bulk up their squad.

There is no place in the top five for Kevin De Bruyne due to the injury doubts surrounding the Belgian star, but managers willing to take a chance could do a lot worse than back a midfielder who has amassed 17 Fantasy points in just 182 minutes of action.

FORWARDS

Fantasy managers surely can't overlook Patrik Schick much longer as the forward continues to deliver the goods for an impressive Czech Republic outfit. After he scored against the Netherlands last time out – his fourth goal of the competition – the algorithm has installed Schick as the top projected forward for Matchday 5.

Premium pair Romelu Lukaku and Ciro Immobile will face off when Belgium and Italy meet on Friday. Both are in the running to finish as the top scorer of the tournament, especially now that Cristiano Ronaldo has bowed out, and the projections indicate they each have a good chance of finding the net.

After breaking his EURO duck on Matchday 4, Harry Kane's appetite for goals will be greater than ever against a Ukraine team who are yet to register a clean sheet at this championship. Switzerland's Haris Seferović completes the top five projected strikers after his double against France made it three goals in his last two games.