UEFA Champions League Matchday 3 Fantasy Player Picks

After the international break and a slate of domestic league fixtures, Champions League football is one deck again.

UCL Matchday 3 signals the halfway point of the Group Phase. For the teams that have had a great start to the tournament, this round represents a chance to place one foot into the Round of 16. For others, points are needed to avoid the looming threat of dropping into the Europa League or elimination altogether.

For my UCL Fantasy team, it’s been a less than stellar start to the season. I’ll need to be creative with my transfers to gain some ground in my mini leagues.

Here are the fixtures for UCL Matchday 3.

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Tuesday 22nd October

• Atletico Madrid vs Bayer Leverkusen
• Shakhtar Donetsk vs Dinamo Zagreb
• Club Brugge vs Paris Saint-Germain
• Galatasaray vs Real Madrid
• Juventus vs Lokomotiv Moscow
• Manchester City vs Atalanta
• Olympiakos FC vs Bayern Munich
• Tottenham vs Crvena Zvezda

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Wednesday 23rd October

• Ajax vs Chelsea
• RB Leipzig vs Zenit St. Petersburg
• Benfica vs Lyon
• Genk vs Liverpool
• Inter Milan vs Borussia Dortmund
• Lille vs Valencia
• Red Bull Salzburg vs Napoli
• Slavia Prague vs Barcelona

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GOALKEEPERS

Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Ederson (Manchester City, €6.0m)

The Brazilian goalie may be short of cover in defense, but will still relish his chances for a clean sheet against visiting Atalanta.

Wojceich Szcezney (Juventus, €5.5m)

The Polish shot stopper should see little action against Lokomotiv Moscow.

Alisson (Liverpool, €6.0m)

Back from injury, the Brazilian #1 will bolster the Liverpool defense against the Belgian champions Genk.

Odisseas Vlachodimos (Benfica, €4.0m)

A clean sheet in the Portuguese League at the weekend was a good warm up for the upcoming visit of Lyon in this group G encounter.

Keylor Navas (PSG, €5.5m)

The Costa Rican wizard is a good shout for an away clean sheet and save points against Club Brugge in group A.

Paulo Gazzaniga (Tottenham Hotspur, €4.5m)

The long term injury suffered by regular first choice Hugo Lloris sees his Argentinian deputy make his Champions League debut. If Spurs can stop their poor run of form against visiting Crvena Zvedza, Gazzaniga is a cheap route into the defense.

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DEFENDERS

Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images

Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid, €6.5m )

The English full back brings a share of set pieces as well as lethal crossing to the table. He’s a good shout for both attacking and defensive returns when Atletico Madrid tackle Bayer Leverkusen.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool, €7.0m)

The most attacking player in the Liverpool defense, the young English right back is always a shout for a big points haul. A trip to Genk should see more of the same.

Thomas Meunier (PSG, €5.5m )

The Belgian wing back has license to get forward profusely and can provide points at both ends of the pitch.

Joao Cancelo (Manchester City, €5.5m)

A solid first start at the weekend could mark the beginning of a run of games in the Manchester City defense for the Portuguese wing back.

Matthias De Ligt (Juventus, €6.5m)

The Dutch center half is finding his feet at Juventus and will anchor the defense against the Russian visitors.

Alex Grimaldo (Benfica, €5.0m)

Benfica’s attacking Brazilian wing back is always a threat for attacking returns in addition to the chance of defensive points.

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MIDFIELDERS

Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

Sadio Mane (Liverpool, €10.5m)

The injury doubt hanging over Mo Salah further underlines the importance of the Senegalese attacker. Expect him to be tormentor in chief for the Reds.

Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, €10.5m)

The Belgian midfielder is the focal point of the City attack and will be looking forward to making a return to the Champions League after injury.

Mirajlem Pjanic (Juventus, €6.5m)

The Bosnian midfielder has settled nicely into coach Maurizio Sarri’s midfield and should be pulling the strings in Turin.

Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich, €8.0m)

A Matchday 2 hattrick from the German international sealed a dominating display by Bayern Munich against Spurs. His scoring form continued into the domestic league and he looks the best option in the Bayern midfield.

Hakim Ziyech (Ajax, €8.0m)

A match against in-form Chelsea promises to be an open and entertaining encounter. Goals could be in order for the silky Moroccan winger.

Angel Di Maria (PSG, €8.5m)

Two league goals at the weekend for the Argentinian winger showed that he is in strong form ahead of a trip to Brugge.

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FORWARDS

Photo by Daniele Badolato - Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images

Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus, €10.5m)

A near certain armband option, expect Ronaldo to be on the scoresheet against Lokomotiv Moscow.

Sergio Aguero (Juventus, €10.5m)

Rested at the weekend, the Argentinian striker should start here. A home fixture against Atalanta looks good for attacking returns.

Lionel Messi (Barcelona, €11.5m)

The Argentinian genius is approaching his best form and will be at the heart of the action for Barcelona’s trip to Slavia Prague.

Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan, €10.0)

A Serie A double for the Belgian striker put him in good stead for the crucial encounter against Borussia Dortmund.

Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich, €8.5)

He simply cannot stop scoring. The Polish hitman will look to continue his blistering form on an away trip to Greek champs Olympiakos.

Erik Braun Haland (RB Salzburg, €4.5)

Found the net against champions Liverpool in the last round, so the visit of Napoli should hold no worry for the 19 year old revelation.

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Have you picked your team yet? Whom do you have your eyes on who has been mentioned above? Is there anyone who has been left out of this article that you would recommend? Which match do you most want to watch this week? Please let us know in the comments!

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