UCL Quarterfinals First Leg Player Picks

The UCL Round of 16 didn’t disappoint, delivering goal-packed action in every fixture. PSG cruised past the Catalans while Juventus failed to secure a spot in the quarter-finals despite an impressive performance in the return leg. As expected, Bayern comfortably defeated Lazio over both legs with Simeone’s Atletico shockingly out of the tournament. The conclusion of the round saw a whopping 48 goals scored.

We’re in for some tasty fixtures in the quarterfinals. The German giants face PSG in what is an impossible tie to predict. Klopp’s men face a massive task of getting past Real Madrid. One fixture we can predict to an extent is Porto against Chelsea given the form Tuchel’s men are in right now. The last fixture is a massive one with highly attack-minded Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund facing each other in another unpredictable match-up.

Let’s dig deep to find out the best players at each position for our fantasy teams.

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Goalkeepers

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Edouard Mendy (€5.2m, Porto vs Chelsea)

It’s hard to look past him to other goalkeeper choices for the coming round of matches. He has arguably the least difficult fixtures compared to other shot-stoppers and has been highly reliable throughout the tournament. He has conceded only a single goal in the seven games he has played, which makes him a no brainer for me at the price he is available.

Marwin Hitz (€4.1m, Manchester City vs Dortmund)

For a lot of you, the strategy will be to pick a premium goalkeeper along with a cheaper one to better spend funds elsewhere, and Hitz is a great enabler for the flip-side as he seems to have stolen the place of Burki as the first choice keeper, and he could potentially earn a lot of save points against Manchester City.

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Defenders

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Cesar Azpilicueta (€5.0m, Porto vs Chelsea)

He’s seems to be highly trusted by Thomas Tuchel in their drastically improved defense. Chelsea kept two clean sheets against Atletico Madrid in the round of 16, which says it all about their current form (Saturday’s loss can be chalked up to a red card). On paper, Chelsea has the least difficult fixture, so their assets have potential to do well. In my opinion, the Spaniard’s price and his ability to deliver at both ends of the pitch make him a very attractive option for the quarterfinals where we can expect Chelsea to advance.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (€6.7m, Real Madrid vs Liverpool)

Although Liverpool aren’t in the best place right now, TAA has consistently returned good points in the Champions League. He’s the highest earning defender so far with 50 points to his name. We know how vulnerable Real Madrid can be defensively, especially with Ramos injured and expected to miss both legs. I see great potential for Trent to do well with his attacking prowess and set-piece skills.

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Midfielders

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Kevin De Bruyne (€11.3m, Manchester City vs Dortmund)

If Manchester City is to end its long wait to win the Champions League, the Belgian playmaker needs to fire on all cylinders. He’s fully fit and available for the quarterfinals. Dortmund is no easy team to beat, but De Bruyne isn’t easy to stop either. So I fully expect him to be at the top of his game, delivering attacking returns for his team and his fantasy owners to take Pep a step closer to Champions League glory.

Mo Salah (€11.7m, Real Madrid vs Liverpool)

We’ve seen time and again how the Egyptian magician is almost immune to how his team is doing at any given point, and that is what I am expecting him to do once again. The Reds have drawn the toughest team not named Bayern, so both legs are going to be anything but easygoing for Klopp’s men. If they’re to have any chance of getting past this mammoth obstacle, Salah will have to perform. Since Sergio Ramos is not available to dislocate Salah’s shoulder this time around, I expect to see payback.

Kingsley Coman (€8.4m, Bayern Munich vs PSG)

Although all midfield options from the German giants are equally good, Coman edges it for me as he has tallied an impressive 37 points in only five games. This tie has the potential to be a high-scoring one; if that’s the case, expect him to be at the forefront of everything Bayern does going forward while their talisman Lewandowski is sidelined.

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Forwards

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Erling Haaland (€11.1m, Manchester City vs Dortmund)

He has been in every player picks article, and this one is no different. There is little need to justify as to why you should be picking him as we edge closer to the end of the tournament. He is the top scoring forward in fantasy with 55 points while also being the top goal-scorer so far. Dortmund does have a gigantic task against Pep’s men, but Haaland has proven himself fixture-proof on multiple occasions. Or, if fixture matters, it means only that against top competition he scores “only” one or two goals, while against lesser opponents Haaland scores NINE. For the quarter-finals, he’s a must have in my opinion.

Karim Benzema (€10.4m, Real Madrid vs Liverpool)

We need to mention the 5th highest goal scorer in the history of this competition. He’s a great pick for anyone who’s looking to play a risky differential game. Surprisingly, the French striker has more fantasy points than the likes of Messi and Lewandowski this season, which says a lot about the form he’s currently in. He usually does well against Liverpool, and the Reds’ lackluster form might just be what he needs.

Olivier Giroud (€7.7m, Porto vs Chelsea)

He’s my maverick pick for the quarterfinals. Chelsea seems to have mojo back under Thomas Tuchel so expects to get past Porto. I am expecting Chelsea to do well in this fixture, so the hugely underrated Giroud should capitalize from it. He’s a great differential at a decent price.

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I hope this article was able to help you a bit in making some changes to your team. Good luck everyone, and may you all have green arrows!

Cheers,

Prakhar

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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 whom you would recommend? Which match do you most want to watch as a fan? Please let us know in the comments!

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