UCL MD-4: Rate My Team

UCL MD-3 was pure entertainment! And we have a repeat of the same fixtures in MD-4! Football fans around the world will be hoping for more of the same, much like some UCL fantasy managers who scored big points in MD-3.

With the MD-4 deadline fast approaching, making the right move is crucial. That’s where I’ll need your help. Rate my team!

MD-3

Before we look at my plans for MD-4, here’s how I fared in MD-3.

My team didn’t have a great start to calendar day 1 of MD-3. Sporting goalkeeper Antonio Adán (€4.6m) had one of the worst goalkeeping performances in UCL history. In 22 minutes, the former Real Madrid keeper managed to make 2 errors that directly led to goals, and then got sent off for denying a goal-scoring opportunity by handling the ball outside the box.

The other early kickoff of Calendar day 1, which saw Bayern Munich play Viktoria Plzeň, went as expected, with Bayern trashing the Czech league leaders 5-0 with day 1 captain Leroy Sané scoring a brace and Jamal Musiala providing an assist. Dayot Upamecano held on to a clean sheet while Alfonso Davies was denied clean sheet points as the Canadian was subbed out at half-time with one eye on last weekend’s Der Klassiker. Tough luck for those that picked him.

In the later kick-offs, Napoli humbled Ajax by a scoreline of 6-1 with Napoli star-man Kvaratskhelia scoring a goal and providing an assist. Despite Ajax’s under-par performance, Kudus still managed to nick a goal and score decent points.

On day 2, Dortmund locked horns with Sevilla. with Guerreiro opening the scoring for the Black and Yellows in a game that ended 4-1 for the German side. Elsewhere, Man City dominated Copenhagen 5-0 courtesy of a brace from Haaland, with Cancelo providing an assist. Cancelo missed out on clean sheet points as the Portuguese was subbed out before the 60^th-minute mark, much to the dismay of the 51 % of the UCL fantasy managers that selected him. Real Madrid beat Shakhtar Donetsk in a nervy 2-1 win with Benzema blanking. PSG drew 1-1 with Benfica in a game that saw Messi finish off a splendid team move to breach the rigid Benfica defense. While Mbappe was involved in the move that led to the goal, the final pass for the goal came from Neymar, which meant the Frenchman ended the game with no fantasy returns. Juventus comfortably coasted to a 3-1 win over Maccabi Haifa, with Angel Di Maria assisting all 3 Juventus goals. Out-of-position defender Filip Kostić was substituted 10 minutes before Maccabi Haifa scored, lucky to lock in the clean-sheet points.

This is how my team ranks:

MD-4 transfer plans

This is my draft squad for MD-4.

With just two free transfers available and no chips to play, my initial plan was to use one and bank the other to help set up my team better for MD-5 and 6. But, illness, rumors of rest, and suspensions could force me to use both of my free transfers this week. Jamal Musiala has tested positive for Covid and is out for MD-4. Federico Valverde is rumored to be benched for Madrid’s trip to Shakhtar.

And of course, Adán is suspended for MD-4 as he received a red card in MD-3. Apart from the aforementioned exclusions, the likes of Cancelo and Haaland could be benched for Man City’s game against Fc Copenhagen. Luckily, we get to see the Man City team sheet ahead of the UCL fantasy deadline. Tune into NMA’s Pre-Deadline & Live Chat for team news.

My transfer plan as of now is to switch Jamal Musiala (€7m, FC Bayern) to Pedro Gonçalves (€7.5m, Sporting CP). Sporting was a shell of themselves after being reduced to 10 men in MD-3. In MD-4, I believe Sporting, backed by the home crowd, will be a different proposition, with Pedro Gonçalves leading the attack. The other transfer is where I’ll need your help. There are 2 routes I can take to fund the Jamal Musiala to Pedro Gonçalves upgrade.

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1) Antonio Adán (€4.6m,Sporting Cp)-> Allan McGregor (€4m, Rangers Fc)

This is a nice way to get 2 cheap playing goalkeepers. With Rangers playing a demoralized Liverpool at home on calendar day 2, one wouldn’t put it past McGregor to keep a clean sheet and get save points. That being said, my calendar day 1 Keeper Andriy Lunin is expected to start in goal for Real Madrid. With Madrid’s clean sheet odds looking good and other fires to put out in the team, the Adán to McGregor transfer feels like a luxury move. Moreover, Adán will be available for MD-5. Although Sporting will face Tottenham in MD-5, I would still prefer to have Adán in MD-5 over Mcgregor, whose clean sheet odds against Napoli look bleak. Therefore I could just accept the zero for Adan, put all my GK eggs in Lunin’s basket, and spend my free transfer elsewhere.

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2) Federico Valverde (€6.6m, Real Madrid) -> André Zambo Anguissa (€5.7m,Napoli)

This should have been the move during the MD-3 wildcard. But I ended up overlooking Anguissa due to Valverde’s higher attacking threat and Madrid’s better fixtures. With rumors of Valverde being benched against Shakhtar with one eye on the El Classico, Valverde to Anguissa looks like a good downgrade. But this move isn’t risk-free either. With Napoli winning 3 out of the 3 UCL games played and needing just a win to seal qualification to the knockout stages, Anguissa might get rested in the future Match days if Napoli manages to beat Ajax in MD-4. As I mentioned above, making this move also leaves me with just one playing keeper for the MD, and holding the suspended Adán, who is likely to drop in value after the MD- 4 deadline (returns of -4 followed by 0 have a way of doing that).

Please help me choose between the above transfers by answering the poll.

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How did you fare in MD-3? Are you playing any chips this week? If yes, which chip are you playing and what is your team for this MD? If not, have you played all your chips already? If not, when are you planning to play them? Have thoughts of your own? Please login and share them in the comments section