Champions League Fantasy Preview: UCL Group-G

Welcome to Group-G, where the defending champions Man City begin their defense of the crown against RB Leipzig, Young Boys (Bern), and FK Crvena Zvezda (Belgrade). Read on to learn who among these teams can contribute to your UCL fantasy point tally.

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Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images

Manchester City

UEFA Ranking: 1st

Manager: Pep Guardiola

Qualified Via: Defending Champion

2023 UCL finish: Champion!

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After so many runs, Man City finally captured the ultimate prize in European club competition, now entering this season’s UCL campaign as the defending champion. The Citizens have been placed in Group G this season, alongside RB Leipzig, Young Boys, and FK Crvena Zvezda.

It’s fair to say that Man City has landed in a relatively straightforward group this season. Man City should comfortably secure the top spot in this group, reaffirming the ambition to triumph once again in the UCL.

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Predicted Starting 11:

(4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Ederson

Defenders: Walker, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol

Midfielders: Rodri, Kovacic, Foden, Alvarez, Grealish

Forward: Haaland

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Penalty takers - Haaland, Alvarez

Free kicks - Alvarez, Foden

Corners - Alvarez, Foden, Grealish

Fantasy Picks: Haaland, Foden, Alvarez, Ederson

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Photo by Luciano Lima/Getty Images

RB Leipzig

UEFA Ranking: 10th

Manager: Marco Rose

Qualified Via: Finished 3rd in the Bundesliga

2023 UCL finish: round of 16 exit

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Leipzig is the second-highest rated team in Group-G according to UEFA coefficient, so UCL fantasy managers would be wise to consider players from the Leipzig side, especially when not facing Man City (inconveniently MD2 & MD5). Leipzig has already demonstrated significant promising attacking prowess in the Bundesliga, the German side already notching ten goals in just three matches.

Anticipate this impressive goal-scoring form to continue when facing teams like Young Boys and Crvena Zvezda (Redstar Belgrade). Investing in attackers from Leipzig seems like a sound strategy, especially if you have chips in play to navigate around Man City.

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Predicted Starting 11:

(4-2-2-2)

Goalkeeper: Blaswich

Defenders: Henrichs, Simakan, Orban, Raum

Midfielders: Schlager, Kampl, Simons, Olmo

Forward: Poulsen, Openda

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Penalty takers - Emil Forsberg, Loïs Openda, Dani Olmo

Free kicks - Olmo, Raum

Corners - Raum, Xavi Simons, Olmo

Fantasy Picks: Olmo, Xavi Simons, Raum, Blaswich

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Photo by Joan Cros - Corbis/Getty Images

Young Boys

UEFA Ranking: 48th

Manager: Raphael Wicky

Qualified Via: Swiss Super League Champion + August Playoff

2023 UCL finish: N/A

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Young Boys have made several appearances in the UCL, showcasing their experience in this competition. This season, however, they face a challenging group featuring Man City, Leipzig, and Red Star Belgrade. Despite the tough draw, Young Boys shouldn’t be underestimated, and they have the potential to compete strongly in this group.

Assessing their performance in the games played this season, Young Boys have displayed defensive solidity, maintaining a respectable number of clean sheets in their club friendlies and Champions League qualifying matches.

Realistically, if Young Boys can secure a third-place finish, it would be a significant achievement, allowing them to continue their European journey in the Europa League. To achieve this, they need to outperform Red Star Belgrade.

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Predicted Starting 11:

(4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Racioppi

Defenders: Janko, Benito, Camara, Persson

Midfielders: Ugrinic, Lauper, Imeri

Forward: Itten, Rieder, Elia

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Penalty takers - Itten, Jean-Pierre Nsame

Fantasy Picks: Itten, Elia, Racioppi

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Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

FK Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade)

UEFA Ranking: 43rd

Manager: Barak Bakhar

Qualified Via: Top of the Serbian League

2023 UCL finish: N/A

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Red Star Belgrade is the final team in Group-G, and it’s great to see them back in the UCL. The Serbians might have wished for a more favorable group draw, but in the UCL there are no easy matches.

For those unfamiliar with Red Star Belgrade, the club has an impressive track record, the most successful in the Balkans and Southeast Europe. Belgrade achieved a historic feat in 1991 by winning both the European Cup and Intercontinental Cup, a remarkable achievement.

This season so far, Red Star Belgrade has demonstrated strength, scoring twenty goals and conceding only five in the Serbian League. This suggests that this attack has the ability to find the back of the net.

In UCL fantasy, targeting players from Red Star Belgrade could be worthwhile, especially in their matches against Young Boys, where goals are expected. However, in MD1 against Man City, it’s advisable to steer clear.

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Predicted Starting 11:

(3-5-2)

Goalkeeper: O. Glazer

Defenders: S Mijailovic, A Dragovic, M Rodic

Midfielders: O Bukari, J Krasso, M Stamenic, K Kangwa, S Mitrovic

Forward: V Lucic, P Olayinka

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Penalty takers - Kanga Kaku Guelor, J Krasso

Fantasy Picks: J Krasso

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Who from Group-G is in your initial UCL Fantasy draft? Who’s on your watchlist? Are you all-in on Man City assets? Can you decipher Pep Roulette for the rest of us? Please register and then post in the comments below!

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