NaturalFootballFan provides his best tips for tonight's Champions League contests on Mondogoal.
It was goals galore in yesterday's fixtures with a total of 30 across the board. Real Madrid hit 8 past Malmo; Ronaldo was back to his best, getting on the scoresheet 4 times, while Benzema grabbed a well-earned hat-trick. Both Manchester clubs featured in topsy-turvy games, Man City were inspired by a lively Raheem Sterling (2 goals, 1 assist) to turn a 1-2 deficit on its head to run out 4-2 victors and top their group. Man United were not so lucky, another lacklustre performance saw them give up a progression worthy score line on more than one occasion in their 3-2 loss to Wolfsburg.
Hopefully more of the same tonight with the majority of clubs still battling tooth and nail for either progression or Europa League qualification. The spotlight will also linger above the popular character of Gary Neville, who takes charge of his first match as Valencia manager.
Here are the fixtures and our
Mondogoal recommendations;
Fixtures
(All 7:45 pm KO)
Bayern Leverkusen vs. Barcelona
Roma vs. BATE Borisov
Dinamo Zagreb vs. Bayern Munich
Olympiacos vs. Arsenal
Dynamo Kyiv vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv
Chelsea vs. FC Porto
Valencia vs. Lyon
Gent vs. Zenit St. Petersburg
(*Check starting lineups 1hr before KO here*)
Cleansheet Potential
- Dynamo Kyiv
- Bayern Munich
- Barcelona
- Arsenal
- Valencia
Goalkeeper Tips
First off, the favourite to secure a cleansheet tonight is Dynamo Kyiv. With this in mind and the bookies backing, it's a smart decision to select goalkeeper,
Oleksandr Shovkoskiy (9.1m). The 14-time Ukranian Champion's face a poor Maccabi Tel Aviv side that have scored just once and conceded 15 in Group G. However, Dynamo will approach this fixture in a serious fashion, as they need the 3 points to have any chance of progressing to the knockout stages. Domestically in 2015, Dynamo are unbeaten on home soil and Maccabi who are already rock bottom of the group should not put up too much of a fight. Keep an eye on the line-ups just in case Rybka is selected ahead of Shovkoskiy; it's unlikely but his 40-year-old body, might get the better of him.
Our second choice keeper of the night is
Petr Cech (7.5m). Arsenal face Olympiakos in their must-win match and will look to dictate the play throughout. Their opposition only need a draw to hold second spot in Group F, so will be happy to sit back and soak up the pressure. They could prove dangerous on the break; however, the main objective of the Greek outfit will be to shut up shop. Cech will be rarely tested, so if you are a fan of trading ‘save points' for a cleansheet, then you can pick him up for a respectable price on
Mondogoal.
If you want to be very bold and select a cheap goalkeeper on Mondogoal, then
Wojciech Szczesny (5.1m) is a decent shout. Roma struggled against BATE in the away fixture, but should be harder to break down at home (held Barcelona to a draw in the opening group fixture). The ex-Arsenal keeper is sporadic at times but is capable of match-winning performances on his night. A risky option, but great for guaranteed prize pool (GPP) contests.
Defender Tips
A player who stands out for us in defence is
Yevhen Khacheridi (9.1m). Dynamo Kyiv are rock-solid at home and the centre-half has displayed why he is so highly rated with 3 Man of the Match awards in his last 5 fixtures. For a man of 6ft 6, he possess excellent ball control and will rack up pass points with ease. Another defensive attribute, which is essential for
Mondogoal, is the intelligence to read the game and make interceptions on a regular basis. On average, Khacheridi makes 3.2 interceptions and 7.2 clearances per game, so is definitely skilled in this area. He is yet to score in the Champions League, but with his stature and aggression, he will always be a threat at set-piece situations. Realistically Dynamo should brush Maccabi aside and keep a cleansheet, so doubling up in their defence seems a full proof solution.
The second defender we recommend from Dynamo is
Danilo Silva (7.2m). The right back is lighter on the bank, but perhaps a dicier player on Mondogoal. Silva is a card magnet with 4 yellows and 1 red in his 11 Premier-Liga appearances this season. Despite this, he will be given licence to bomb forward tonight and there seems to be a link between attacking Brazilian fullbacks and
Mondogoal points!
Another defender who comes in at a similar price range is Bayern Munich's,
Medhi Benatia (7.3m). With Badstuber missing out through injury and first choice centre-back Jerome Boateng one yellow card away from a suspension, Pep Guardiola should give Benatia the nod, in the heart of defence. Similar to Danilo Silva, he likes a card, nevertheless, a defender at this price and playing for the German Champions is hard to overlook. Benatia has an impressive goal return, scoring 14 times since 2010 and in his most prolific year he found the net 5 times in 32 appearances at Roma. He will be a popular player on
Mondogoal and following Bayern's hiccup at the weekend (lost 3-1 vs. Borussia M.Gladbach), his side will be desperate to bounce back in style. Dynamo Zagreb have been defeated in 4 of their last 5 Champions League matches and have nothing to play for at the bottom of Group F.
Attacking Potential
- Dynamo Zagreb
- Bayern Munich
- Barcelona
- Arsenal
- Zenit St. Petersburg
Midfielder Tips
Moving swiftly into the midfield and the first name that jumps out at us, in the premium price range, was
Mesut Ozil (16m). Criticism for the Germany International seems a thing of the past and he is now proving the doubters wrong and showcasing why he is one of the best, if not the best, number 10 in world football. Mediocre pundits who were lazy enough to label Ozil a passenger on the field, have been made to eat their words, as the midfielder has contributed with an incredible 12 assists and 2 goals in just 14 Premier League fixtures this season. Ozil is a fantastic player for Mondogoal and has only dropped below a double figure total once in his last 11 fixtures, in all competitions… not bad for someone Paul Scholes immaturely called a “failure!” Arsenal need the 3 points and a 2-goal swing to progress. They will probe the Olympiakos backline throughout the 90 minutes and if anyone's to exploit the gaps then it's Ozil.
Aaron Ramsey (10.2m) is another great option in the Arsenal midfield. Playing in a slightly more withdrawn position than his teammate, the Welshman will pick up boundless pass points, just like he did at the weekend (113 accurate passes, equalling 5.65 points on
Mondogoal). He also has a knack of turning up in the right place, at the right time – comparable to Frank Lampard in his peak. Ramsey was directly involved in 2 of his side's 3 goals against Sunderland on Saturday and Arsene Wenger will be hoping for a similar output in Greece. He will certainly have chances (3.2 shots per game in Premier League this season), it's just a matter of converting them.
If the Gary Neville effect has taken hold of you already then
Rodrigo De Paul (6.2m), might prove a profitable differential. With a new manager and perhaps a different approach in place, there is no guarantee that the winger will start, however, with all the matches kicking-off at the same time, you can easily check this out. De Paul played a big part in Valencia's hard fought 1-1 stalemate with Barcelona at the weekend and seems likely to hold his place on the left side of an attacking midfield three. Despite playing the full 90 minutes just once, in La Liga this season, De Paul has averaged 1.6 shots, 1.8 key passes and 1.4 dribbles per game. For 6.2m, it will be difficult to locate any better options.
Forward Tips
When talking
Lionel Messi (20.4m), everything from fixtures to form can be thrown out the window. For just a little taste of what he offers; 19.94 points average on
Mondogoal during his last 3 fixtures! The little Argentine costs over a fifth of your budget, nevertheless, will be on the thoughts of every
Mondogoal manager. Many see this as an opportunity to swerve round the obvious and find a differential, but in our eyes, it just confirms that Messi should be the first name on your team. There is not much to say about the four-time Ballon D'or winner other than he is the best player on the planet. So do you want the best player on the planet on your team or do you want to spend a nervous 90 minutes hiding behind the sofa! We know which option sounds the most appealing so why not join us and save yourself the torture that a Messi-less
Mondogoal team can inflict... you saw what Ronaldo did last night!
It's hard to discuss Messi without mentioning his two partners in crime,
Neymar (20.7m) and
Luis Suarez (20.4m). However, with the former priced higher and the latter priced equal to Messi, we reluctantly have to advise fading the pair in cash games. They are both great options in GPP contests, on the other hand.
As Bayern Munich travel to Zagreb,
Robert Lewandowski (15.7m), if he starts, will have a very high ownership on
Mondogoal. We can see Bayern firing 4 or 5 past their opposition, and with this in mind, you don't want to start the night without the big number 9 on your team. It's surprising that Lewandowski has failed to score in his last 2 fixtures, which shows his quality, but he will be focused on putting this minor blip to bed tonight.
Another attractive forward in this slate is,
Andriy Yarmolenko (11.9m). Especially with his favourable fixture and the fact he has scored in all of his last three fixtures. The gangly winger is a confidence player and as we said earlier, Maccabi Tel Aviv have conceded 15 goals in their 5 group stage fixtures. No offense but they are not up to the standard of this competition and we expect Yarmolenko to contribute with at least a goal and plenty of shots on target. If you cannot afford to cough up the 10m,
Derlis Gonzalez (6.5m) provides a much cheaper alternative in the Dynamo frontline. On average, in the Champions league this season, he has surpassed his counterpart in shots per game (2.6) and dribbles per game (2) and ran the show in the reverse fixture, with 2 assists and the Man of the Match award. The Paraguayan hasn't featured since their victory over Porto and will return to the starting XI 100% fresh and ready to deploy his pace on Maccabi's shaky backline.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more Daily Fantasy Football Tips. Good Luck from all at Fplbet.
