Welcome back to our Champions League Fantasy Football Tips. This time, NaturalFootballFan steps up to the plate with his latest recommendations.
Tonight our partners at Mondogoal are hosting some fantastic tournaments. The headline contest is the ‘£3000 Shootout' which see's the winner transform their £3 entry fee into an outrageous £555. It's sidekick is the '£2500 Striker' with an entry fee of £50 and a chance to take home a cool £600.
If you are new to the Daily Fantasy Football game and would prefer to learn the ins and outs without placing too much on the line, then
Mondogoal also provides the perfect venue; offering plenty of low costing tournaments as well as ‘freerolls' to help you get to grips with how things work.
In today's encounters, Arsenal have the challenging task of picking up their first points in Group F as they come up against a Bayern Munich side who are yet to concede. Chelsea will be determined to leapfrog Dynamo Kyiv into second place, with an outside chance of securing top spot. Elsewhere, the still Messi-less Barcelona are in pole position to increase their gap at the top of Group E, while Bayer Leverkusen host Roma in a matchup which could quite literally produce fireworks.
Fixtures
BATE Borisov vs. Barcelona
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Roma
Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich
Dinamo Zagreb vs. Olympiakos
FC Porto vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv
Dynamo Kyiv vs. Chelsea
Zenit St. Petersburg vs. Lyon
Valencia vs. Gent
Cleansheet Potential
- FC Porto
- Barcelona
- Valencia
- Zenit St. Petersburg
- Bayer Leverkusen
Goalkeeper Tips
Staying true to our Cleansheet Potential rankings our first goalkeeper pick is
Iker Casillas (8m). FC Porto are unbeaten in 13 of their last 14 Champions League matches and with 4 cleansheets in their last 5 matches in all competitions the Real Madrid legend is the obvious choice for
Mondogoal. Visitors Maccabi Tel Aviv are yet to score in this years Champions League and arrive in Portugal on the back of 4-nil and 5-nil drubbings in this group. We can see nothing other than a comfortable win for the home side, however, ‘save points' will come at a premium for the Spaniard.
For a backup keeper, we advise considering Barcelona shot-stopper
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen (7.7m). The Germany International will be rotated into the Starting XI for tonight and is unexpectedly aiming to secure his first cleansheet of the season. Yes, Barcelona have conceded far too many cheap goals, just check out their last match for an example, we do however, expect Luis Enrique to use this fixture as a defensive lesson to hopefully build a platform off. This pick is a bit of a gamble, with Barcelona's recent frailties, nevertheless, Ter Stegen could prove a smart differential.
Defender Tips
One name that stood out for us, even before constructing a shortlist, was
Dani Alves (9.7m). He's one of those Marmite players; you either love him or hate him and that's exactly how you are left feeling after a night with the Brazilian in your
Mondogoal side. The last two meetings between BATE and Barcelona ended with back-to-back cleansheets for the latter; Dani Alves picking up an assist in his single appearance. If Barcelona run riot, as they do so often when criticism is ripe, then Dani Alves, who is utilised in such an advanced role, is their most likely defender to get in on the action. The experienced fullback is heavy on the budget but don't forget he has racked up 19 assists, along with 7 goals in his 81 Champions League appearances. His attacking potential is unrivalled in this slate… so do yourself a favour and get Dani Alves in your team.
Next up in our defensive recommendations is Valencia's youngster
Joao Cancelo (7.3m). The 21-year-old has been a revelation for his club this season; marking the right-back role his own with consistent performances in La Liga. Cancelo manages a respectable average of 6.6 points per game on
Mondogoal and following his side's 1-nil victory, away to Lyon, we noted down that he was definitely one to watch. On average, per game in the Champions league this season, the Portuguese U21's International has made 5 interceptions, 2.5 tackles and 1 key pass, as well as attempting 2.5 dribbles and winning 1.5 fouls. These stats highlight his high floor on
Mondogoal; let's just hope Cancelo can help cancel out the goals against ‘Los Che' tonight.
If you are searching for a unique differential in tonight's slate then look no further than
Leandro Salino (6.5m). The main attraction towards the left-back is the fact that he's won an average of 5.5 fouls per game in Olympiakos' Champions League campaign. If he can keep this up and with
Mondogoal awarding 0.5 points for each foul won, then Salino could pick up a solid points total. Another positive for selecting him is that he may well be fielded in the centre of midfield, as he was vs. Bayern Munich- it's worth keeping an eye on this during the match build-up. Olympiakos are often stronger on the road and arrive in Zagreb with 9 cleansheets in their last 14 away matches. Both sides are on the same points, however, the visitors overhaul their hosts on goal difference, so will be content with a stalemate. We are expecting an edgy affair, with perhaps a single goal proving pivotal.
Attacking Potential
- FC Porto
- Barcelona
- Valencia
- Zenit St. Petersburg
- Bayer Leverkusen
Midfielder Tips
The attacking potential mirrors the cleansheet potential, which is why we recommend doubling up on the FC Porto midfield. First up is
Yacine Brahimi (8.2m). The lively winger has always been a favourite of ours during
Mondogoal's European tournaments and this is largely down to his ‘in your face' playing style. Brahimi runs at players constantly and has an incredible average of 8.5 dribbles attempted in his two Champions League fixtures this term. Tucked in just behind Aboubakar, who we will mention later, the Algerian has been given freedom to cause havoc and with 3 shots per game on average, we are tipping him to get on the scoresheet.
We can honestly see Porto defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv by a 3, 4 or even 5 goal deficit, which is why we also recommend
Ruben Neves (5.2m), as a cheaper alternative. At just 18-years-old and pulling the strings in the Portuguese Champions midfield; Neves is a top talent. He is currently displacing Mexican star Hector Herrera for a place in the Starting XI; which is a credit to his performances this season. Neves does not play in such an advanced position as his teammate Brahimi, nevertheless, he is fully capable of controlling the tempo of the game from deep with 2 shots, 2 dribbles and 1.5 key passes per game on average. One thing to note is that Neves is prone to giving away fouls (5 so far in Champions League), this is negative for
Mondogoal, but should be expected due to his industriousness.
To round off our midfield tips is another well-valued player,
Sergi Roberto (7.6m). Iniesta's unfortunate hamstring injury has opened up an opportunity for the “La Masia' graduate Roberto, to demonstrate what he can do with a string of performances in the first team. So far, so good, the 23-year-old initially plucked out to fill the void at right-back has now been reinstated in his central role, where he appears most comfortable. Busquets will shield the back four, allowing Ivan Rakitic and Roberto the job of finding the key to unlock the BATE defence. The latter netted the equaliser after just 8 minutes of coming on as an impact sub in Barcelona's last Champions League match; let's hope for more of the same, but this time, from the first whistle.
Forward Tips
The previous Champions League meetings between Barcelona and BATE in 2011 ended with the former prevailing outright; dominating both the home and away fixtures with 9 goals scored and 0 conceded. With this in mind, selecting forwards from the Spanish Champions seems a full proof decision.
Neymar (15.1m) is our ‘must-have'
Mondogoal forward tonight after his outstanding display at the weekend, which saw him involved in all 5 of Barcelona's goals; scoring 4 and assisting once. This boosted his goal tally for the season to 12 goals in 11 appearances in all competitions. There's not much else to say about Neymar; everyone knows that he's a ‘foul magnet' (winning 3.8 per game on average), loves to dribble (4.8 attempted per game on average) and is not afraid to try his luck (4.7 shots per game on average). The Brazilian trickster is a joy to watch and if anyone's to replicate Messi's 5 goals vs. BATE in 2011, then he's the man.
Luis Suarez (15.1m) has equal value to Neymar on
Mondogoal, in that whatever Neymar produces, you can put your money on Suarez being one of the architects. Since Messi's untimely injury, the ex-Liverpool striker has taken responsibility scoring 4 goals in his last 4 matches without the little Argentine. As we mentioned earlier, if Barcelona hit the ground running then there's no stopping them so if you make the bold decision to fade Suarez on
Mondogoal there is a high probability that it will come back to bite you. We can tell you this by experience.
The last player in our recommendations is
Vincent Aboubakar (9.3m). FC Porto are such a force when playing on home territory, scoring in every competitive match at the Estadio do Dragao this season. They dominated Chelsea 3 weeks ago in a match where the 2-1 score line did not justify the home sides superiority and in all honesty there is not much hope for Maccabi Tel Aviv. The big number 9 has proved his worth in Europe this season with 2 goals in as many games and is odds on to score first in tonight's match. Aboubakar is 23-years-old, built like a tank and devours opponents with his blistering pace; we would not criticise the Maccabi backline if they run for cover!
Thanks for reading and good luck from all at fplbet.
