Champions Manager Spillerunde 2: captains and best buys

Champions Manager Spillerunde 2 preview: best buys, captain picks and differentials

Champions Manager Spillerunde 2 is the first transfer window of the league phase. The transfers happen this week, but the reasons for them sit in the next three Spillerunder. Three things define the round. Raphinha, still owned by 40.4% of managers, is listed out until 26 October and misses both this round and Spillerunde 3. Lamine Yamal is the round's top scorer at 252k and the captain, with Harry Kane close behind. And over three rounds the best players in the game are Kylian Mbappé and Yamal, level on 514k, with Erling Haaland, the top scorer of Spillerunde 3, next. Below: the programs worth owning, the best buys by position, the captaincy plan for Spillerunde 2 to 4, and the sells, each with the reason to make it now. The full table is on the Champions Manager player picks page, and the optimal teams for Champions Manager solver weighs the same three rounds live.

Champions Manager Spillerunde 2 programs: whose next three rounds are worth owning

Bayern München have the best three-round attack in the game at 7.36 expected goals: [A]Viking → [H]Arsenal → [A]Atletico Madrid. The Viking trip is the standout fixture of the round (88% win probability, 3.78 xG), but most of the total comes from it; the Arsenal home game and the Atletico trip are 1.70 and 1.87. That is why the Bayern players are this week's points and not next week's. Barcelona ([A]Galatasaray → [A]Paris Saint-Germain → [H]Aston Villa) are second on attack at 6.64 xG, with the Paris trip the weak link. Real Madrid ([A]Roma → [H]RB Leipzig → [A]AEK Athens, 6.38) are the most even of the top three: 2.02, 2.27 and 2.09.

For clean sheets the order changes. Arsenal ([H]Lille → [A]Bayern München → [A]Slavia Prague) lead on 1.16 expected clean sheets from three games and have the best single clean-sheet chance of the round at 55%, but drop to 18% in Munich. Liverpool ([A]LASK → [H]Villarreal → [A]Fenerbahçe, 1.13) and Inter ([H]Club Brugge → [H]Shakhtar Donetsk → [A]Feyenoord, 1.12) are close behind, and Inter get both home games first, at 45% and 43%. Those three defences are the ones to own beyond this week. Manchester City are the Spillerunde 3 team: 1.84 xG at home to Paris Saint-Germain, then 2.64 and a 42% clean-sheet chance at home to AEK Athens. VfB Stuttgart are the case for selling after a good week: [A]Slovan Bratislava → [H]Atletico Madrid → [A]Galatasaray reads 39% for a clean sheet this round, then 17% and 13%. AEK Athens ([A]Shakhtar Donetsk → [A]Manchester City → [H]Real Madrid, 3.43 xG and 0.46 expected clean sheets) have one of the weakest runs, which matters because they are among the most owned cheap clubs. All 36 clubs play in Spillerunde 2, so there are no blanks to plan around.

The 3-round CS column is expected clean sheets out of three games, not a percentage. The fixture order for every club is on the Champions Manager schedule, and the bookmaker view of each match is on the market probabilities page.

Best goalkeepers for Champions Manager Spillerunde 2

Josep Martinez (4.52m, INT) and Alisson Becker (4.56m, LIV) share the best three-round total of any keeper at 233k. Martinez gets Inter's [H]Club Brugge → [H]Shakhtar Donetsk → [A]Feyenoord, 95k → 84k → 54k, with both home games first and 1.7% ownership, which makes him the differential of the two. Alisson's [A]LASK → [H]Villarreal → [A]Fenerbahçe gives 91k → 73k → 70k, the flatter run, so you can buy him and stop thinking about the position.

David Raya (5.63m, ARS) is the top keeper this round at 101k ([H]Lille → [A]Bayern München → [A]Slavia Prague), but drops to 49k in Munich before recovering to 81k. Here the round and the run nearly agree on the total (231k), so Raya is fine if you already own him and not worth a fee to switch into. Thibaut Courtois (5.07m, RMA) is the steady premium option at 65k → 75k → 72k from [A]Roma → [H]RB Leipzig → [A]AEK Athens. Bayern's keeper is not a Viking buy this week: the model has Jonas Urbig in goal ahead of Manuel Neuer.

At the cheap end, Zion Suzuki (3.57m, AVL) is a clean two-round pick: Aston Villa's [H]Fenerbahçe → [H]Viking → [A]Barcelona gives 75k → 82k → 32k, so the Barcelona trip in Spillerunde 4 is when you sell him again. Jakub Markovic (2.52m, SLP) is the cheapest real option at 25.4k/m for Slavia Prague's trip to Sabah FK, but [A]Sabah FK → [A]Fenerbahçe → [H]Arsenal and 64k → 44k → 33k make him a one-round rotation.

Best defenders for Champions Manager Spillerunde 2

Federico Dimarco (5.50m, INT) has the highest three-round total of any defender at 264k: 121k → 93k → 50k from [H]Club Brugge → [H]Shakhtar Donetsk → [A]Feyenoord, with 0.32 expected assists this round on top of Inter's 45% clean-sheet chance. Virgil van Dijk (4.54m, LIV) is the defender to hold: 101k → 70k → 65k and 236k from [A]LASK → [H]Villarreal → [A]Fenerbahçe, with no weak week in the run. Alejandro Grimaldo (5.00m, ATM) is the differential at 0.4% ownership: 92k → 73k → 64k from Atletico Madrid's [H]Manchester United → [A]VfB Stuttgart → [H]Bayern München, 230k over three rounds, and second only to Dimarco on our decay-weighted six-round score. Maximiliano Araujo (4.05m, SCP) is the Spillerunde 3 defender: 60k at Lens, then Sporting CP's [A]Lens → [H]LASK → [A]Shakhtar Donetsk lifts him to 94k.

The Bayern defenders top the round, and this is the clearest split between the round and the run. Alphonso Davies (4.29m, FCB) projects 117k, Konrad Laimer (4.60m, FCB) 117k and Jonathan Tah (4.13m, FCB) 109k at Viking, but [A]Viking → [H]Arsenal → [A]Atletico Madrid then drops all three to between 32k and 46k. Davies holds up best at 117k → 46k → 41k (204k) and is the one to take for the Viking week. Treat him as a one-round buy and sell again before Arsenal. With Kane, Olise and Luis Diaz widely owned, the four-per-club cap means most squads have room for one Bayern defender at most. If you are buying one defender and keeping him, take Dimarco or van Dijk.

The value defenders are at Inter. Yann Aurel Bisseck (3.97m, INT) (96k → 72k → 34k) and Alessandro Bastoni (4.00m, INT) (90k → 68k → 32k) are the cheaper way into Inter's [H]Club Brugge → [H]Shakhtar Donetsk → [A]Feyenoord, both above 22k/m this round; sell them before the Feyenoord trip in Spillerunde 4. Riccardo Calafiori (4.00m, ARS) (104k → 37k → 61k, 7.5% owned) rides Arsenal's [H]Lille → [A]Bayern München → [A]Slavia Prague and is a buy-and-hold at a low price, with the Munich week the one to sit through. For the cheapest slot, Konstantinos Tsimikas (2.53m, LIV) projects 66k at LASK ([A]LASK → [H]Villarreal → [A]Fenerbahçe) at 26.2k/m, but 66k → 31k → 16k makes him a one-round rotation only. The Liverpool defenders many managers bought for Spillerunde 1 have lost their places in the model: Jérémy Jacquet (52k → 45k → 44k) and Ronald Araujo (53k → 44k → 42k) are projected for around half a game this week.

Best midfielders for Champions Manager Spillerunde 2

Lamine Yamal (7.85m, BAR) is the best midfield hold in the game: 252k → 91k → 171k and 514k over [A]Galatasaray → [A]Paris Saint-Germain → [H]Aston Villa. The Paris week is the dip, and the weeks either side of it carry him. He takes Barcelona's penalties in the model and carries 0.90 expected goals plus 0.32 expected assists at Galatasaray. Michael Olise (8.00m, FCB) is close to him this round at 215k but sits at 391k over [A]Viking → [H]Arsenal → [A]Atletico Madrid (215k → 89k → 87k), and Luis Diaz has the same Bayern shape at 195k → 80k → 79k. Yamal and Olise are widely owned (32.5% and 23.4%), so they protect rank rather than win it.

The premium midfielder that separates squads is Bukayo Saka (7.04m, ARS) at 0.8%: 167k → 79k → 105k from [H]Lille → [A]Bayern München → [A]Slavia Prague, 351k over three rounds and fourth among all midfielders, with a share of Arsenal's penalties. Ismael Saibari (5.56m, FCB) is the cheaper Bayern route at 2.6% ownership: 190k → 80k → 77k from [A]Viking → [H]Arsenal → [A]Atletico Madrid, a strong Viking week and then the same Bayern drop, so he is a one-round alternative to Olise rather than a hold. Bruno Fernandes (6.73m, MUN) goes the other way on timing: 59k → 68k → 104k from [A]Atletico Madrid → [A]Como → [H]Roma, rising into the Roma home game, so you can wait a round on him. Rayan Cherki (5.55m, MCI) is the Spillerunde 3 play at 84k → 127k → 70k and needs to be in before the AEK Athens home game.

Most of the value is in the cheaper midfield, and the biggest change since the weekend is at Liverpool. Lewis Koumas (3.03m, LIV) now starts in the model and is the best points-per-million midfielder in the game at 43.1k/m: 131k → 72k → 58k from [A]LASK → [H]Villarreal → [A]Fenerbahçe, 261k over three rounds at 3.3% ownership. His minutes drop from 78 to 61 in Spillerunde 3, so he is a strong two-round pick that may need replacing after that. Rio Ngumoha (3.04m, LIV) is the same idea on the same [A]LASK → [H]Villarreal → [A]Fenerbahçe run at the same price and lower minutes (104k → 59k → 42k). Florian Wirtz (5.04m, LIV) is the safer way into [A]LASK → [H]Villarreal → [A]Fenerbahçe at 127k → 82k → 72k (281k). Nico Paz (5.16m, COM) is the mid-price option most managers are missing: 117k → 97k → 75k from Como's [A]Feyenoord → [H]Manchester United → [A]Lens, 289k at 1.9%. Florian Thauvin (4.25m, RCL) has one of the flattest programs in the game: 83k → 84k → 90k from Lens's [H]Sporting CP → [A]Club Brugge → [H]Como, 257k at 1.2% ownership, and he is on penalties. Ole Blomberg (2.96m, BOD) is the long-run differential at 0.4%: 64k → 53k → 92k from [H]Borussia Dortmund → [A]Napoli → [H]Lille, rising into the Lille home game.

Best forwards for Champions Manager Spillerunde 2

Kylian Mbappé (10.20m, RMA) has the best three-round total of any forward at 514k: 163k → 187k → 164k from [A]Roma → [H]RB Leipzig → [A]AEK Athens, the flattest premium program available, and the best player in the game on our decay-weighted six-round score. Erling Haaland (9.88m, MCI) is next among forwards at 447k: 140k → 197k → 111k from [H]Paris Saint-Germain → [H]AEK Athens → [A]RB Leipzig, and he is on Manchester City's penalties. Harry Kane (9.78m, FCB) is the round's top forward at 230k, but drops to 92k and 94k after Viking, 416k in total.

This is the biggest disagreement in the game between the round and the run. Kane is 90k ahead of Haaland this week, Haaland is 105k ahead next week, and Haaland is 31k ahead over the three. Kane is 43.4% owned, Haaland 9.4%. If you own Kane, keep him for Viking: 230k is the best forward score of the round and there is no reason to sell into it. The switch to Haaland is a Spillerunde 3 move, made before the AEK Athens home game. Mbappé (19.8% owned) is a hold and, for anyone without him, the best buy in the game on the same three-round logic.

Serhou Guirassy (6.83m, BVB) is the forward that separates squads at 5.0% ownership: 137k → 159k → 117k from [A]Bodø/Glimt → [A]Sabah FK → [H]Real Betis, 412k over three rounds, a few points behind Kane for 2.95m less. Lautaro Martinez (6.54m, INT) is the front-loaded alternative: 186k → 126k → 70k from [H]Club Brugge → [H]Shakhtar Donetsk → [A]Feyenoord, 382k at 6.6%, with both home games first, so this is the round to buy him and the Feyenoord trip is when he cools. Donyell Malen (5.57m, ROM) (87k → 177k → 68k from [H]Real Madrid → [H]Slovan Bratislava → [A]Manchester United, on penalties) peaks in Spillerunde 3, so he needs to be bought before it. Nicolas Jackson (4.72m, AVL) (139k → 148k → 45k from [H]Fenerbahçe → [H]Viking → [A]Barcelona) is a two-round buy to sell before the Barcelona trip. Deniz Undav (5.67m, STU) is the opposite case ([A]Slovan Bratislava → [H]Atletico Madrid → [A]Galatasaray): 189k at Slovan Bratislava is one of the best forward scores of the round at 33.3k/m, but 93k and 71k follow, so he is a one-round buy to sell before Atletico Madrid.

The best cheap forward is Troy Parrott (3.21m, BET): 107k → 95k → 56k from Real Betis's [H]FC Porto → [H]Feyenoord → [A]Borussia Dortmund, 258k with the two home games first, so he is a two-round pick at 33.3k/m this week. Gabriel Jesus (4.17m, BAR) (134k → 43k → 80k) is the other cheap option, but his Paris week is weak enough that Parrott is the better buy over the window.

Champions Manager Spillerunde 2 captain picks

Lamine Yamal (7.85m, BAR) is the captain at 252k, doubled to around 504k, on a program of [A]Galatasaray → [A]Paris Saint-Germain → [H]Aston Villa, where Barcelona have a 74% win probability and 3.11 expected goals at Galatasaray. He is on penalties, and his 171k in the Aston Villa home game makes him the Spillerunde 4 captain as well. Harry Kane (9.78m, FCB) is the close second at 230k, with Bayern carrying 3.78 expected goals at Viking, the highest figure of the round. Michael Olise (215k) is the third option. Both Bayern players cool sharply after this week ([A]Viking → [H]Arsenal → [A]Atletico Madrid), which is why the next two armbands point elsewhere.

Plan the next two armbands now, because they decide which premium to own. In Spillerunde 3 the top captain is Erling Haaland at 197k at home to AEK Athens, ahead of Kylian Mbappé (187k) and Donyell Malen (177k). In Spillerunde 4 Yamal leads at 171k, just ahead of Mbappé at 164k. A squad holding Yamal and Haaland has a strong captain in each of the next three rounds, and Mbappé is a top-two option in both Spillerunde 3 and 4.

Who to sell before Champions Manager Spillerunde 2

Raphinha (40.4% owned) is the sell of the round. He is listed unavailable until 26 October and projects -5k in both Spillerunde 2 and 3, so the reason to act now is two dead rounds in a row. His program is good once he is back (80k at home to Aston Villa), but Lautaro Martinez projects 312k over the two rounds Raphinha misses and Guirassy 296k, and either one fills the slot today. If you want him back for Spillerunde 4, buy him then.

Christos Tzolis (9.6% owned) is listed unavailable until 1 November and projects -5k in both Spillerunde 2 and 3, so he is a sell for the same reason. Alexander Isak (8.5% owned) is listed out until 17 October and projects -5k at LASK; the model then has him starting only about one game in three behind Liverpool's new front line, at 56k and 60k, so the good Liverpool run is better owned through Koumas or Wirtz, and the dead week is the reason to move now. Thomas Strakosha (5.8%) and Barnabas Varga (5.9%) project no better than 13k in any round of the window and have nothing to wait for.

Fabián Ruiz (30.9% owned) is the quiet sell. He projects 36k → 47k → 44k from [A]Manchester City → [H]Barcelona → [A]Villarreal, 127k over three rounds, and none of the three lifts him. Lewis Koumas, for less money, projects 261k over the same span, and that gap opens this week, not later. Nathaniel Brown (9.1%) projects 34k → 17k → 18k because the model does not have him starting, while his Bayern teammates score over 100k this round. Lisandro Martinez (7.7%) projects 24k → 29k → 51k and Ferran Torres (7.3%) 20k → 29k → 28k. All three are sells now: none of them has a better week coming in the window, so every round you hold them is points you do not get. The same goes for Jérémy Jacquet (14.9%) and Ronald Araujo (7.0%), who have fallen out of the projected Liverpool defence; Calafiori and Bisseck both project 202k over the same three rounds.

The VfB Stuttgart block is the timing call of the round. Josha Vagnoman (33.5%), Finn Jeltsch (30.7%), Jeff Chabot (20.7%) and Bilal El Khannouss (19.6%) project 86k, 73k, 77k and 114k at Slovan Bratislava, which is a good week, and you can wait a round on all four. Take those points and sell before Spillerunde 3, when Atletico Madrid at home and the Galatasaray trip drop the three defenders to 36k or less and El Khannouss to 49k and 39k.

The AEK Athens keeper is the same shape. Alberto Brignoli (18.2% owned) projects 56k at Shakhtar Donetsk, a fair return for his price, so you can wait a round on him. The time to sell is before Spillerunde 3, when the trip to Manchester City drops him to 24k.

Champions Manager Spillerunde 2 transfer summary

In: Mbappé and Haaland for the run (Haaland by Spillerunde 3 at the latest), Yamal for the armband, Lautaro Martinez or Guirassy for Raphinha, Koumas for Fabián Ruiz, Josep Martinez or Alisson in goal, Dimarco or van Dijk in defence, and Bisseck, Bastoni or Calafiori at the cheaper end. Differentials: Saka, Guirassy, Grimaldo, Nico Paz, Thauvin and Blomberg. One-round rotations: Davies, Saibari, Undav, Markovic, Tsimikas. Two-round picks: Koumas, Nicolas Jackson, Suzuki, Parrott. Out now: Raphinha, Tzolis, Isak, Strakosha, Varga, Fabián Ruiz, Nathaniel Brown, Lisandro Martinez, Ferran Torres, Jacquet and Ronald Araujo. Sell after this round: Vagnoman, Jeltsch, Chabot, El Khannouss and Brignoli. Check the Champions Manager predicted lineups before the deadline, because the Liverpool picks depend on them. The optimal teams for Champions Manager page solves the best squad live for one or several rounds, and the Champions Manager Spillerunde 1 preview has the opening-round picks. More analysis is in our Champions Manager preview hub.

FAQ

Who should I captain in Champions Manager Spillerunde 2?

Lamine Yamal is the captain, with 252k projected at Galatasaray and Barcelona's penalties. Harry Kane (230k at Viking) is the close alternative. For Spillerunde 3 the top captain is Erling Haaland at home to AEK Athens (197k).

Should I sell Raphinha before Champions Manager Spillerunde 2?

Yes. Raphinha is listed unavailable until 26 October and projects -5k in both Spillerunde 2 and 3. Lautaro Martinez (312k over those two rounds) or Serhou Guirassy (296k) are the replacements.

What are the best differentials for Champions Manager Spillerunde 2?

Bukayo Saka (0.8% owned, 351k over three rounds), Serhou Guirassy (5.0%, 412k), Alejandro Grimaldo (0.4%, 230k), Nico Paz (1.9%, 289k) and Florian Thauvin (1.2%, 257k).

Which cheap players are best for Champions Manager Spillerunde 2?

Lewis Koumas (131k → 72k → 58k) is the best value midfielder, Troy Parrott (107k → 95k → 56k) the best cheap forward, and Yann Aurel Bisseck (96k → 72k → 34k) the best value defender for the next three rounds.

Should I sell my Stuttgart players before Champions Manager Spillerunde 2?

Not yet. Keep Josha Vagnoman, Finn Jeltsch, Jeff Chabot and Bilal El Khannouss for the trip to Slovan Bratislava (86k, 73k, 77k and 114k) and sell before Spillerunde 3 against Atletico Madrid.

This preview was written by TheFantasyTool AI.