UCL Fantasy: Matchday 3 Preview and Team Reveal

The author

Simon K. Kjær, @AeselFC on X, 25/26 ranks: #FPL 5k │ UCL: 165th │ FWC: 7k.

My previews before every Matchday – what can you expect?

I’m an experienced Fantasy Football aficionado, having played FPL for multiple seasons, finishing 10k and 5k overall in the past two seasons. Last season, I also turned my focus to UCL, finishing #165th in the world on my first attempt.

I will do a thorough preview landing every Monday, 24 hours before the deadline, covering fixtures, chip strategy and key assets, along with publishing my transfer thoughts. On Tuesday after lineups, I’ll update my preview and publish my team.

My final team

Here, I’ll update the preview with my final team on Tuesday at ~18:00.

MD2 recap and my team

The preview team had an excellent week with 100 points and a healthy green arrow from ~300k to 22k overall.

Chip strategy: Unchanged

Most importantly, the preview team did not diverge from the planned chip strategy, although playing the Wildcard in MD2 was very tempting.

I’m therefore looking to play the Limitless chip in MD3, and my preview will focus on key players for this.

I’ve still not decided when to play the Wildcard, but I’m currently looking at either MD5, with several fixture swings, or MD8, where all matches are played at the same time, with some teams having something to play for, some teams rotating, and all lineups available. More on this when the time comes.

Limitless: Key fixtures

On https://thefantasytool.com/schedule-ucl?view=xg, you can see the projected xG and switch to projected CS percentage.

From this, I’m looking to target the following fixtures:

MCI – AEK: Beware that Haaland limped off vs Ipswich at the weekend, therefore I’m currently expecting him not to play. If we get any hints that he’s ready, he’s of course locked in my LL3 team.

ROM – SLB: Bratislava look like the worst team in UCL by some distance.

RMA – RBL: Real Madrid at home with Mbappé in brilliant form.

SPO – LASK: Suárez and the €4.0m defender Altimira, playing OOP at CDM, are great options.

INT – SHK: With the Lautaro Martínez injury, one can be creative with the Inter picks.

Limitless: The fundamentals and key targets

Ideally, I’m looking at a team structure with:

11 players playing on Tuesday
4 players playing on Wednesday

…to get the most out of the substitution format, which allows us to sub out Tuesday players who blank. Unfortunately, Inter, Real Madrid and Sporting play on Wednesday, which is why I’m also attracted by teams playing on Tuesday: in particular Dortmund away at Sabah (we will have the lineup) and Liverpool vs Villarreal.

Currently, I’m expecting Cherki to start vs AEK, as he was fully rested against Ipswich at the weekend. Late Sunday night, he was the player with the highest projected points except for Mbappé, who is playing on Wednesday and is the standout captain. Projections change in real time – check out the Player Picks section: https://thefantasytool.com/player-picks-ucl?n=1.

With a massive 48% CS, my LL3 draft will include AS Roma defenders, as well as Fenerbahçe players, as we will have their lineup prior to the deadline, similar to Dortmund.

Limitless: The contenders

With the importance of an overweight of Tuesday players, I’ve made the following shortlist, consequently aiming for this:

GK
Tue: Donnarumma (MCI), Gollini (ROM), Kobel (BVB), Ederson (FEN)
Wed: Kaique (SPO), Suzuki (AVL), Provedel (INT) (rumoured to be starting over J. Martínez for Inter)

DEF
Tue: Gvardiol (MCI), Guéhi (MCI), Wesley (ROM), Molina (ROM), Schlotterbeck (BVB), Ryerson (BVB), Svensson (BVB), Van Dijk (LIV)
Wed: Dimarco (INT), Altimira (SPO)

MID
Tue: Cherki (MCI), Enzo (MCI), Barcola (LIV), Wirtz (LIV), De Bruyne (NAP), Pellegrini (ROM), Yamal (BAR)
Wed: Bellingham (RMA), Diomande (RMD), McGinn (AVL), Çalhanoğlu (INT)

FWD
Tue: Haaland (MCI) (NB: may be injured), Guirassy (BVB), Malen (ROM)
Wed: Mbappé (RMA), Suárez (SPO), Thuram (INT), Jackson (AVL)

My current LL3 draft

This is my current Limitless draft. I’ve prioritised the split of 11 players on Tuesday and 4 players on Wednesday:

Non-LL3: Key transfer targets

For those not looking to play LL3, transfers in are dependent on the timing of your Wildcard. Below, I’ve made a shortlist of players with good fixtures and minutes on the horizon:

GK: -

DEF: Dimarco (INT), Altimira (SPO), Gvardiol (MCI), Grimaldo (ATM), Van Dijk (LIV)

MID: Yamal (BAR), Raphinha (BAR), Bellingham (RMA), Antony (BET)

FWD: Mbappé (RMA), Suárez (SPO), Guirassy (BVB)