UWCL Fantasy Matchday 2: captain picks and best buys

UWCL Fantasy Matchday 2 preview: best buys, captain picks and differentials

UWCL Fantasy Matchday 2 is the first real transfer decision of the Women's Champions League league phase, and it is a decision about the next three matchdays, not only this one. Matchday 2 kicks off on 30 September, Matchday 3 follows on 28-29 October and Matchday 4 on 10-11 November. With two free transfers a round, the moves worth making now are the ones that still look right after the October break. This preview covers the best buys by position, captain picks, differentials and the sells where the timing is now. The full numbers for every player are on the UWCL Fantasy player picks page.

If you are coming from our UWCL Fantasy Matchday 1 preview, the big change is Manchester City. They go from a trip to Bayern to two home games, Real Madrid and PSG, and that makes Khadija Shaw the premium to plan around.

UWCL Fantasy Matchday 2 fixtures: whose next three matchdays are worth owning

Barcelona have the best three-matchday program in the game: [A]Roma → [A]HB Køge → [H]Arsenal. That adds up to 7.86 expected goals and 1.12 expected clean sheets, the top figure on both counts. Arsenal at home in Matchday 4 is the game to plan around, not a reason to stay away. Manchester City come next on attack with 7.47 xG from [H]Real Madrid → [H]Paris Saint Germain → [A]Inter. Their two home games come first, which is why City's attackers are buys now rather than next round.

For defenders, OL Lyonnes (1.08) and Chelsea (1.04) sit right behind Barcelona on expected clean sheets. Their Matchday 2 meeting, OL Lyonnes - Chelsea, is the one tough week in both programs. Lyon then host Inter and go to Juventus; Chelsea host Roma and go to BK Häcken. That makes Chelsea the clearest case of a team to buy into a hard fixture, because the program turns straight after it. At the other end, Servette (0.29), Inter (0.39) and Roma (0.40) have the weakest three-round defensive totals. PSG have the best single clean sheet chance of the round, 46% at home to Oud Heverlee Leuven, but then go to City and host Bayern. PSG are a one-round rotation at best.

Every club has a fixture in each of Matchdays 2, 3 and 4, so there are no blanks to plan around. The full calendar is on the UWCL Fantasy schedule.

3-round CS is the sum of the three clean sheet probabilities, which gives the expected number of clean sheets out of three games.

Best UWCL Fantasy Matchday 2 goalkeepers

Hannah Hampton (5.5m, Chelsea) has the best goalkeeper total over the next three matchdays at 10.9: 3.0 → 3.9 → 4.0 across [A]OL Lyonnes → [H]Roma → [A]BK Häcken. The trip to Lyon is why Matchday 2 is her lowest score. Buying her now means you already have her for the Roma and Häcken games. She is the keeper to hold through November. If you only want to spend one transfer this round, you can also wait a round on her.

Ayaka Yamashita (4.0m, Manchester City) is the value option. At 4.0m she is the cheapest keeper near the top of the list, projecting 3.2 → 3.6 → 3.4 (10.2 in total) from [H]Real Madrid → [H]Paris Saint Germain → [A]Inter. Two home games against Real Madrid and PSG come first, and she is 5% owned. Gemma Font (4.5m, Barcelona) follows the same logic at Barcelona: 3.3 → 3.8 → 3.1 from [A]Roma → [A]HB Køge → [H]Arsenal, with a 34% clean sheet chance in Rome. The model has Font in goal for all three rounds and projects no minutes for Cata Coll, who is 60% owned. If you hold Coll, check the UWCL predicted lineups before the deadline.

Katarzyna Kiedrzynek (5.0m, Paris Saint Germain) tops the goalkeepers for Matchday 2 alone at 3.8, thanks to PSG's 46% clean sheet chance at home to Oud Heverlee Leuven. After that, her program ([H]Oud Heverlee Leuven → [A]Manchester City → [H]Bayern München) drops her to 2.1 and 2.4. She is a one-round pick to sell again before Matchday 3. If you are buying one keeper and keeping her, Hampton's three-round total beats Kiedrzynek's by more than two points.

Best UWCL Fantasy Matchday 2 defenders

Martina Fernández (4.0m, Barcelona) is the standout defender. She projects 5.1 → 4.7 → 4.1 across [A]Roma → [A]HB Køge → [H]Arsenal, a three-round total of 13.9. At 4.0m her 5.1 this round works out to 1.28 points per million, the best of any defender in the pool. She is 1% owned. She combines Barcelona's best-in-game program with a bargain price, and she should be the first defender you buy.

Ellie Carpenter (5.0m, Chelsea) has the highest three-round total of any defender at 14.0, but the shape matters: 3.2 → 5.6 → 5.2 from [A]OL Lyonnes → [H]Roma → [A]BK Häcken. Chelsea's program turns after Matchday 2, so the buy has to be in before Matchday 3 rather than during it. If you have a spare free transfer now, use it on her. If not, make her the first move after the break. Her teammate Katie McCabe (5.5m) follows the same pattern at 2.4 → 4.7 → 4.2, but Carpenter is cheaper and scores more.

Among the popular picks, Selma Bacha (5.0m, OL Lyonnes) is a comfortable hold at 3.5 → 4.5 → 3.6 from [H]Chelsea → [H]Inter → [A]Juventus. Her 11.6 total is third among defenders, so there is no reason to move her. Kerstin Casparij (5.5m, Manchester City) gives you City's two home games at 3.4 → 3.9 → 3.7 from [H]Real Madrid → [H]Paris Saint Germain → [A]Inter, with 0.11 expected goals this round, which is high for a full-back. Carla Juliá (4.5m, Barcelona) is a second, cheaper route into the Barcelona defence at 3.3 → 4.0 → 3.6 from [A]Roma → [A]HB Køge → [H]Arsenal.

Tara Elimbi (4.5m, Paris Saint Germain) is the round's differential defender: 5.2 against Oud Heverlee Leuven, the highest of any defender this round, and owned by almost nobody. Her program is [H]Oud Heverlee Leuven → [A]Manchester City → [H]Bayern München, and she falls to 2.2 and 2.8 after this round. Treat her as a Matchday 2 rotation only.

Best UWCL Fantasy Matchday 2 midfielders

Vivianne Miedema (5.0m, Manchester City) is the hidden gem of the round. At 5.0m she projects 5.0 → 5.2 → 5.4 from [H]Real Madrid → [H]Paris Saint Germain → [A]Inter. Her projection rises every round, and her 15.6 three-round total is the best of any midfielder, ahead of players costing 3.5m more. She is 3% owned, and her 0.39 expected goals against Real Madrid are close to the premium forwards. Buy her now and you will not need to think about her again until November.

Vicky López (7.5m, Barcelona) has the highest projection in the game for Matchday 2 at 5.7, with 0.40 expected goals at Roma. Her program [A]Roma → [A]HB Køge → [H]Arsenal gives 5.7 → 4.2 → 3.9, so she is a strong buy for this round and still a solid hold after it. Klara Bühl (8.5m, Bayern München) (34% owned) holds up better over three rounds at 5.1 → 5.2 → 4.1 from [A]Benfica → [H]Real Madrid → [A]Paris Saint Germain, and her 0.39 expected assists this round are the highest among the leading midfielders. Mariona Caldentey (8.0m, Arsenal) is level with Bühl this round at 5.1 and follows [A]Paris FC → [H]Benfica → [A]Barcelona. The trip to Barcelona in Matchday 4 is the one to plan around.

This is where the two rankings disagree. López outscores Miedema by 0.7 this round, but Miedema has 1.8 more over three rounds and costs 2.5m less. If you are buying one midfielder and keeping her, buy Miedema. If you have room for both, that is the strongest midfield pairing on the board.

Giulia Dragoni (4.5m, Chelsea) is the value pick to plan for: 3.5 → 5.9 → 5.0 from [A]OL Lyonnes → [H]Roma → [A]BK Häcken. At 4.5m she has the second-highest Matchday 3 projection in the whole game. Like Carpenter she is a buy before Matchday 3, and you can wait a round on her. Kim Little (4.5m, Arsenal) (1% owned) is the budget option for this round, at 4.2 → 3.7 → 3.1 from [A]Paris FC → [H]Benfica → [A]Barcelona.

Best UWCL Fantasy Matchday 2 forwards

Khadija Shaw (9.5m, Manchester City) is the best forward of the next three matchdays by a clear margin. She projects 5.6 → 5.7 → 6.0 across [H]Real Madrid → [H]Paris Saint Germain → [A]Inter, a total of 17.3. She leads the forwards on expected goals this round at 0.65 and is projected for 73 minutes. The two home games come first, so this is the round to buy her, before the good run starts.

Melchie Dumornay (6.5m, OL Lyonnes) is the value forward: 5.1 → 6.4 → 4.8 from [H]Chelsea → [H]Inter → [A]Juventus. Her 16.3 over three rounds is second only to Shaw at 3.0m less, and her 6.4 in Matchday 3 is the highest single-round projection anywhere across Matchdays 2-4. She is 13% owned. Pernille Harder (7.5m, Bayern München) (5.1 → 5.6 → 4.3, [A]Benfica → [H]Real Madrid → [A]Paris Saint Germain) gives you Bayern's run, with the away game at PSG as the one weak week. For a budget forward, Géraldine Reuteler (5.0m, Arsenal) projects 4.2 → 4.0 → 3.0 from [A]Paris FC → [H]Benfica → [A]Barcelona and is owned by almost nobody. Momoko Tanikawa (5.0m, Bayern München) is steadier over three rounds at 3.9 → 4.1 → 3.6 from [A]Benfica → [H]Real Madrid → [A]Paris Saint Germain.

Who to captain in UWCL Fantasy Matchday 2

The captain scores double. Vicky López (7.5m, Barcelona) is the top captain pick for Matchday 2 at 5.7, from [A]Roma → [A]HB Køge → [H]Arsenal. Khadija Shaw (9.5m, Manchester City) is 0.1 behind at 5.6 and is projected for 73 minutes against López's 58, so if you want the safer floor, Shaw is the steadier armband. Bühl, Caldentey, Harder, Dumornay and Pajor all sit at 5.1 as the next tier.

Looking further ahead, Shaw stays in the top three projections in every one of the next three matchdays, and Dumornay (6.4) leads Matchday 3. That captaincy plan is the strongest argument for owning Shaw: one purchase gives you a top-three captain option in all three rounds.

Who to sell before UWCL Fantasy Matchday 2

Aitana Bonmatí (10.5m, Barcelona) is the clearest sell, and the time to do it is now. She is 53% owned but projects 2.6 → 2.8 → 2.7 over [A]Roma → [A]HB Køge → [H]Arsenal, with 50 projected minutes. The fixtures are Barcelona's best run in the game, so the problem is not the program. It is how much of it she is projected to play. Selling now frees 10.5m for Shaw plus a Miedema-level midfielder. Waiting only wastes the Roma and Køge games on 2.6 and 2.8.

Ewa Pajor (10.5m, Barcelona) is the most-owned player in the game at 64%, and [A]Roma is a good fixture for her: 5.1 is a solid return. The case for moving her now is the swap, not the fixture. Her program is [A]Roma → [A]HB Køge → [H]Arsenal, and she drops to 3.6 at HB Køge and 3.4 against Arsenal, while Shaw costs 1.0m less and projects 5.6 → 5.7 → 6.0. You could keep her for this round and sell before Matchday 3. Making the switch now wins you points this round as well.

Caroline Graham Hansen (9.5m, Barcelona) is 37% owned and projects 4.7 → 3.5 → 3.4 from [A]Roma → [A]HB Køge → [H]Arsenal. Her Matchday 2 at Roma is decent. Her teammate López, though, beats her this round and over three rounds (13.8 against 11.6) and costs 2.0m less. Swapping them now keeps your Barcelona exposure and improves this round too. If you already have López, you can wait a round on Graham Hansen.

To see how these picks fit together in one squad, check the UWCL Fantasy optimal teams, which are solved live on the current projections. The UWCL market probabilities show the bookmaker view behind each fixture. More articles are in the UWCL Fantasy preview hub and our fantasy guides.

FAQ

Who should I captain in UWCL Fantasy Matchday 2?

Vicky López is the top captain pick at 5.7 projected points at Roma, with Khadija Shaw 0.1 behind at 5.6 at home to Real Madrid. Shaw is projected for more minutes and stays in the top three for Matchdays 3 and 4, so she is the safer armband.

Who are the best budget picks for UWCL Fantasy Matchday 2?

Martina Fernández (4.0m) and Vivianne Miedema (5.0m) are the best budget buys. Fernández has the best points per million of any defender, and Miedema has the highest three-round total of any midfielder at 15.6.

Should I sell Aitana Bonmatí before Matchday 2?

Yes. Aitana Bonmatí projects only 2.6 → 2.8 → 2.7 across Barcelona's best fixture run, on 50 projected minutes. Her 10.5m is better spent on Khadija Shaw or a Barcelona starter like Vicky López.

Which team has the best fixtures for UWCL Fantasy Matchdays 2-4?

Barcelona, with [A]Roma → [A]HB Køge → [H]Arsenal: 7.86 expected goals and 1.12 expected clean sheets, the best in the game on both. Manchester City (7.47 xG) and Chelsea, whose program turns after the trip to Lyon, come next.

Best differentials for UWCL Fantasy Matchday 2?

Vivianne Miedema (3% owned), Melchie Dumornay (13% owned) and Martina Fernández (1% owned) are the best low-ownership picks with strong three-round programs. Tara Elimbi is a one-round differential for Matchday 2 only.

This preview was written by TheFantasyTool AI.