UWCL Fantasy Matchday 3: captain picks and best buys

UWCL Fantasy Matchday 3 preview: best buys, captain picks and differentials

UWCL Fantasy Matchday 3 is the round where the league phase starts to split. Lyon have the best single fixture on the board, but their run turns hard straight after it, while Barcelona and Chelsea carry the two best three-matchday programs in the game. So the transfer you make for Matchday 3 is really a decision about Matchdays 3 to 5: who to buy and hold, who to captain once and move on from, and which popular picks to sell before their run gets worse. All numbers below are our model's projected points. The full table is on the UWCL Fantasy player picks page.

If you missed the last round, our UWCL Fantasy Matchday 2 preview covers the picks that set up this one.

Matchday 3 fixtures: whose next three matchdays are worth owning

Barcelona's [A]HB Køge → [H]Arsenal → [H]Servette is the best three-matchday run in the game at 9.36 expected goals and 1.31 expected clean sheets. The Arsenal home game is the one to plan around, not the one to avoid, because the two games either side of it are among the easiest on the schedule. Chelsea's [H]Roma → [A]BK Häcken → [H]Paris Saint Germain is close behind on defence (1.29 expected clean sheets) and starts with one of the best home fixtures of the round: an 80% win probability against Roma.

Lyon are the exception. [H]Inter → [A]Juventus → [A]Arsenal opens with the strongest attacking projection of Matchday 3 (3.25 expected goals and an 84% win probability), then sends them to Turin and London. That makes Lyon a captaincy target this round rather than a block to build around. Manchester City ([H]Paris Saint Germain → [A]Inter → [A]BK Häcken) and Bayern München ([H]Real Madrid → [A]Paris Saint Germain → [A]Austria Wien W) both score well over the three matchdays, but neither has a clean-sheet chance above 32% this round.

At the other end, Inter ([A]OL Lyonnes → [H]Manchester City → [A]Real Madrid) have just 0.14 expected clean sheets over the window, and Servette (0.19) and Paris Saint Germain (0.32) are not much better. Every one of the 18 clubs plays once in each of Matchdays 3, 4 and 5, so there are no blanks to plan around. The full calendar is on the UWCL Fantasy schedule.

The table shows the ten best programs, ranked on the three-matchday columns. The 3-matchday CS column is a count of expected clean sheets across the three games, not a percentage.

Best goalkeepers for UWCL Fantasy Matchday 3

Hannah Hampton (5.5m, CHE) is the best goalkeeper over the window. Chelsea's [H]Roma → [A]BK Häcken → [H]Paris Saint Germain gives her 4.1 → 4.3 → 4.0 projected points, 12.4 in total and the highest three-matchday figure of any keeper, and she is owned by just 2% of managers. Paris Saint Germain at home in Matchday 5 is the toughest of the three, but two strong clean-sheet chances first make her a hold, not a one-rounder.

The template keeper, Cata Coll (6.0m, BAR, 60% owned), is still fine to keep at 4.0 → 3.1 → 4.3. There is no need to sell her. The value pick is Ayaka Yamashita (4.0m, MCI) at 3.5 → 3.4 → 3.8 for Manchester City's [H]Paris Saint Germain → [A]Inter → [A]BK Häcken. That is a flat program: you can buy her and stop thinking about the position. Merle Frohms (5.0m, RMA) is a later option. Real Madrid's trip to Bayern caps her at 2.7 this round, but she climbs to 3.7 and 3.7 after it, so she makes more sense as a Matchday 4 buy.

Best defenders for UWCL Fantasy Matchday 3

Martina Fernández (4.0m, BAR) is the standout defender in the game, and almost nobody has her (1% owned). Barcelona's [A]HB Køge → [H]Arsenal → [H]Servette gives her 5.8 → 4.7 → 6.8, which is 17.3 over three matchdays, more than any other defender. At 4.0m she is also the best points-per-million defender this round at 1.45. The model has her for 88 minutes, so the floor is solid. Buy her before Matchday 3, because Matchday 5 at home to Servette is her best game.

Ellie Carpenter (5.0m, CHE) is the Chelsea route: 5.7 → 5.5 → 4.5 across [H]Roma → [A]BK Häcken → [H]Paris Saint Germain, and 0.21 expected assists this round give her an attacking ceiling on top of the clean sheet. Teammate Lucy Bronze (5.5m, CHE) projects, on the same program, 5.2 → 4.9 → 3.4. Pairing either one with Hampton doubles up on the same Chelsea clean sheets in Matchdays 3 and 4. Veerle Buurman (4.5m, CHE, 0% owned) is the cheaper Chelsea defender at 4.5 → 4.3 → 2.6.

For Barcelona cover beyond Fernández, Esmee Brugts (5.5m, BAR) (5.0 → 3.8 → 5.6 on the same [A]HB Køge → [H]Arsenal → [H]Servette run) has the better attacking numbers, with 0.14 expected goals this round, while Irene Paredes (6.0m) costs more for less. A differential with a rising run is Janou Levels (5.0m, RMA), owned by 0%: Real Madrid's [A]Bayern München → [H]Paris FC → [H]Inter takes her from 3.3 to 4.8 and 5.1. The Bayern game makes Matchday 4 the better time to bring her in, so put her on your watchlist now.

Selma Bacha (5.0m, OLL, 24% owned) is where the round ranking and the three-matchday ranking disagree. She is third among defenders for Matchday 3 at 5.4, but falls to 4.4 and 3.2 as Lyon visit Juventus and Arsenal. If you own her, keep her for Inter. If you are buying one defender to hold, buy Fernández or Carpenter instead.

Best midfielders for UWCL Fantasy Matchday 3

Clàudia Pina (9.0m, BAR) and Linda Caicedo (8.5m, RMA) share the best three-matchday total of any midfielder at 17.0. Pina's [A]HB Køge → [H]Arsenal → [H]Servette gives her 5.3 → 4.7 → 7.0, with Servette at home in Matchday 5 as the peak. Caicedo is the differential, owned by 2%. Her 4.9 → 5.6 → 6.5 rises every round of [A]Bayern München → [H]Paris FC → [H]Inter, and her Matchday 3 projection at Bayern is still respectable. Her best games are the two after this one, so the case for buying her now is getting in before the run, not chasing it.

Caroline Graham Hansen (9.5m, BAR, 37% owned) is a clear hold at 5.2 → 4.5 → 6.8. Jule Brand (7.0m, OLL) tops the Matchday 3 midfield at 6.5, with 0.44 expected goals and 0.35 expected assists, but her run falls to 5.1 and 4.1. If you already own her (33% of managers do), captain her this round. Do not buy her to hold. The same goes for Caroline Weir (8.5m, OLL) at 6.3 → 5.1 → 4.1.

The value pick of the position is Aurelie Reynders (4.5m, PAR). Paris FC's [H]BK Häcken → [A]Real Madrid → [H]HB Køge gives her 5.3 → 4.8 → 4.6, a steady 14.7 over three matchdays, and her 1.18 points per million this round is the best of any midfielder. She is owned by 2%, so she is both a budget enabler and a differential. Kim Little (4.5m, ARS) (4.5 → 3.6 → 3.6) is the other 4.5m option, for Arsenal's [H]Benfica → [A]Barcelona → [H]OL Lyonnes. Her Matchday 3 against Benfica is the strongest of her three.

The midfield hidden gem is Sjoeke Nüsken (6.0m, CHE), at 0% ownership, with 5.3 → 4.4 → 3.1 across [H]Roma → [A]BK Häcken → [H]Paris Saint Germain. She projects as high as Pina this round for 3.0m less. Treat her as a two-matchday buy: the Roma and BK Häcken games are the reason to own her.

Best forwards for UWCL Fantasy Matchday 3

Khadija Shaw (9.5m, MCI) has the best three-matchday total of any player in the game at 17.6. Manchester City's [H]Paris Saint Germain → [A]Inter → [A]BK Häcken gives her 5.6 → 6.2 → 5.8 with 0.66 expected goals in Matchday 3, and at 6.2 for the Inter trip she is a top captain option for Matchday 4 as well. She is the premium forward to own across this window.

The biggest differential in the game is Melvine Malard (6.5m, CHE), owned by 0%. She is the top-projected forward for Matchday 3 at 5.9, ahead of Russo's 5.8 at a much lower price, then 4.8 and 4.2 across [H]Roma → [A]BK Häcken → [H]Paris Saint Germain. Pernille Harder (7.5m, FCB) (5.4 → 4.7 → 5.6 across [H]Real Madrid → [A]Paris Saint Germain → [A]Austria Wien W) is the steady mid-price option, with 0.57 expected goals this round. Melchie Dumornay (6.5m, OLL) projects 5.8 → 4.6 → 3.7. Like the other Lyon attackers, she looks better for one round than for three.

On a budget, Momoko Tanikawa (5.0m, FCB) gives 3.8 → 3.6 → 4.0 for Bayern's [H]Real Madrid → [A]Paris Saint Germain → [A]Austria Wien W at 5.0m. That is a flat run and a clean way to fund Shaw.

Who to captain in UWCL Fantasy Matchday 3

Captain Jule Brand (7.0m, OLL). She has the highest Matchday 3 projection in the game at 6.5 (13.0 as captain), and Lyon host Inter at an 84% win probability. Her program after that is [H]Inter → [A]Juventus → [A]Arsenal, which is why she is a captain this round rather than a long hold. Caroline Weir (6.3) is the Lyon alternative if you own her instead. Mariona Caldentey (8.0m, ARS) at 5.9 against Benfica and Melvine Malard (5.9) against Roma are the next options. Alessia Russo (5.8) is the safest choice if you want to match the template.

Plan the next two armbands too. For Matchday 4, Shaw (6.2) is the captain most managers will own; only Manuela Giugliano (9.0m, ROM) projects higher, at 6.3 at home to Servette. In Matchday 5, Pina (7.0), Graham Hansen (6.8), Caicedo and Pajor (both 6.5) are the top attacking options. Owning Shaw and one Barcelona attacker covers both rounds.

Who to sell before UWCL Fantasy Matchday 3

Aitana Bonmatí (10.5m, BAR) is the clearest sale. She is owned by 53% of managers, but the model projects her for only 26 minutes in Matchday 3 and 1.5 → 1.7 → 2.6 points across [A]HB Køge → [H]Arsenal → [H]Servette. That is the best program in the game, but the points are projected for her teammates. Sell her now: 10.5m covers Pina with 1.5m to spare, and none of the next three matchdays gives a reason to wait.

Wendie Renard (6.0m, OLL), owned by 36%, is projected for 17 minutes and 0.9 → 1.2 → 1.3 points across [H]Inter → [A]Juventus → [A]Arsenal. The Inter home game is a good fixture for Lyon, but she is not projected to play much of it, and Juventus and Arsenal away follow. Move the 6.0m into Fernández or Carpenter now.

Ona Batlle (6.0m, ARS), owned by 29%, is a timing sale on [H]Benfica → [A]Barcelona → [H]OL Lyonnes. Benfica at home is a decent fixture and her 3.4 is respectable. But Arsenal visit Barcelona and host Lyon next, and she drops to 1.5 and 2.0. The choice is selling into a fair score now or out of a poor one before Matchday 4, and with free transfers to use, now is the better moment.

Alessia Russo (10.5m, ARS, 61% owned) follows the same Arsenal run, 5.8 → 4.0 → 4.2. Benfica at home is worth keeping her for, so you can wait a round on this one. Plan to switch to Shaw or Malard before Matchday 4.

Best Limitless team for UWCL Fantasy Matchday 3

Limitless removes the budget for one matchday, so it is purely about Matchday 3 points. Taking the best projection in each slot, with no more than three players per club, gives this 3-4-3 starting XI. It totals 62.2 projected points before the captain, with Brand as captain:

• GK: Cata Coll (BAR, 4.0)
• DEF: Martina Fernández (BAR, 5.8)
• DEF: Ellie Carpenter (CHE, 5.7)
• DEF: Lucy Bronze (CHE, 5.2)
• MID: Jule Brand (OLL, 6.5)
• MID: Caroline Weir (OLL, 6.3)
• MID: Mariona Caldentey (ARS, 5.9)
• MID: Clàudia Pina (BAR, 5.3)
• FWD: Melvine Malard (CHE, 5.9)
• FWD: Alessia Russo (ARS, 5.8)
• FWD: Melchie Dumornay (OLL, 5.8)

Chelsea are capped at three, which is why Hampton gives way to Coll here. For the exact optimum, including the bench, use the live optimal teams for UWCL Fantasy solver.

Matchday 3 transfer summary

Sell Bonmatí and Renard now. Sell Batlle now, and Russo after Matchday 3. Buy Fernández and Shaw to hold. Hampton, Caicedo, Malard and Reynders are the differentials with a three-matchday case behind them. Lyon players are for the captaincy this round, not for holding. Check the UWCL predicted lineups before the deadline, and compare the bookmaker lines on the UWCL market probabilities page. More analysis is in our UWCL Fantasy preview hub and the fantasy guides.

FAQ

Who should I captain in UWCL Fantasy Matchday 3?

Jule Brand is the top captain pick, with 6.5 projected points against Inter at home, the highest figure in the game this round. Caroline Weir, Mariona Caldentey and Melvine Malard are the alternatives.

Which defenders are best for UWCL Fantasy Matchday 3?

Martina Fernández (4.0m, Barcelona) is the best defender, with 17.3 projected points over Matchdays 3 to 5 and 1% ownership. Ellie Carpenter and Lucy Bronze are the Chelsea picks.

Should I sell Aitana Bonmatí before UWCL Fantasy Matchday 3?

Yes. The model projects Bonmatí for only 26 minutes and 1.5 points in Matchday 3, and her 10.5m is better spent on Clàudia Pina or Khadija Shaw.

Best differentials for UWCL Fantasy Matchday 3?

Melvine Malard (0% owned) is the top-projected forward this round. Linda Caicedo (2%) has a rising three-matchday run, and Hannah Hampton (2%) is the best goalkeeper over the window.

This preview was written by TheFantasyTool AI.