This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
Wednesday's Champions League slate is quite different than what we're used to. Tuesday we were tasked with navigating one big favorite in Liverpool, but Wednesday there are three massive favorites in Manchester City, Real Madrid and Juventus. In addition, there are two more solid favorites in Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. Four of the six matches on the slate have implied goal totals over three, so there are expected to be lots of action which will make this a fun one.
MATCHES (ET)
- 3:00 pm: Benfica vs. Paris Saint-Germain
- 3:00 pm: Chelsea vs. AC Milan
- 3:00 pm: Juventus vs. Maccabi Haifa
- 3:00 pm: Manchester City vs. FC Copenhagen
- 3:00 pm: Real Madrid vs. FC Shakhtar Donetsk
- 3:00 pm: Sevilla vs. Borussia Dortmund
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Erling Haaland, MCI vs. CPH ($24): The discussion on this slate starts with Haaland, who is coming off a hat trick on the weekend to go along with two assists. Even though he is expensive, Manchester City get a matchup at home against Copenhagen with a 92-percent implied win percentage. Haaland has 77-percent implied goalscoring odds and he's actually favored to score two. You can certainly go with teammate Phil Foden ($20), who also had a hat trick over the weekend or Kevin De Bruyne ($21) as pivots, or if you are stacking City. Riyad Mahrez ($18) and Bernardo Silva ($17) are the cheaper pivots to get more exposure to this team.
Karim Benzema, MAD vs. SHK ($22): At similar prices to City pieces, I expect these Madrid and Juventus options to be less popular, especially than Haaland and De Bruyne. This makes them great GPP plays as such big favorites. Benzema has the second-highest implied goalscoring odds on the slate and can be paired with Vinicius Junior ($21) or Rodrygo ($18) in Madrid stacks. I think the approach you want to take in GPP contests is to stack one of these teams instead of trying to pick and choose one to two players from each of your favorite teams. Chances are one or two of these big favorites are going to pop off for a big performance like we saw from Bayern Munchen or Napoli on Tuesday and at least one will have a sweat free but not over-the-top performance like Liverpool. Stacking gives you an opportunity to nail both sides of multiple goals if the team you go with smashes.
If we are going to fit in these top-priced stacks, we will need some value to do so. Unfortunately, there isn't a ton of value at the position in the current projected lineups. At a minimum, there is a fairly cheap Toni Kroos ($14) on set pieces that can be used in Madrid stacks.
Taras Stepanenko, SHK at MAD ($12): This is usually a strategy to use at defender, but on a slate that is currently lacking value, I don't hate the idea of taking a defensive midfielder on a team who should be busy in Shakhtar. Stepanenko has put up eleven clearances through the first two Champions League matches with some other solid defensive stats such as five tackles. It isn't the sexiest play by any means but is one that at least gives you some floor and most importantly salary relief.
If you want to target the most even game on the slate, you can get some salary relief with Dortmund traveling to Sevilla. Price wise I have to side with Sevilla and could see getting exposure to Isco ($15), Erik Lamela ($14) or Kasper Dolberg ($14). This game is one I want to watch starting lineups closely as I could see targeting some value if it opens up.
DEFENDERS
Sergi Gomez, MCI vs. CPH ($12): Defender is a spot I am not going to the top of pricing even though Joao Cancelo ($15) has tons of upside. Cancelo could very well be a less-popular piece of City due to pricing, but I am going to lean to the discount on the other full-back, assuming Gomez starts. I am excited about the prospects for the entire City squad and this gives you a bit of a cheaper way to get exposure compared to the forwards and midfielders.
Dylan Batubinsika, MHI at JUV ($10): Going back to the strategy of defensive stats, I will side with one of both of their center-backs. He provided big numbers in a similar matchup against PSG, going for 16.9 FD points with six clearances, four interceptions and three tackles. Again, not a flashy play, but one that can help you stack the big favorites and find access to as many of the goals as you can. A few others you can go with in this range are Mykola Matviyenko ($11), Sean Goldberg ($9) and Yukhym Konoplya ($8).
GOALKEEPER
Ederson, MCI vs. CPH ($15): Ederson may be tough to fit on this slate, but it is tough to ignore his win and clean sheet odds. He also pairs well with Cancelo and Gomez at defender for clean-sheet correlation. If you need to save some salary, Kepa Arrizabalaga ($12) would be my favorite with Chelsea at home in what seems like a must win for them.
