Teams to target
Manchester City
Three Manchester City options appear a must have, with the UCL champions handed a favourable group stage draw.
They start off at home to Serbian side Crvena Zvezda and a Manchester City victory is surely the gimme of the first round of fixtures.
Erling Haaland is the shoe in for the side and the obvious captain pick on MD1.
Elsewhere the midfield pick is between Rodri (£6.5m) and Phil Foden (£8m) – with the former an excellent pick in this game due to the ball recovery points.
An avoid from the City team is Julian Alvarez. There are so many good striker options on the game, meaning you probably only want to use one City spot on your forwards.
With rotating keepers an option, Ederson is probably too price of a pick, so for the defensive option I’d take a risk on Nathan Ake.
Incredibly Ake has been brought in as low as £4.5m and if he even starts half of the group stage games, he will make a mockery of price.
Barcelona
Barcelona are another side who’ve been handed a favourable draw and they open the 2023-24 UCL campaign off at home to Royal Antwerp.
Despite exiting at the group stage last season, Robert Lewandowksi still produced the goods, scoring five goals in as many matches.
Lewandowski has been brought in at £10.5m and he’s a lock in my side given Barcelona’s opening fixture.
Barcelona conceded just 20 league goals last term and I’d want a defensive option as well as part of a double up in MD1.
Should the funds be available then Joao Cancelo (£6.0m) is the route; however at £1m less, Jules Kounde is a good pick, especially with Ronald Araujo an injury doubt.
Good options
Bayern Munich
A home fixture with Manchester United in MD1 isn’t the easiest start, but Bayern Munich should win and the matches only get easier from there.
As part of an star-studied, Harry Kane (£10m) is my third striking option and with games against FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray on the horizon, I expect the England captain to return heavily in the group stage.
Munich have numerous good midfield options, with Leroy Sane (£9.0m) perhaps the stand out pick. He excelled in the group stage last year and if you can’t get to Kane, then he’s definitely the next best selection.
Thomas Muller struggled last year and is an easy avoid for me. Priced the same as Sane, Muller is also a striker on the game and is far from a regular.
Alphonso Davies (£6m) is the best defensive option; however if funds are tight then I like summer addition Minjae Kim (£5m) whose started well in Germany, ousting Mattias de Ligt from the XI.
It’s worth noting that Sven Ulreich is £4.5m; however Manuel Neuer (£6m) has returned to training and when fit he will become number one choice again.
Inter
Last seasons finalists have been drawn into a difficult group; however numerous players have been massively under priced or positioned incorrectly, which increases their appeal.
Yann Sommer has somehow been brought in at £4.5m and is currently in my side, rotating with another £4.5m option on the opposite day.
Matteo Darmian and Francesco Acerbi are also brought in as low as £4.5m, but I’ve a slight preference for Sommer given the certainty of start.
Marcus Thuram’s midfield selection is an oversight from the game and his £6.5m price makes him an absolute gift.
Inter deploy a 3-5-2 system and Thuram has started every match as a striker since joining the club from Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer.
Real Madrid
There won’t be a walkover game for Real Madrid in a relatively difficult group, but it would be a major surprise should they fail to qualify.
Madrid start off at home to Champions League debutants Union Berlin and I’m expecting a comfortable home win.
Jude Bellingham has made an incredible start to his Real Madrid career and he’s currently the most owned player in the game.
Coming in at 72% owned, Bellingham has five goals in his first four matches for Madrid and is an absolute lock in my team.
Arsenal
Arsenal are back in the Champions League after six years and will be confident of topping a favourable group.
Drawn alongside Europa League winners Sevilla, Dutch side PSV Eindhoven and RC Lens of France, I’d expect the Gunners to win at least four matches.
Given the numerous striker options, Gabriel Jesus is an avoid, like Gabriel Martinelli who has been listed as a forward on the game.
With it hard to remain in budget, I’m currently only on one Arsenal midfielder, but I’m finding it difficult to pick between Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard.
Avoids
Manchester United
With a trip to Bayern Munich in MD1, I’m not tempted by any Manchester United asset.
Should Sergio Reguilon come into the United team, he could be an option going forward, with the Spurs loanee priced as low as (£4.0m)
Come MD3 when United have a double up against FC Copenhagen, I will definitely be looking at Bruno Fernandes / Marcus Rashford, but early up, they are an easy avoid.
Group F
A contender for the toughest Champions League group of all time, there are no easy games at all in Group F.
Paris Saint Germain are slight favourites, but given their record in the competition, you wouldn’t be surprised to see them eliminated in the group stage.
Newcastle United, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan complete an incredibly difficult group and it will be hard to call a single match.
