This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
UEFA Champions League returns Tuesday with six matches for the main slate as competition returns after the international break. This slate is headlined by Liverpool hosting Rangers as the biggest favorite of the day by a wide margin. How you fare will likely be decided on how accurately you pick who does well for the Reds.
MATCHES (ET)
- 3:00 pm: Ajax vs. Napoli
- 3:00 pm: Club Brugge vs. Atlético Madrid
- 3:00 pm: Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Tottenham Hotspur
- 3:00 pm: FC Porto vs. Bayer Leverkusen
- 3:00 pm: Inter Milan vs. Barcelona
- 3:00 pm: Liverpool vs. Rangers FC
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Mohamed Salah, LIV vs RAN ($22): As mentioned, this slate's outcome will rely on what the big Liverpool pieces do. Salah, Luis Diaz ($20) and Darwin Nunez ($21) all have great appeal with some of the best goalscoring odds on the slate. Liverpool have struggled quite a bit defensively this season, but their attack has still been strong. I don't worry at all about Liverpool being able to create chances and score goals, but I am deterred from having exposure to their defense There is potential that Diogo Jota ($19) or Roberto Firmino ($18) starts up front and that would immediately thrust them into consideration, as well.
Liverpool are the easy part of this slate in that you know you want exposure, but where else can you target? Barcelona are the next biggest favorite and Robert Lewandowski ($22) has similar goalscoring odds to Mohamed Salah, but they don't have the greatest matchup in my eyes away to Inter. Ousmane Dembele ($19) has been on fire to start the season and also makes sense as a GPP pivot. Tottenham are away to Eintracht Frankfurt but are a bit too expensive for me to consider on this slate when I can pay the same prices for Liverpool pieces.
Dusan Tadic, AJA vs. NAP ($15): Tadic is the do-it-all guy for Ajax and they are hosting Napoli on Tuesday. This price is way too cheap for what we are getting in my opinion. Tadic is usually front and center of the Ajax attack and has a share of set pieces. Teammates Steven Berghuis ($17) and Steven Bergwijn ($16) are also fair prices for optimal builds, and you can look for the upside of Mohammed Kudus ($18) if you are stacking Ajax. Berghuis saw the majority of sets during their first Champions League match against Rangers.
Kerem Demirbay, BLV at POR ($12): Leverkusen are away to Porto, but that hasn't been as tough of a matchup as we may think. Porto were rolled by Brugge 4-0 at home a few weeks ago, continuing their struggles to start the Champions League campaign. Demirbay has a monopoly of set pieces for Leverkusen and comes in at a value price, which you'll need on this slate. He is a great combination of floor and upside in this role and again, I'm not scared of this matchup. You can pair him up in GPPs with Patrik Schick ($15) to add in some more correlation to your lineup.
Club Brugge also makes some appeal as they look to continue their hot start hosting Atletico. Ferran Jutgla ($16), Kamal Sowah ($15) and Roman Yaremchuk ($13) are set to start in their front three, but you can also go for some salary relief with Casper Nielsen ($11) or Hans Vanaken ($10).
DEFENDERS
Trent Alexander-Arnold, LIV vs. RAN ($15): Even though he is the most expensive defender on the slate, Alexander-Arnold gives you a massive floor, especially in this matchup. We have some value at defender and also in the midfield that can make him work and in cash games, I would prioritize him with at least one more Liverpool piece. Kostas Tsimikas ($13) isn't a big enough discount for me to consider him in optimal builds, but he is a strong pivot option in GPPs as he could very well be involved in a goal being in the same role as Andrew Robertson before his injury.
Nahuel Molina, ATM at BRU ($8): Depending on the lineup, Molina could hop on some set pieces for Atletico and at this price, that is enough for me to have some interest. I mentioned above that I do have some interest in a hot Brugge side, but that doesn't mean Atletico won't create chances to score goals, as they are still the third biggest favorite on the slate. Other value options include Federico Dimarco ($7) with Inter hosting Barcelona and Mario Rui ($8) going up against Ajax in a match that he should be busy. Lastly, Ansgar Knauff ($9) is also cheap at home for Frankfurt.
GOALKEEPER
Alisson, LIV at RAN ($14): I mentioned earlier that Liverpool have been struggling defensively and that does scare me a bit in targeting Alisson but his clean sheet odds are at nearly 50 percent. He also correlates well with Tsimikas and Alexander-Arnold which just adds to the upside in your lineup if you go there. I think it makes a ton of sense, especially in cash games. If you are too worried about Liverpool conceding, I also have interest in Hugo Lloris ($12) where Tottenham are a solid favorite away to Frankfurt.
