2024-25 UCL Fantasy Picks & Drops

Matchday 7

January 17, 2025-If you want to get a lot of points tomorrow on your UCL Fantasy, sit Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker has been bad against strong teams this year and faces PSG this week. I expect him to do nothing despite him scoring this weekend against Ipswich. I think Haaland should be on your bench for this week if you plan to start him, as he will have a mid-performance and won’t be the difference changer for you to get points in your league.

January 19, 2025-For my next recommendation, you should start Raphinha. Barcelona’s 2nd top scorer this year has been having an insane season, and I think he will ball out tomorrow against Benfica, who haven’t been great in the Champions. I expect them to be overpowered by Barça, who currently sit second in the UCL table and almost every single player is in form. I think Raphinha should be a definite start for your team tomorrow.

January 19, 2025-And finally, a man who must be on your team is Mohammed Salah. Arguably the most in-form player in the world right now, as he has played a massive role in Liverpool being at the top of the UCL and Premier League tables. Salah has been exceptional this season, and I think he will comfortably drop more than 15 points tomorrow against Lille. If you don’t have him yet, go and get him because Mohammed Salah might just single-handedly save you from losing your league.

Matchday 7 (2)

January 20, 2025-If you want to get points for matchday 7, start Michael Olise. The English attacking midfielder from Bayern has been having a decent season, and in his last couple of games, he has played great, I think he will go off tomorrow against Feyenoord, who don’t come with a great streak or a lot of power. Bayern will overpower Feyenoord easily, and Olise will be a big part of a big victory that Bayern desperately needs to get into the Champions League’s top 8.

January 20, 2025-For my second pick, I will go to another Bayern player, Joshua Kimmich. He’s been one of the best defensive midfielders this season, but nobody talks about him. Kimmich has been solid in Fantasy, too. He plays Feyenoord tomorrow, who, again, don’t come with any firepower to put up a performance against Bayern. As stated previously, I think Bayern will blow them out, and Kimmich will have a decent performance.

January 20, 2025-Finally, I recommend you sit Jude Bellingham this week. Although he plays Salzburg, Bellingham hasn’t been his usual self this year, especially in the Champions League, and I think Vinicius Jr. and Mbappe will steal the spotlight tomorrow, while the Englishman won’t be producing a lot. I think you should place him on the bench this week as he will not be a difference-maker for your team.

Matchday 8

January 23, 2025-For many UCL Fantasy players, Matchday 8 is one of, if not the most important, Matchday of the season because, in many leagues, it ends there. So, I recommend you get Alex Grimaldo as my first pick for the final week. The Leverkusen star defender has been just above average this season, but he has played exceptionally against not-so-good teams, like we saw against Salzburg in MD5. Grimaldo plays Sparta Praha in the final regular Matchday of this season’s Champions League, and with a possible spot in the top 8 at stake, I expect him to show off. And that is why I think Alex Grimaldo should, without a doubt, be starting on your team in MD8.

January 23, 2025-A player who has been disappointing this season and who you should definitely sit out for MD8 is Phil Foden. The Manchester City superstar has been underwhelming this season, and I think he will have a similar performance against Brugge as in his other games. Earlier against PSG, he had a below-average performance where he only put up 3 Fantasy points. I think he will have a similar performance in the final week of the UCL regular season.

January 24, 2025-Another player who will disappoint your team this week is Florian Wirtz. The German superstar has been on a scoring drought, and he hasn’t been great for Bayer Leverkusen recently, either. Leverkusen plays Sparta, and many people expect the youngster to go off, but I just don’t. I don’t think the conditions are set like for other games where he has had big games. Last week, he had 1 point against Atletico de Madrid, in a game where it seemed like he was barely even on the pitch. I think he will have another disappointing performance and you should bench him.

January 24, 2025-Finally, if you have doubts about starting Erling Haaland because of disappointing recent performances, don’t do it. Haaland plays Brugge, and Manchester City must win at such a crucial stage in the tournament. And if there’s one thing we know about the Norwegian striker, he disappoints in the knockout rounds. Still, when it comes to getting those important three points, whether it’s in the Premier League or the Champions League, he will deliver. I can smell a hat-trick and an incredible performance from City, and I will go as far as to say you should even captain him.

Matchday 8 (2)

January 26, 2025-For week 8, you must start Micheal Olise. The French superstar, who has had a massive season, plays Slovan Bratislava in Bayern’s regular season UCL campaign, and I think he will have a big game. Olise has been consistent all season, and despite a weak performance last week against Feyenoord, I believe he will continue to shine, and especially next week, with a possible top 8 spot at stake and against a bottom-table team, the Frenchman will put up a lot of points for your team, so he is a definite start.

January 26, 2025-Another definite start for your team in MD8 is Julian Alvarez. The Atletico superstar has had an insane season in his first one with the Colchoneros. After having 2 goals last week against Bayer Leverkusen in the final minutes, I expect him to score again this week against a weak Salzburg. Alvarez will surely have a massive game against Salzburg, as Atletico also have a chance at the top 8, and they will not hold back against them. It is also important to note that Atletico is one of the best teams in the world right now, and Julian Alvarez is one of their most important players, as he is arguably one of the most in-form players on the planet. The Argentinian international is a definite start for your team this week, and you should even consider making him captain.

January 27, 2025-And yet another player who I think you should start for MD8 is Nicolas Kühn. Now, you may have never heard of him, and in case you haven’t, he is a midfielder for Celtic. This week, he plays Aston Villa, who have shined and have a top-8 spot at stake, but I feel that Celtic will overpower them, and Kühn will have a similar performance as to the one against Leipzig, where he had 16 fantasy points. The German has been shining in the Scottish league, and although he hasn’t been at his best in recent UCL games, I think he will go off on Tuesday, even if Celtic do lose.

January 28, 2025-And finally, don’t start Serhou Guirassy. Despite scoring last week in Dortmound’s loss to Bologna, the Guinean striker will have a below-average game next week against Shakhtar. This is because Dortmound’s style of play recently hasn’t been getting him the ball much, and although he might score a tap-in, he won’t be crucial for Dortmound. He has been out of form recently, and I expect him to get his form back around February, but for now, don’t take any chances and sit him.

KO Playoffs Leg 1

February 9, 2025. As we kick off in the next phase of the new Champions League format, UCL Fantasy leagues are starting to go down to the wire. This stage may be crucial for your team since teams must give their all to get to the round of 16. So, to kick off my picks for this week’s Fantasy, I’m going to recommend you take Igor Paixão. The Brazilian has been one of the most underrated performers this year in the Champions League, as he seems to be the only shining star in a very bland Feyenoord. The Dutch team has had a disappointing stint in the UCL, and after losing their star striker Santiago Gimenez, things don’t seem to get better. However, Paixão has shown out for them, and so far, he has had a sum of 39 total fantasy points. For this reason, I expect him to continue to be the sole savior of Feyenoord and to have a great game against AC Milan in the 1st leg of the KO round. The Brazilian should without a doubt be starting in your team, and you should be expecting a good performance from him.

February 9, 2025. For my next pick, I will go for another player from the same matchup, and that is Christian Pulisic. The American has been having a great season, and I think he will play a big part in this next round against Feyenoord. In addition to AC Milan giving him some help in attacking with some new weapons such as João Félix and ex-Feyenoord player Santi Gimenez, I think the Rossoneri will outpower the Dutch, and Pulisic will have a big game. He should definitely be in your starting lineup this week.

February 10, 2025. Finally, I recommend you to pick up Federico Valverde for your team. The Uruguayan has a history of having big games against Manchester City, and I expect this week to be no exception. Although I do realize that he has been disappointing this season, especially in the Champions League, his seasons usually go like this, and I think he will return to his usual self starting this week now that winning is really important. I think he will shine in both legs of Real Madrid’s matchup, and that is why I recommend you to pick him up.

KO Playoffs Leg 2

February 15, 2025. If you did badly in the 1st leg of the KO Playoffs in UCL Fantasy, don’t worry; here are some picks for the second leg that may be able to help your team come back. For my first pick, I have Federico Gatti. The Italian defender has been silently putting up some of the best Fantasy points for a defender this season, yet nobody seems to notice. He had a massive game last week against PSV, summing up a total of 11 fantasy points, and with a chance to move on to the round of 16, I think Gatti will show off this week and help Juventus seal their spot in the next round.