It is Champions League time and the most prestigious European competition for club teams has reached its final stages with only 4 teams left. In the semi-finals, in which both home and away ties will be played within the next 10 days, four of the best teams in European football will compete for eternal glory. Both Manchester City and Atlético Madrid will be looking to win their first ever Champions League whereas Bayern München and Real Madrid between them have won it already a staggering 15 times.
I will participate in the £10 Champions League free roll, offered by FantasyBet. Because there will only be 4 matches involved in this fantasy football league, which only offer limited options, the rules have changed slightly from what we are used to when there are more matches included. The budget has been raised from £100 to £120 million and there is a limit of 5 players per team one can chose.
From a fantasy football perspective it will be important to learn if Cristiano Ronaldo will start for Real Madrid. The Portuguese multiple Golden Ball winner was benched in the match of Real Madrid versus Rayo Vallecano last Saturday and has been trying to overcome a muscle injury in his right thigh. From the latest updates he seems to be in the starting XI of the Galacticos, but do check team news today or the Real Madrid line-up an hour before the match starts.
Since this is a fantasy football league involving only big teams and players, and although the budget has been raised to 120 million, it isn’t that easy to allocate the budget.
Program Champions League Semi-Finals
Tuesday 26th April
19.45 Manchester City – Real Madrid
Wednesday 27th April
19.45 Atlético Madrid – Bayern München
Keeper
It’s a difficult choice but based upon the bookmakers predictions for a clean sheet, Bayern Munich is the team most likely to keep a clean sheet, my pick is Manuel Neuer.
Defenders
My defense consists out fo 3 players from 2 clubs, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. From the Spanish side I take Daniel Carvajal and Marcelo and from the Germans I pick David Alaba.
Midfielders
My 4 midfielders are Lucas Vázquez from Real Madrid, Douglas Costa and Kingsley Coman from Bayern Munich and my last midfielder is Belgian star representing Manchester City, Kevin de Bruyne.
Attackers
The 3 strikers I have picked are Sergio Agüero from Manchester City, Gareth Bale from Real Madrid and Thomas Muller from Bayern Munich.
Johnny’s Fantasy Champions League line-up
Captain, vice-captain
Captain of my team is Gareth Bale and vice-captain Sergio Agüero.