UCL Fantasy top picks for Matchday 13

The final round of the Champions League is close. We take a look at the top picks for Matchday 13. In addition, we take into consideration team and player form, fixture difficulty, minutes, fitness, heat maps and other factors to help us pick out the best options.

Taking a look at the UCL Fantasy top picks for Matchday 13 could be vital to both getting back on track or maintaining those successful starts to the campaign. We have a new set of fixtures; this can indicate different assets or highlight players even more in terms of bringing them in.

Goalkeeper – Ederson

Manchester City have made it all of the way to the Champions League final after another fantastic European campaign. Their recent form has been up there with some of the best teams in Europe and for that reason, deserve to be exactly where they are.

The English side have stormed the latter stages of their season. Their top form has seen them clinch the Premier League title once again. A significant contributing factor towards their success has been in defence so investing in assets from their backline could be key in the final round.

One way to buy into the Manchester City backline is via Ederson (€6m). The Brazilian has shown huge reliability in the past. Last season in the Premier League Ederson racked up a seriously impressive 20 clean sheets in his 37 matches.

Although he claimed just three clean sheets from his previous Champions League season, Ederson has already managed to double that in the 10 matches he has played in his current UCL campaign. His 47 UCL fantasy points consist of six 6-7 point returns.

Ederson may not pick up many save points but that could be seen as a positive especially when factoring in the fact that the opposition, at times can’t get near the Manchester City goal. The Brazilian has great clean sheet potential going into any given game and because of that makes the top picks for Matchday 13.

Defenders – Ruben Dias

Manchester City have always been known for having one of the best defences in Europe which is exactly why their defensive assets have some of the most investable in any platform of fantasy football. There are multiple ways of buying into the impressive defence.

Inter lay ahead for the English Champions. Although impressive, the Italian side have been very inconsistent at stages of their season. From losing both of their games against Bayern 2-0 in the group stages to scoring just three goals in a five game period in March, Inter have proven offensively limited at times.

One of the most reliable ways into the Manchester City backline is Ruben Dias (€5.7m). The Portuguese centre-back has become an integral part of his sides defence and even more so in those all-important matches like the one he has ahead.

Dias has been impressive in the current UCL campaign. He has amassed 67 points in his 11 matches. Interestingly, in two of the four matches he failed to secure a clean sheet or an attacking return he still collected four points. During the same 11 matches Dias also collected a huge 54 ball recoveries, topping his points total up by a cool 18 points.

Not only does Dias have great clean sheet potential and the ability to rack up ball recovery points but he is also a goal threat. A good example of this is the fact he has picked up a goal during his Champions League campaign already as well as a player of the match award. Taking all of above into account, Ruben Dias walks into the top picks for Matchday 13.

John Stones

Manchester City tend to suffocate their opponent with possession. This has meant that opposition have struggled to score against the English side on countless occasions. One of their vulnerabilities has always been being caught on the counter-attack.

Although Manchester City have been edgy against counter-attack teams in the past, they still managed to keep quiet one of the fastest players in world football quiet in their most recent match (Vinicius Junior). This is significant because their upcoming opponent, Inter, do not have the same pace in attack to capitalise on counter-attacking opportunities.

Another very reliable way into the Manchester City defence is via John Stones (€5.1m). The centre-back is also one of the cheapest routes into the backline so for managers lacking the budget to for other options, Stones could be a fantastic addition.

Not only does Stones have good clean sheet potential but his newly appointed position is also worth factoring in. The Englishman has spent a lot of time in central midfield as of late. This means Stones is much closer to the oppositions goal than his other defensive teammates. This in turn increases his chances of an attacking return.

Stones has bettered most of his defensive teammates in the current UCL campaign in terms of offensive potential. Not only has he bagged a goal but Stones has also managed to pick up an assist, both came in the seven matches he featured in.

Manuel Akanji

The Champions League final could be a fantastic opportunity to load up on the Manchester City defence and reap the potential massive gains of a clean sheet. After securing eight clean sheets in their current European season, they are the safest defence to back in the final round.

Because there is just one game in Matchday 13, the final, managers have the ability to look at the line-ups before making their decisions ahead of the deadline. This plays into the hands of managers looking at saving some cash and investing in Maunel Akanji (€5.1m).

Although question marks from some managers remain over whether Akanji will play, the centre-back has started the last six Champions League games in a row, highlighting his importance amongst the backline and to his manager Pep Guardiola.

So far, in the 10 UCL matches Akanji has featured in, he has banked a strong 61 points in fantasy. As well as good clean sheet potential, the Swiss defender has clear attacking threat. This conclusion can be drawn due to the two assists and one goal he has registered during the current campaign.

Akanki has also notched up 49 ball recoveries, topping his total up by 16 points. With multiple routes to points and with a brilliant price-tag, Manuel Akanji is an easy consideration amongst the top picks for Matchday 13.

Federico Dimarco

Inter face a very tough task ahead of them in the final. Although many will side against Inter, they have been maintaining a good defence this season. More recently in their last 10 matches in all competitions the Italian side have bagged five clean sheets.

In the Champions League Inter have also shown defensive strength. In the 12 matches they have played they have racked up a huge eight clean sheets. Interestingly, three of those same clean sheets all came in their last four UCL matches.

Inter play with a back-three system. This means that their wing-backs get into some of the most dangerous positions on the pitch. This in turn hugely increases the chances of attacking returns. Their standout wing-back this season is Federico Dimarco (€4.9m).

Dimarco has had a seriously impressive Champions League season considering he failed to start three of Inter’s 12 matches. In the nine games he did play the wing-back bagged 61 points. His great total consists of six clean sheets, a whopping five assists and 27 all recoveries.

The Italian defender has serious attacking threat. This can be reinforced by his season heatmap below. We can see that Dimarco spends most of his team attacking the opposition’s half. We can also see that he positions himself in the opponents box.

Federico Dimarco is arguably the most attacking defender remaining in the competition. With five assists already the Italian has proven exactly that and when taking all of the above into account, Dimarco is an easy addition to the top picks for Matchday 13.

Denzel Dumfries

Inter have shown some great promise this season and their rocky start to the campaign could end in joy. They must face arguably the best team in the world in the the final. However, they have the means to frustrate Manchester City which in turn could mean that their wing-backs are substituted with a clean sheet intact.

We have already seen that the Inter’s system allows their wing-backs to advance forward, increasing their chances of attacking returns. Federico Dimarco is a fantastic option but has not been as consistent as teammate Denzel Dumfries (€5.3m) from an attacking point of view in recent years.

Dumfries caught the eye offensively in his most recent Euros campaign for Netherlands. Being used in the same back-three system as his domestic club the Dutchman bagged two goals from his four matches. Two years on from that point Dumfries proved his worth again in the World Cup scoring one and assisting another two.

Dumfries has been lacking in attacking threat as of late but those aware of his ability will never forget just how good he can be going forward. In fact, we can see from his Champions League heatmap that he is still getting in all of the right positions for an attacking return.

On his day Denzel Dumfries can be one of the most explosive wing-backs in world football from a fantasy perspective. Because of this and his current form, it could be risky to exclude him from the top picks for Matchday 13.

Midfielders – Kevin De Bruyne

The Manchester City frontline has been one of the best in Europe for some time now. Because of this investing in their attacking players in any fantasy format will always be absolutely key towards having a successful rank or gaining an edge over mini-league rivals.

Inter lay ahead in the final who have shown defensive inconsistencies this season. Their defence can fold when facing an efficient attack as well. This can be seen in the fact that they lost to Bayern 2-0 on two occasions in the group stages and also conceded three goals to Benfica in one of the recent knockout rounds.

The standout option in the Manchester City midfield is Kevin De Bruyne (€10.6m). The Belgian has been considered as one of the best midfielders in football for some years. In terms of his attacking numbers, they have also been impressive.

In his 20/21 domestic league season Kevin De Bruyne scored six goals and created 12 assists, accumulating to 18 goal contributions in 25 games. He then followed on from that in 22/23 with 15 goals and eight assists, totalling to 23 returns in 30 games.

This season has been a very good one for De Bruyne. In fact, the midfielder has registered seven goals and a whopping 16 assists. This tallies up to 23 goal contributions in 32 games. The Belgian has also been very good in his current Champions League campaign. Bagging seven returns in nine matches played De Bruyne has also secured two double-digit hauls in his last five. Kevin De Bruyne is an essential and because of that walks into the top picks for Matchday 11.

Ilkay Gundogan

Motivation could not be higher for Manchester City as they look to clink their first ever Champions League trophy and further cement the argument that they are the best team in Europe. Their recent form is also reflective of that.

To further highlight the strength of Manchester City, in their last 10 matches in all competitions they have won seven, drawn twice and lost once. During that same period they also manged to rack up 21 goals, averaging 2.1 goals per game.

Investing in the Manchester City attack for the final will be absolutely key and there are several ways in which managers can do this. Another route into the relentless frontline is Ilkay Gundogan (€8m). The German has managed four or more points in five of his Champions League matches so far.

Although Gundogan has been known as a central midfielder we can see from his heatmap above he likes to advance forward. The German also shows encouraging positioning inside the oppositions box, increasing his chances of an attacking return.

Some could say Gundogan is on a run of attacking returns as of late. To reinforce that in his last five starts in all competitions he has bagged four goals and two assists. This again suggests that Gundogan, although his position does not reflect it sometimes, is a great option from an offensive point of view.

Jack Grealish

By now we already know how dominant Manchester City are in the Premier League. The English side clinched the title yet again and in the most emphatic way. What could also be worth focusing on is their efforts in the Champions League.

Of their 12 UCL matches Manchester City scooped an impressive seven victories. In the same patch of games they also netted a whopping 31 goals. This averages out at 2.5 goals scored per match. This could be considered another appealing statistic when buying into the Manchester City frontline.

Manchester City score so many goals that it makes it easy to invest more positions and budget into their attack. It also means that including more of their offensive players gives us a better chance of picking up attacking returns and not missing out if certain attackers find themselves involved in the goals.

Another way into the Manchester City offensive line is Jack Grealish (€7.9m). The wingers breakout season came when he was playing for Aston Villa. In his last season for the usually mid-table side the English international produced six goals and 10 assists in 26 matches.

In his first season for Manchester City Grealish struggled to fit in. This resulted in just three goals and three assists in 26 games. However, fans have been treated to significant improvements from Grealish which has then had a positive effect on his output. In fact, in the following season, domestically, Grealish bagged five goals and seven assists in 28 games. His improvements and Manchester City’s attacking numbers warrant him a place amongst the top picks for Matchday 13.

Bernardo Silva

Manchester City’s scoring average suggests that they could score multiple goals against Inter in the final. Because of this collecting their attackers could be a very clever move for those that can do it. We have already seen the fact that Manchester City have scored an impressive number of goals in the UCL but what is worth considering is some of the teams they scored those goals against.

In the most recent round Manchester City proved their offensive capabilities. They put a huge four goals past a team considered as one of the best in Europe, Real Madrid. Another team they comfortably beat 2-0 was German giants Bayern.

To highlight the explosive potential of the English Champions frontline we have to look at one of their Champions League matches. They completely dismantled a Leipzig team 7-0 which provided plenty of attacking returns amongst the attack.

Another great option to consider is Bernardo Silva (€8.3m). Similar to Gundogan Silva has been known as a central midfielder for sometime. However we can see from his Champions League heatmap below that he has been predominantly utilised as a winger.

Another interesting factor is that as of the last several UCL games, Silva has been positioned on the right wing. This could heighten his chances of attacking returns this week as he faces a team playing with a wing-back system. He will also be playing on against the same side that Federico Dimarco plays on and the Italian spends most of his time in the opposition’s half, leaving plenty of space behind.

Bernardo Silva has shown to be extremely explosive at times in UCL Fantasy. The Portuguese international picked up a monstrous haul of 17 points in his most recent round, scoring two goals and picking up the player of the match award against Real Madrid.

Hakan Çalhanoğlu

We have spent plenty of time looking at Manchester City’s form but lets tale a look at Inter’s. The Italian side have won a massive nine of their last 10 matches in all competitions whilst losing just once. This kind of form can be seen as elite and some of the best in Europe.

In terms of goals Inter continue to impress. In the same 10-match period as above Inter netted a cool 25 goals. This averages out at 2.5 goals scored per game which is interestingly more than their opponent. Inter are in good scoring form and their attacking options should be considered.

One way managers could invest in the Inter attack is via Hakan Çalhanoğlu (€7.4m). The Turkish international is predominantly a central midfielder but does tend to drift into the final third on multiple occasions. We can see this from his Champions League heatmap below.

We can also see that Çalhanoğlu takes his sides corners. Combined with the fact he takes some free kicks and the midfielder has additional routes to points. This is an early indicator that he could be an appealing asset.

In his 20/21 domestic season Çalhanoğlu managed to pick up four goals and nine assists, accumulating to 13 returns in 33 games. In the season after he then went onto to register seven goals and 12 assists, totalling to 19 goal contributions in 34 matches.

Çalhanoğlu also racked up an impressive points total of 55 points in his current UCL campaign. In the eight Champions League matches he played the midfielder collected six six-point plus returns. Those returns also included a huge double digit haul when he scored and earned the player of the match award.

Çalhanoğlu has assist and goal potential and with his set play taking duty its means he has an extra source of potential points. Taking everything into account, Çalhanoğlu squeezes into the top picks for Matchday 13.

Forwards – Erling Haaland

We have highlighted multiple factors supporting the relentless Manchester City frontline. Although the other options that have already been mentioned are very good picks, one player has to be considered above all as the standout pick.

Since joining Manchester City Erling Haaland (€11.2m) has been one of the most consistent players in world football. The perfect example of that is the fact that he scored a massive 36 goals and produced eight assists domestically.

His goal contributions above total to a monstrous 44 attacking returns in 35 matches. If that total wasn’t impressive enough Haaland has also netted 12 goals and created one assist in his 10 Champions League matches.

Haaland is the highest owned player amongst the best managers in UCL Fantasy (65%). Because of this it could be very unwise to exclude him from our squads. Not just this but the Norwegian takes his sides penalties, giving him an additional route to points.

The Manchester City striker will likely be the standout captaincy option for the final and rightly so. His mammoth 25-point haul in Matchday 8 is just one example of his fantasy explosiveness. Not only is Haaland an absolute essential but he was the first name amongst the top picks for Matchday 13.

Lautaro Martinez

Manchester Coty lay ahead for Inter and although arguably the best team in the world, still have defensive fragilities. The English champions have conceded a goal on a whopping 32 occasions this season in all competitions.

The potential to score against Manchester City is there for Inter. The Italians have been in great form lately. As we have already seen they have won a huge nine of their last 10 matches in all competitions. Because of this they cannot be underestimated.

In the same 10-match period as above Inter also bagged 25 goals, an average of 2.5 goals scored per game. The biggest contributor towards the Inter goals is Lautaro Martinez (€8.6m). The striker has been ticking away comfortably in terms of attacking output over the years.

In his 20/21 domestic league campaign Martinez managed an impressive 17 goals and eight assists, tallying to 25 goal contributions in 38 matches. The season after Martinez continued that great form with another 24 attacking returns.

This season Martinez is once again impressing. In fact. the striker has amassed 21 goals and six assists. His current 27 goal contributions tally in the league means he has already beaten his previous seasons tally. In terms of recent form, Martinez has collected nine goals and three assists which highlights his elite run of form. Because of the above, he makes the top picks for Matchday 13.