The 2021/22 UEFA Champions League group stage starts on Tuesday and the UCL Fantasy game returns with it.
There are some incredible prizes on offer in this free-to-play Fantasy game, from Champions League final tickets to Playstation 5s and replica shirts.
Our series of preview articles previously got underway with a look at the best goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders on offer, so now we turn our attention to the pick of the forwards – and give a mention to those who are maybe best overlooked.
We’ve broken them down into budget, mid-price and premium brackets as usual.
If you’re new to the game or just need a reminder of the rules, check out our ‘how to play’ guide below.
And don’t forget to join the official FFScout UCL League (pin code: 33TKWHOD07), where there will be additional prizes on offer.
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UCL FANTASY – Forward Strategy
Forwards score points similarly to Fantasy Premier League (FPL), except there are three points for the UEFA-nominated Man of the Match and a point for every three balls recovered – although this doesn’t particularly affect the forwards.
This season, there’s a huge amount of great forward options for just three spots.
Premium forwards often offer the highest ceilings and some of the best points security, so make for great captaincy options. When you can hand the armband to one player on each calendar day of a Matchday, having two premium forwards who play on alternating days is a solid strategy.
Best Forwards
Premium (9.5-11.5m)
Robert Lewandowski (11.5m)
He’s scored six goals in four Bundesliga games this season and is still underperforming his xG. Bayern are looking great under Julian Nagelsmann and are a far superior team to both Barcelona and Dynamo Kyiv. It can’t be forgotten that this is a very similar Bayern side to the one who won 8-2 but arguably a much weaker Barcelona outfit.
Erling Haaland (11m)
Five goals in his opening four Bundesliga matches for Erling Haaland follows his DFB-Pokal hat-trick before the start of the season. Last season’s UCL top scorer has added more creativity to his game and faces Sporting Lisbon and Besiktas in his first two matches.
Cristiano Ronaldo (11m)
He’s Cristiano Ronaldo, he scored a brace on his debut, and Manchester United visit one of the weakest teams in the competition in a game we’ll have the line-up for. Ronaldo re-started his United career with a bang and will no doubt be looking to continue in the same vein.
Lionel Messi (11m)
PSG’s new ‘MNM’ frontline looks set to be unleashed on Club Brugge on Tuesday. Although he’s yet to start for PSG, Messi became the all-time highest-scoring South American in international football with a hat-trick last week and, let’s be honest, he’s Lionel Messi. He’ll likely take penalties and free-kicks, which probably makes him a slightly better option than the next two players on this list.
Neymar Jr (10.5m)
See Messi, but it’s Neymar. Although he’s only played 66 minutes for PSG this season, he’s still an incredible player, in one of the most stacked squads in history, facing a side from Belgium. Another great option.
Kylian Mbappe (10.5m)
I’d say toss a coin to decide which PSG attacker to pick if there weren’t three of them. Maybe eeny-meeny-miny-mo? Mbappe has four goals and two assists for PSG in Ligue 1 so far, making him the one who’s in form, but you imagine that which of these picks scores highest when they play together will depend on which way the wind is blowing.
Romelu Lukaku (10.5m)
Three goals in his first three Premier League games shows that Lukaku is the striker that Chelsea have been looking for. Fixtures against Zenit and Juventus aren’t the easiest and Tuchel’s defensive focus may mean big Rom is slightly less likely to score big in the Champions League, but I’m pulling at straws there. Another great option.
Karim Benzema (10m)
His weekend hat-trick took the 33-year-old Frenchman to five goals and four assists in just four La Liga matches this season. That’s more than two goal contributions a game under Carlo Ancelotti. Real have a tough first fixture in Inter, but if he continues in this form, then Benz is still an incredible pick. Just think what he could do to Moldovan minnows Sheriff on Matchday Two.
Antoine Griezmann (10m)
Back at Atleti and under Diego Simeone’s tutelage, Griezmann will look to rediscover the form that got him his move to Barcelona in the first place. Atleti tend to be quite defensive in general and AC Milan and Porto aren’t the easiest opening fixtures for a player who’s played just 59 minutes for his new club. There are probably better options than the Frenchman in this bracket.
Lautaro Martinez (10m)
Two goals in two Serie A games for Inter’s main man after Lukaku’s departure. Real Madrid and Shakhtar are two tough fixtures for Inter and as with Griezmann, he’s probably going to miss out on most squads because there are simply better options around. That is, of course, until he plays Sheriff back-to-back on Matchdays 3 and 4.
Thomas Müller (9.5m)
A goal and two assists in four Bundesliga games shows that Müller is still a good Fantasy asset under Julian Nagelsmann. However, when Lewandowski is just 2m more, the two options don’t really compare.
Luis Suarez (9.5m)
He’s only got one goal in La Liga this season and, as with Griezmann, there are probably better options available. Angel Correa (7m) has been in much better form for Atleti so far too.
Mid-Priced Forwards (7-9m)
Paulo Dybala (9m)
Promoted to Juventus’ star man since Ronaldo left, Dybala has a great opening fixture against Malmo. 9m is a great price for a player who has a goal and an assist across his first two Serie A games this season and seems to be one of the only nailed players in Juventus’ attacking line-up.
Memphis Depay (8.5m)
Two goals and an assist in his first three La Liga matches show that Memphis can make a mockery of his 8.5m price tag on a good day. However, his opening game against Bayern is about as tough as they come, especially when compared with some of the other options at this price point.
Dusan Tadic (8.5m)
Tadic takes penalties for Ajax and has two goals and an assist so far this season. He’s got kind opening fixtures, but I prefer his teammate, and the next player on this list, as an option.
Seb Haller (8.5m)
He was always a good forward but West Ham has been a graveyard for strikers’ careers recently. He’s refound his goalscoring form at Ajax and has four goals and an assist in his opening four Eredivisie games. Besiktas and Sporting are good opening fixtures and Haller is a great option at this price.
Youssef En-Nesyri (8.5m)
Sevilla’s striker is on penalties, has two goals and an assist in three games this season and has kind opening fixtures to Salzburg and Wolfsburg. One of the best out of a set of very good mid-priced options.
Gerard Moreno (8.5m)
Moreno is yet to score in La Liga this season and opens with tough games against Atalanta and Manchester United. Although he’s a great player and on penalties, there are better options around this price based on form and fixtures.
Mason Greenwood (8m)
Greenwood scored in his first three Premier League games this season and we’ll know if he starts before the deadline. If he does, he’s a great option at a good price given his form and fixture against Young Boys.
Wout Weghorst (8m)
Weghorst is Wolfsburg’s main man up front, on penalties and has scored twice so far in the Bundesliga. However, this isn’t a very attacking Wolfsburg side and Lille and Sevilla are quite well-matched teams, so those games could go either way.
Burak Yilmaz (8m)
Lille have been a shadow of their title-winning selves without Christophe Galtier, but Yilmaz has still managed three goals in five games. If Lille are going to build any form in this season’s Champions League, Yilmaz will be at the heart of it.
Sardar Azmoun (8m)
Azmoun has five goals and an assist in seven Russian league games for Zenit so far. Although he starts his campaign against Chelsea, he’s a great option for the Matchday 2 encounter against Malmo.
Artem Dzyuba (8m)
Dyzuba’s role in the Zenit side has become more creative, with Azmoun now tasked with scoring the goals. Dzyuba has three assists this season but simply isn’t the solid option he always was.
Diogo Jota (8m)
Firmino is still out injured, and Jota was one of Liverpool’s best players in their last Champions League campaign. He’s a good cut-price alternative to Mohamed Salah (11m) and opens the campaign with decent games against AC Milan and Porto.
Luis Diaz (7.5m)
Diaz is one of Porto’s best players and has three goals and an assist in five Liga Bwin games. However, opening matches against Atletico and Liverpool are about as tough as they come and there are probably better options as a result.
Roman Yaremchuk (7m)
After announcing himself at this summer’s Euros, Yaremchuk got a move to Benfica. He has two goals and four assists in six fixtures so far, and an opening game against Dynamo Kyiv makes him a good Matchday 1 option.
Karim Adeyemi (7m)
Six goals in seven league games for this German prodigy. Even against Sevilla, he’s a great option in a Salzburg side who could upset some of the bigger names in their group.
Budget Forwards (5-6.5m)
Lassina Traore (6.5m)
Traore has five goals in six league games for new side Shakhtar Donetsk. Their opening fixture against Moldovan minnows Sheriff is as good as they come. For his price, there really aren’t many better options for Matchday 1.
Michy Batshuayi (5.5m)
The Batsman scored twice at the weekend for new side Besiktas and faces two defensively ropey sides in Dortmund and Ajax to start off their UCL campaign. A great, cheap differential and a proven goalscorer.
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