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Sponsored by FanTeam

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Alongside the free, no-deposit ‘Beat the Pundits’ league is another exciting game from FanTeam. This time it’s the ‘Round of 16 Monster’, a one-week contest with prizes to be won.

In Fantasy Premier League (FPL) terms, think of it as a Free Hit.

Although Monster costs £2 to enter, eligible customers who registered on or after June 5 may find that they have a free entry ticket available to use on their Fanteam account. Check your account to see if you’ve received one!

RULES + PRIZES

The prize pool will total a minimum of £5,000, with £625 going to first place.

Managers have £117m to spend on 11 players, although no more than three per nation. And, unlike the official European Championship game, line-ups and captaincies can’t be moved around during the action. Once Switzerland v Italy kicks off on Saturday 29 June at 17:00 (BST), everything is locked in.

As for scoring points, FPL managers will be familiar with the system. Goals bring four points to forwards, five to midfielders and six to defenders.

Every player gets an appearance point for taking part, grabbing a second if they last over 60 minutes. For defensive names who play that long and finish without conceding, all clean sheet rewards are the same. Such midfielders get one as well.

Assists lead to three points and goalkeepers get five when saving a spot kick. Captains see their score multiplied by two but everyone gets punished for things like own goals, penalty misses and cards.

However, there are slight differences to FPL:

• Firstly, if a midfielder or forward stays on the pitch for the entire game, they’ll receive an additional point.
• Also, goalkeepers earn +0.5 for each save, rather than in FPL where it’s one point per three.
• If the player’s team wins during the period of their involvement, that player will be awarded 0.3 points. But they’ll be deducted 0.3 if they lose the period.
• Midfielders and strikers will get +0.4 for each shot on target, whilst defenders and goalkeepers earn +0.6 and +1.0 respectively.
• Two points are removed if conceding a free-kick leads to a goal, or a penalty is given away regardless of its outcome.
• Bonus points do not exist.
• Stacking Penalty: If you have more than one defensive player from the same team, the awarded points for a clean sheet will be reduced by one for the second player, and by two for the third player.

It’s also worth noting that points will not be scored for extra time or penalty shoot-outs.

FIVE PLAYERS TO TARGET

MIKE MAIGNAN (£9.3m)

By being under-par in Group D, France surprisingly finished second and now find themselves in the tougher half of the draw. But this Monster is all about the immediate Round of 16 match and the French won’t be fearing Belgium.

Maignan is the fourth-best goalkeeper so far and ranks third for overall points (18.8), as he’s nicely balanced two clean sheets with plenty of saves (nine).

The theoretical fixture difficulty means he’s that bit cheaper than he’d usually be, too.

STEFAN POSCH (£8.1m)

Taking advantage of France and the Netherlands’ lacklustre start was Austria, who impressively topped the group. Their reward is an attractive-looking run that’d potentially take them to the semi-finals.

Ralf Rangnick’s side hasn’t yet stopped an opponent from scoring but what appeals about right-back Posch is his attacking threat. With three shots on target, he’s ahead of all other defenders.

Plus, his relatively low price (prices go up to £15.3m in this game!) enables premium assets elsewhere.

FABIAN RUIZ (£13.9m)

Ruiz is amongst the top-scoring midfielders despite playing just twice, having collected a goal, assist and two other shots on target.

As the only nation yet to concede, a pair of clean sheet points also arrived.

Similarly to France, reaching the final will be tough but their Round of 16 clash versus Georgia is generous.

ILKAY GUNDOGAN (£11.4m)

Another top midfielder is an individual who we picked out pre-tournament for being £1.0m cheaper than in the official game. Gundogan therefore made our initial draft but he was foolishly cast aside for team-mate Florian Wirtz (£11.2m).

As of now, he’s FanTeam’s top midfield scorer with 21 points thanks to a goal and two assists.

Denmark are next up for the Germans – perhaps he’s still on spot-kick duty. Against Scotland, he was still hurt from the foul and let Kai Havertz (£11.9m) take it.

CRISTIANO RONALDO (£13.2m)

Finally, a premium forward who loves a goal or two. Ronaldo is on Portuguese penalties and needs no invite to take some shots – he’s one of the leading names for attempts on target, something that’s rewarded in FanTeam.

The Group F winners have a Slovenia fixture that instinctively looks superb and possess elite players throughout their squad. Owning their talisman makes a lot of sense.

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FURTHER DETAILS

Verified FanTeam account holders need to be aged 18 or older, with entries limited to one per person. No deposit is required.

In partnership with FanTeam, 18+, Play Responsibly | BeGambleAware.org | #ad

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