Champions League Combined XI: Best Players in the Group Stage

Midfield

Fred

Since we've gone with a 4-4-2, we picked one defensive midfielder and one attacking midfielder. And there was no better player to play in central midfield than Shakhtar Donetsk's Fred - a deep-lying playmaker.

The Ukrainian side was never expected to go through to the knockout stages with Manchester City and Napoli in their group but with 4 wins (including wins over City and Napoli), Donetsk are back in the Round of 16 for the first time since 2014/15.

Donestk always played a traditional 4-2-3-1 formation and the 24-year-old Brazilian partnered Taras Stepanenko who performed box-to-box duties. With 24 tackles and interceptions, Fred was also tasked with spreading play and even made 8 key passes in the group stages.

Eden Hazard

The 'no.10 role' was a fight between two great Premier League midfielders - Eden Hazard and Philippe Coutinho. This is the first time five English clubs have qualified for the knockout stages and these two play-makers played a huge role in the English Renaissance in Europe.

However, Chelsea's group was far tougher than Liverpool's and Hazard's brace against AS Roma in the 3-3 draw ensured the Blues came away with at least a point.

Substitute: Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool)