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Champions League football heads into the latter stages of its group stage with Matchday 4 now upon us. The groups are now beginning to take shape and there is still a lot to fight for. In Fantasy football terms, this means that the bigger names would be starting without giving us the fear of being rotated- something that becomes a headache after teams gather qualification.
The leaderboard has thrown up a bit of a surprise this time around with two Roma players heading the points charts of their position in Dzeko and Under respectively. Messi is a big doubt for the game and would probably not be playing. As for the other biggie, Cristiano Ronaldo is yet to score in the Champions League this year after getting a suspension in the first game.
The players in the list have been picked on the ease of fixture, the team's current form as well as the player's likelihood to grab attacking or defensive returns. Here are the top 7 fantasy picks for matchday 4.
Sergio Aguero - Manchester City
City are in devastating form right now. Both in the league and in Europe after turning around from their shock defeat against Lyon in the first Matchday. Their next game sees them play Shakhtar at their home ground- a team they humbled 3-0 in the reverse fixture.
There are plenty of options to pick from the English club. From midfield, Raheem Sterling is a man in form while their defense also offers good options in Walker and Mendy. We would like to keep it simple and effective, though, by picking their main man this season, Sergio Aguero.
Having missed the previous game, Aguero isn't high up in the scoring charts currently but might take a big leap after this game. He currently has a single goal in the Champions League which he scored against Hoffenheim. His league form, however, has been way more impressive where he has 7 goals and 6 assists.
Aguero is a man on song right now and pretty much assured of a starting place come the underwhelming form of Gabriel Jesus this season. He would be a good choice for captaincy this coming matchday.
Memphis Depay - Lyon
The French side host Hoffenheim at home and it was a goal fest the last time these two sides met. The match ended 3-3 with plenty of attacking intent shown by both sides.
At home, you would expect Lyon to get one better over the German side seeing that they beat Manchester City in the first game. One player who is bang on form currently is the Dutch winger, Memphis Depay. He has 1 goal and an assist so far and has played every game.
Depay at times plays as the lone striker while also drifting to the wing to support his team's attacks. For a forward, his price is pretty low at €8.5 and is selected by only 2% of the Fantasy crowd currently. It can give you the edge over other players if he manages to get a good return this matchday, which seems highly likely.
Alex Telles - FC Porto
A defender who has a knack for getting attacking returns- Brazilian full-back Alex Telles is a prime choice for matchday 4. Porto play at home against strugglers Lokomotiv Moscow, who have so far only a solitary point and a single goal to their name.
This would pretty much assure a clean sheet for the hosts at Estadio do Dragao. While you could never count out Telles to find himself a goal or two either. He has already grabbed an assist in Europe this season in Matchday 2 when he got a 9 point haul.
Porto are currently leading the table in Group D and would want to clinch their qualification as soon as possible. Their defense or their Goalkeeper Iker Casillas is a good choice for this round of matches to transfer to get into your fantasy side as well. Telles is slightly pricey at €5.5 but you can also go for his counterpart Felipe at €5.
Mohammed Salah - Liverpool
He was one of the picks of the last matchday's team and didn't disappoint with a 13 point haul. Salah, after an underwhelming start to his European campaign, looks to have picked up the pace and will be a good bet to grab more points this matchday.
Liverpool after demolishing them at home, now visit Crvena Zvezda. The Serbian team has conceded 10 goals in their 3 matches so far and would not be expected to put too much of a resilience in against a very impressive Liverpool side this season.
A very complicated group means that Liverpool would need to go all out in this game to get a good foot in for next round's qualification. Salah is the man they will look up to for points. The Egyptian doesn't come cheap at €11, but is a way more reliable option for regular returns than his counterpart Mane who comes at €9.
Cengiz Under - AS Roma
Top of the midfielders pile right now on points and pretty hard to look past seeing his price. Under has 2 goals and 2 assists this season and is an out of position prospect since he plays on the left wing for his side.
After beating the Russian side at home, Roma head to CSKA to get another win under their belt. The would be looking to top the group with Real Madrid struggling this season.
While CSKA is known for its rugged defense at home in the Champions League; their 3 points deficit to Roma means that they would need to look for goals, while the Italian team can sit back and counterattack.
Under comes at a price of only €7 in midfield. His alternative is striker Eden Dzeko who would cost you €10. Laurenz Pellegrini is another decent alternative in midfield who costs just a little bit more at €7.5.
Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich
Bayern needs a win to go on top of their group and they are playing a favorable fixture against AEK Athens at home in their next one. It is hard to look past their Polish center forward for points.
Lewandowski is the go-to option for goals in the German side. He is expected to grab a brace or something in the game after having scored 2 goals already in the Champions League. This match might just be his turn to gather a big points haul.
He comes for a price of €11 which is a premium range, but for this matchday, you can go for it. His alternatives such as Muller, Robben and James Rodrigues haven't really delivered so far. Hence, Lewandowski is the best bet from Bayern.
Also, keep in mind, their defense looks in prime shape to grab a clean sheet point this week as well.
Harry Kane - Tottenham
After grabbing 2 goals in his last 2, Harry Kane looks set for another decent return as his team desperately looks for points in the competition against PSV. After falling to draw in the reverse fixture, Spurs would not have any less than a draw if they wish to qualify for the next round, with Barcelona and Inter looking strong.
Kane is another premium priced forward coming in at €11, but his ownership is way less than other popular options in the game at only 4%.
Against the Dutch side PSV Eindhoven, expect anything from a goal to a big haul from the Englishman. Also, playing on a different day than Aguero, he would be a good choice for a rotating captaincy in manual substitutions, just in case that he fails to deliver.
Also to choose from Tottenham- Heung Min Son, Lucas Moura in midfield, Keiran Trippier in defense.
