Bundesliga and Man City stars to flourish in Fanteam Champions League Challenge

As the return of the Champions League approaches at pace, with the big kick-off next Tuesday, head over to Fanteam Fantasy Football to submit your picks for the group stages.

Their Champions League Challenge league costs just €25 to enter, with €100k in prizes to be won. Rank among the top 500 players and you are guaranteed to make a profit, with the top ten winning cash prizes from €1k all the way up to a massive €20k!

If that’s not incentive enough to sign up then we’re letting you in on our squad selections and the reasons behind each, picking out the must have budget sappers and the best value bargains.

As far as our goalkeeper picks are concerned, there are some cheap gems to be found in order to save money elsewhere.

Salzburg may have been drawn alongside both Liverpool and Napoli but could surprise a few sceptics, boasting an impressive defensive record. A home opener against Genk means keeper Cican Stankovic should be a smart buy for the first gameweek, while RB Leipzig’s Peter Gulacsi is another cheap option capable of keeping multiple clean sheets.

The Bundesliga side conceded the fewest goals in Germany last season and have been drawn in a favourable if competitive group alongside Lyon, Zenit and Benfica. A trip to the Portuguese champions is up first and given the team’s defensive nous, the impressive Marcel Halstenberg is sure to pick up points and can chip in with goals and assists.

Atletico Madrid are always good value for a clean sheet, with Stefan Savic a real value purchase as a result, even if he does rotate in and out, while Bayern will be confident of shutting out the likes of Tottenham, Olympiacos and Red Star Belgrade. They face the Serbians up first, with Joshua Kimmich - a defender on the game - now pushed into a midfield role. He’s an expensive option for good reason, registering 13 league assists last season.

Premier League pair Nicolas Otamendi and Emerson complete our backline, with the duo enjoying extended spells in the Manchester City and Chelsea first teams respectively following frustrating campaigns. The former looks a cert to start following a long-term injury to Aymeric Laporte, while Emerson has made a strong start to life under Frank Lampard.

Moving into midfield it’s all about finding goals and in Lyon’s Memphis Depay and Bayern’s Serge Gnabry we’ve picked a pair that will play in very attacking roles. Elsewhere youngsters Dani Olmo and Kai Havertz of Dinamo Zagreb and Bayer Leverkusen respectively also bless scoresheets regularly and are cost effective, enabling us to get Kevin De Bruyne in at all costs.

There’s no escaping how favourable the draw has been to Pep Guadiola’s side after all, due to face Atalanta, Dinamo Zagreb and Shakhtar Donetsk, and their Belgian playmaker is back to his brilliant best. Following an injury hit campaign De Bruyne is making up for lost time and already has a goal and five assists to his name in four Premier League appearances this season.

Moving onto the crucial striker spots, we’re opting for Robert Lewandowski as our power play up front, with Bayern sure to do some damage in the group stages. The Poland international has started the campaign in frightening form, with eight goals in his last four appearances for Bayern, and the fact that six strikers cost more makes him - even at 10m - something of a bargain.

After all, the 31-year-old ended the 2018/19 Champions League group stages as top scorer, with eight goals, and he’s our pick for captain this week up against Red Star, with the potential to earn double points.

We’ve had to be a little more savvy with our backup forwards as a result, but Victor Osimhen already looks to have picked up the goalscoring burden left by Nicolas Pepe at Lille and is certainly one to watch. One player who can’t help attract the eye, meanwhile, is man mountain striker Artem Dzyuba, who will lead the line in his typical battering ram fashion for Zenit and is sure to cause problems.

Think you can better that squad? Then why not sign up here and start working on your team for the chance to win big in Fanteam’s Champions League Challenge!