UCL Fantasy Matchday 8 Best Captain

The Champions League continues! Today we pick out the UCL Fantasy Matchday 8 best captain. As well as picking out the standout captaincy option, we also select one or more differential options for those looking to gain rank early on.

Matchday 8 is here, and it’s a little bit different from the previous rounds. This week all 18 Champions League matches start at the same time. This means that UCL Fantasy managers have just one opportunity to get captaincy right.

Who stands out?

Bayern have been hit and miss in the Champions League this season. The Bavarians sit comfortably inside the play-off places in 15th, but that is still well short of the top eight automatic progression places many would have expected them to clinch.

Vincent Kompany and co will be more than motivated this week. Although even a win may not be enough to take them into the top eight, they will likely be eager to bounce back after their 3-0 loss to Feyenoord in Matchday 7.

Bayern face Slovan Bratislava in the new round, which is hugely significant when considering they rank as the worst defence in the Champions League thus far. It also helps that Bayern go into the meeting having managed more goals than any other side in the Bundesliga, and ranking among the top sides for total goals scored in Europe.

Leading the effective Bayern frontline is of course Harry Kane (€10.7m). As well as taking penalties, Kane has scored 23 goals across both his domestic league and the Champions League this season. Kane has everything he needs to perform well this week, but can anyone contest his captaincy claim?

Battle for the armband

Florian Wirtz (7.9m) could be a very viable contender for Kane and the captaincy armband this week.

Leverkusen may have had similar results to Bayern in their previous two rounds, but the former have had to battle against the likes of Inter and Atleti. Prior to those games, Leverkusen displayed their ruthlessness in their 4-0 win against Feyenoord, and their 5-0 victory versus Salzburg.

A home match against the already-eliminated Sparta Praha lays ahead next, a side who have lost their previous five Champions League matches. They also capitulated defensively in their 4-2 loss against Feyenoord and humiliating 6-0 loss against Atleti.

As evident, this is a fantastic opportunity for a Leverkusen side who have to win to maintain their top eight positioning. Talisman and penalty taker Wirtz will likely enforce their efforts, as he has all season. The German superstar has already racked up 24 goals contributions in the Bundesliga and Champions League so far. His explosive 18-point and 19-point returns in the Champions League already also reflects how big he can really go when in the mood.

Whilst Kane has advanced positioning and arguably a worse opponent ahead backing him, Wirtz has the potential of receiving an extra point for a clean sheet and every goal scored.

Alternative Options

Manchester City may need to win this week to have any chance of continuing their Champions League journey, but UCL Fantasy managers don’t. What is important is that Pep Guardiola’ men are scoring plenty of goals – two or more in their previous seven in fact. One player who could be counted on this week is penalty taker Erling Haaland (€11m). Some may be thinking the Norwegian is out of form, but six goals and one assist in his previous six games states otherwise.

Real Madrid could be another popular team for captaincy in Matchday 8. Although playing away from home like our other options, the Spaniards have produced relentless scoring rates home and away this season. The absence of Vinicius Junior no doubt makes Kylian Mbappe (€10.9m) a better option. As well as netting three goals without the Brazilian in his most recent La Liga match, the Frenchman should also take penalties.