UCL Fantasy Best Budget Gems

The start of the brand new Champions League format is approaching and we continue our coverage of the game here. In this article we use fixture difficulty, team and player form, stats and other factors to pick out the UCL Fantasy best budget gems for the season ahead.

As we edge closer and closer to the deadline Champions League Fantasy managers will be hoping to finalise their first drafts. To do this, as always, we will need budget players. These players will help to enable the more premium options within our squads. So, lets dive in.

Rico Lewis

Manchester City sit at the top of the Fantasy Football Community Fixture Ticker. The 2022/23 Champions League winners face Inter on the opening day but then ŠK Slovan Bratislava, Sparta Praha, Sporting and Feyenoord after that. This could suggest they have clean sheet potential.

Rotation tends to be rife in the Manchester City backline but one player who has started every game for them so far this season is Rico Lewis (€4.5m). As well as clean sheet potential the 19-year-old registered three assists in just seven 2023/24 Champions League matches. Early signs show that he could continue that creativity after creating an assist in his latest league match.

Pau Cubarsí

Budget defenders are going to be vital for UCL Fantasy managers this season. This is due to the challenges around fitting in premium options like Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Mohamed Salah, Bukayo Saka and several others.

Another side who sit near the top of the fixture ticker is Barcelona. The Catalans have a lovely schedule from a defensive perspective so owning one of their assets could be wise regardless of pricing. Luckily the game have priced youngster Pau Cubarsí at just (€4.5m). After impressing in the recent Olympic Games the Spaniard has started all of his sides first four league games, he even mustered up an assist in his most recent match.

Michele Di Gregorio

Goalkeepers tend to be a position that the most experienced UCL Fantasy managers put little budget into. This is because they are limited in terms of potential when compared to the other positions. With that in mind finding a budget goalkeeper playing for a good team can be absolutely crucial.

When it comes to their defensive form Juventus are one of the best in Europe. As well as collecting a huge 17 clean sheets in Serie A last season Juventus have continued that defensive strength in their current campaign – bagging three clean sheets in the three matches they have played. When taking all of the above into account bringing in Michele Di Gregorio (€4.5m) could be a wise addition.

Morgan Rogers

After several decades of absence Aston Villa have finally returned to the Champions League. This time they go into it under the reigns of a manager who has historically found success in European competitions.

The Premier League side have a fair schedule and with fixtures against the likes of Young Boys, Bologna, Club Brugge, Monaco and Celtic ahead they could have success from an offensive perspective. One of the cheapest and most reliable routes into the frontline is midfielder Morgan Rogers (€5m). Rogers continues to start every match for Aston Villa. Rogers is yet to add to his three goals in pre-season but recent performances suggests that it could just be a matter of time.

Bryan Gil

Girona are another name football fans may be surprised to see this season. Their fixtures are mixed – with meetings against Liverpool, PSG, Arsenal, Milan, Feyenoord, PSV, ŠK Slovan Bratislava and Strum Graz but they have one thing that not many other teams have.

The new season and platform changes nothing in terms of chasing a €4.5m midfielder and this season UCL Fantasy managers have one. Former Tottenham winger Bryan Gil (€4.5m) seems to be a regular starter for the Spanish side now – starting all four La Liga matches so far. Gil even scored in one of his most recent matches.