UCL Fantasy: Italian Sides and Their Top Picks for Matchday 7

We continue to focus on the new round of UCL Fantasy, but in this article we take a look at the Italian sides and their top picks for Matchday 7. To do this we bring in our Italian contributor and regular @FPL_Crisk, he reveals all about Atalanta, Inter, Juventus and Milan.

Checking out the Italian sides and their top picks for Matchday 7 could be extremely beneficial for UCL Fantasy managers. All four sides have some fantastic fixtures in the next round, so knowing who to buy could help bring success.

Introduction

The Champions League group stage is coming to a close in the next few weeks: with only two Matchdays left. It feels like the right time to take some calculated punts in order to climb rank, especially if you plan to use the Limitless chip in MD8.

Most Serie A teams in the competition are not only in the run for a top eight finish, but also have pretty affordable fixtures ahead, making them very attractive targets. Let’s see what each of these teams have to offer (with the exception of Bologna who are close to elimination):

INTER

Italian Sides and Their Top Picks for Matchday 7

The reigning Serie A Champions have performed extremely well, sitting comfortably in the top eight. Nonetheless, they need to keep their form steady as they are just one point ahead of ninth place.

They play away at Sparta Prague next week and are hosting AS Monaco the week after, two matches they should pick up all three points against.

Yann Sommer (GK, €5.5m) is currently their top scorer, but this shouldn’t put you off choosing another outfield player, as Inter have rotated a lot (especially in the easier matchups) in UCL. For example, their best defender Federico Dimarco (DEF, €5.5m) has started just twice, but clearly outclasses the goalie as his attacking potential is very high (WBs at Inter often end up as wingers, with the wide CBs move to a fullback position in possession).

Marcus Thuram (FWD, €7.3m) is another great option if you trust their attack. This season he has been much more composed than Lautaro Martinez (FWD, €9.4m), and leads the team when it comes to goals scored in all competitions.

MILAN

On the other side of the same city we find AC Milan. In his first two matches as head coach, Sergio Conceicao has beaten both Juventus and Inter in order to win the Italian Supercup.

In the UCL, they have performed really well and reside just one point away from the top eight, a target which seems reasonable when taking into account their next two matches are against Girona (at San Siro) and away at Zagreb against Dinamo.

Their main value comes in the form of their attacking players: Rafael Leao (FWD, €9m), Christian Pulisic (MID, €7.5m) and Tijjani Reijnders (MID, €5.8m). All have over 10 goal contributions in all competitions. Pulisic appears to be the best out of the three, with 10 Goals and five assists, and takes penalties for his side. However, Reijnders, for such a low price, seems like a very good deal.

If you really want to bet on their defence, Theo Hernandez (DF, €5.5m) is a very obvious pick, due to his unmatched attacking potential under a direct style of manager like Conceicao.

JUVENTUS

Juventus are very tricky to understand, as they tend to be very hit and miss, both in attack and defence. They currently sit in 14th and are two points below eighth place.

I personally don’t think they will make it into top eight, too many teams have to fumble in front of them, but this doesn’t mean they will not try in their two matchups against Club Brugge (away) and Benfica (home).

Dusan Vlahovic (FWD, €8.3m) and Turkish wonderkid Kenan Yildiz (FWD, €6.6m) have both performed very well, but feel to inconsistent to consider, especially for a precious forward slot. For this reason I am looking at their defence, with Federico Gatti (DEF, €4.9m), Pierre Kalulu (DEF, €4.5m) and Andrea Cambiaso (DEF, €5.5m). However, they all pale compared to Michele Di Gregorio (GK, €4.2m) who’s much cheaper and offers pretty much the same output.

USA international Weston McKennie (MD, €6.4m) is also an interesting differential pick. He tends to go under the radar, but also finds himself in good positions to score. Just ask Manchester City.

ATALANTA

Atalanta are currently alongside Juventus, but considering they have a very difficult fixture in the final Matchday against Barcelona, I only feel comfortable suggesting their players for the Matchday 7, in which they host Sturm Graz.

Their goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi (GK, €4.5m) is both cheap and also rotates well in MD7 with Juventus’ Di Gregorio, allowing for a very solid pair in between the sticks at a very low price.

However, Atalanta are mostly known for their attacking potential. By Matchday 7, all their main attackers should be fit and available. Newly crowned African POTY Ademola Lookman (MID, €6.7m) is a steal with 12 goals and six assists in all competitions. Charles De Ketelaere (FWD, €5.7m) is a fantastic creative force, and Mateo Retegui (FWD, €5.4m) is their main top scorer, at least in Serie A.

As you can see, their assets are all very cheap, but have similar output to many premium picks. Raoul Bellanova (DEF, €4.2m) is a very interesting pick as he is a very attacking WB. But, his minutes aren’t safe as Gasperini likes to rotate the wingbacks in order to maximise the intensity up and down the wing.