UCL Fantasy Matchday 10 Best Budget Gems

The new round of the 2024/25 Champions League season is edging closer. With this in mind we continue our coverage by picking out the UCL Fantasy Matchday 10 best budget gems. To do this we consider several factors including fixture difficulty and form.

Budget players can be vital for UCL Fantasy managers. Cheap assets allow more budget for premium picks who can be some of the most consistent in the game. Finding cheap assets is essential but finding cheap assets who do well can contribute to both rank and mini-league position.

Atalanta

UCL Fantasy Matchday 10 Best Budget Gems

Atalanta need to turn things around this week as they go into their second clash against Club Brugge, of which they are currently losing 2-1. The Belgian side are inconsistent away from home. This is evident in the fact they have failed to win a match away from home since mid January.

Gian Gasperini and his men have already racked up five clean sheets in the Champions League thus far. So, they have been one of the most impressive defences in the competition. Because of this, backing them could be wise. Wing-back Davide Zappacosta (€4.7m) could be the standout budget defender after hitting consecutive assists in his previous three European games. He was also rested in his sides latest Serie A game.

Goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi (€4.5m) also returned to the starting line-up in the previous match after returning from injury. The Italian could be another route into the Atalanta backline, but also their safest bet in terms of minutes.

Atalanta haven’t just proven effective defensively, they have also scored two goals against the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, and hit 5+ goals against weaker sides like Sturm Graz and Young Boys in their current European campaign. Leading that attack, is penalty taker Matteo Retegui (€5.5m), who has netted a huge 20 goals in Serie A already this season. Although a little more expensive, Belgian teammate and fellow striker Charles De Ketelaere (€5.8m) could be another good pick. Although short of form recently, De Ketelaere goes into the game fresh after failing to start his sides latest outing.

More Great Budget Gems

Feyenoord may not have hit their stride offensively as of late, but their 2.1 goals per game scoring average shows how effective they can be in the Champions League. This week they play against a transitioning Milan and one player who UCL Fantasy managers could look to is midfielder Anis Hadj Moussa (€4.5m). The Algerian has become a staple in the front three and has already scored against Manchester City, Sparta Praha and Salzburg in the Champions League.

Celtic proved that they can take a game to any side, after their late resurgence against Bayern in Matchday 9. The Scottish Champions tend to play all out attack, unnerved by the quality of their opposition. This bravery can translate into success and one player who is capable of that is Nicolas-Gerrit Kühn (€4.8m). The German midfielder has already proven himself against German opposition in Europe – hitting a brace against Leipzig in the League phase.

The Benfica defence could be an attractive proposition for many this week. The Portuguese side have kept back-to-back clean sheets in the Champions League and one of them was against their upcoming opposition, Monaco. One of the cheapest routes into the backline is goalkeeper Anatoly Trubin (€4.5m). Some could even opt for left-back Alvaro Carreras (€4.5m), who bagged a return in each of his previous Champions League matches.

Dortmund have been hugely inconsistent domestically, as they sit 11th in the Bundesliga. Sporting CP will have to go all out attack if they want to overturn their huge 3-0 deficit, so we could see goals. One of many cheap options in the frontline is striker Conrad Harder (€4.5m). The 19-year-old has seriously impressed since coming into the team and has amassed three goals and two assists in just his previous five matches alone.