The Starting XI - UCL Quarterfinals (Tuesday/Wednesday)
After Wednesday night’s matches, we will know the final four clubs standing in Europe’s biggest cup competition and there are no shortages of storylines entering the round of second legs.
The first that jumps out are the injury crises facing two of Europe’s biggest clubs, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, especially given that both will face a massive amount of pressure in their respective return legs. In Bayern, the injury issues from last week remain largely the same – Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, and David Alaba are all definitely out – giving the probability that Pep Guardiola will have to send out the same side that was defeated by FC Porto 3-1 in Portugal. While they came out with a 3-1 win against Malaga this past weekend, Real were rocked by Luka Modric and Gareth Bale both leaving the game early with injuries that will likely see them both out for several weeks. Add to this Karim Benzema being a doubt and Marcelo being suspended, and Real face an uphill battle if they are to finally end their drought of defeating capital rivals Atletico.
In the other two games, Barcelona are all but assured of their place in the semifinals thanks to Luis Suarez’s scintillating performance in Paris last week while Juventus take a slight 1-0 aggregate lead to Monaco as they look to book their place in the last four for the first time since 2003.
Ernestiko takes a look at eleven players from the DraftKings slate (2 GK, 3 DEF, 3 MF, 3 FW) as potential targets to lead their clubs to European glory.
GK Marc-Andre Ter Stegen $5,300 – Barcelona
PSG might be in the worst predicament a club could have in world soccer having to chase goals at the Nou Camp. Making matters worse for the Parisians is the fact that Barca have kept 5 clean sheets in all competitions since March 14th making the task virtually impossible. Ter Stegen has had double digit FPTS in 5 of the last 6 Barca UCL matches (the only other one he had 9 FPTS) and should be in line for another as Barca coast into the semifinals.
GK Danijel Subasic $3,900 – Monaco
While Juventus are certainly no slouches, it comes as a bit of a surprise that Subasic is priced so low. If we know one thing
about Monaco, it is that they are very organized defensively and the numbers in Ligue 1 show that. Monaco has only conceded 23 goals in 33 league games (best in Ligue 1) and don’t necessarily have to panic and chase the game just yet after losing the away leg 1-0.
DEF Dani Carvajal $4,300 – Real Madrid
During the early stages of the first leg, Carvajal was very much involved in the attack delivering two crosses of note that could have very easily led to Madrid goals. His last two UCL performances have been good ones in terms of FPTS and if Real find themselves in a situation where they have to chase a goal, Carvajal will likely turn into a right winger for Los Blancos.
DEF Philipp Lahm $4,000 – Bayern Munich
The selection of Lahm here is very much a wildcard because of his dud performance in the first leg. IF and it is an IF, Guardiola plays Lahm at the right back position and not central midfield, he becomes an excellent play at a decent price as Bayern need to chase a minimum of two goals to start the second leg. Porto’s two starting full backs are both out suspended which should give Bayern wide players the license to get forward in attack. With Bayern missing Robben and likely Ribery, Guardiola will count on his wing backs to create the width they lacked in the first leg. Keep a close eye on this one. You’ll know Lahm will be positioned at right back if Pep sends out another central midfielder to accompany Xabi Alonso and Thiago Alcantara (perhaps Schweinsteiger or Rode) in the middle of the park.
DEF Stephan Lichtsteiner $4,800 – Juventus
Lichtsteiner turned in a solid performance in the first leg mixing a clean sheet with a few key crosses and the second leg in Monaco should be largely similar to the first encounter in Turin. It’s highly unlikely that this match will be a high scoring affair giving reason to think that Lichtsteiner should be capable of a similar output.
MF Isco $5,000 – Real Madrid
Yes, Isco rarely provides his impact via the key soccer DFS stats that we typically concentrate on. He, in large part, sits in the middle of the attacking third looking to penetrate defenses with through balls to his goal scorers Ronaldo and Benzema. However, with Gareth Bale sidelined, Isco could be positioned out to the right bringing in the possibility of crosses/assists. With Madrid’s lengthy casualty list, it’s unlikely that Isco will be subbed and his price tag allows for flexibility in other areas of lineups.
MF Mario Gotze $8,600 – Bayern Munich
Gotze, much like the majority of the Bayern team, was kept in check throughout the first leg against Porto. With Ribery and Robben both missing out again and Bayern needing at least two goals, Gotze is an attractive play. Bayern should see the majority of the ball and with key absentees among Porto’s defense, Gotze could be in line for yet another good UCL outing.
MF James Rodriguez $8,700 – Real Madrid
Only recently back from injury, James is showing no signs of lacking match fitness or re aggravating his foot problem. He was able to gather 10 FPTS in the 0-0 first leg draw and since his return, he has two goals and two assists in three La Liga games. With Bale, Modric and likely Karim Benzema all missing for Wednesday, Real will need James to shine in the attacking third and take some of the goal scoring pressure off Cristiano Ronaldo.
FW Lionel Messi $12,400 – Barcelona
Given that PSG need to chase two goals at a place like the Nou Camp, things could get very ugly very quickly for the Parisian side. Luis Suarez received the plaudits after the first leg thanks to his two goal performance but Messi was still able to grab 14 FPTS thanks to an assist and other key contributions. This game feels very similar to the Manchester City home game where Messi was absolutely sensational. He found the back of the net for Barca in La Liga this weekend bringing his totals to 35 goals and 16 assists for the season accounting in some way for 57% of Barcelona’s total league goals.
FW Thomas Muller $9,300 – Bayern Munich
Add Muller to the list of Bayern players we think will bounce back from the humiliating 3-1 first leg loss. Muller is another player who contributes to a large percentage of his team’s league goals (only a mere 30%…guy should learn a thing or two from that Messi fellow) and also takes care of penalty duties for the Bavarians making him a nice play. As mentioned earlier, Bayern should see a lot of the ball in the Porto half and Muller arguably is the best player in the world at being in the right place at the right time for close range goals.
FW Cristiano Ronaldo $12,800 – Real Madrid
Yes, not exactly going out on a limb with some of these picks, but Ronaldo’s output and consistency during this UCL campaign has been eye catching to say the least. We could go on and on about numbers (Ronaldo is at 55% of Real Madrid goal/assist contribution in La Liga this year), but like Messi, Ronaldo has been equally excellent for Los Blancos and they will need him to be on Wednesday night. We didn’t tout Ronaldo last week largely because Atletico have stifled Real this year, but with Benzema likely missing Wednesday’s encounter, Ronaldo will be positioned centrally as a #9 and should have plenty of chances to find the back of the net.
SUBSTITUTE BENCH
Gianluigi Buffon $5,500 – Juventus
Rafinha $5,100 – Bayern Munich
Thiago Alcantara $4,600 – Bayern Munich
Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco $4,800 – Monaco
Luis Suarez $9,900 – Barcelona
Robert Lewandowski $9,200 – Bayern Munich