Best Midfielders to pick in UCL Fantasy Matchday 2 (2023/24)

In this article, we will look at the best midfielders for your Fantasy Champions League team in Matchday 1 in the new 2023/24 season?

This article is part of the series: Fantasy Champions League Matchday 2: Tips, Best Picks & Captain

We looked at each price option: budget enablers, mid-priced and premium options.

Budget midfielders for Matchday 2 (4.5m – 6m)

Bidstrup (4.5m, Salzburg) – 3/10

• one of the very few regularly starting 4.5m midfielders in the game this season
• a defensive mid good at balls recovered
• perfect budget enabler

Lobotka (5.5m, Napoli) – 3/10

• Do not expect attacking returns, but he offers table points output from balls recovered

Emre Can (6m, Dortmund) – 3/10

• Solid at balls recovered
• plays in midfield this season
• 1G + 1A in Bundesliga this season
• His more advanced role this season and his ability to recover balls are factors that interested us
• But very tough group

Casemiro (6m, Manchester United)

• Historically good at balls recovered
• should offer stable points output 3-4 points per game due to balls recovered + occasional goal threat
• fixture proof pick

Other budget midfielders to consider:

• Joao Neves (4.5m, Benfica) – started 4/5 of matches for Benfica this season. Defensive mid, so expect points for balls recovered but not attacking returns.

Mid-Priced Midfielders for Matchday 2 (6.5m – 8.5m)

Kimmich (6.5m, Bayern) – 7/10

• Whether he plays (and is classified in fantasy) as a defender or midfielder, we always consider him for UCL Fantasy
• Very decent and reliable in balls recovered (5.67 per match in the last season)
• Does not matter which position he plays, he seems to always support Bayern’s attack
• 2 assists this season in Bundesliga

Marcus Thuram (6.5m, Inter) – 3.5/10

• Thuram seems to be underpriced
• We also expected him to be classified as a forward, not a midfielder, but that is good for fantasy managers
• 2G + 2A for Inter in Seria A this season
• 2G + 2A in 8 matches in the Champions League last season for Monchengladbach

Rodri (6.5m, Manchester City) – 8/10

• good at balls recovered, was top for balls recovered (alongside Otamendi) in the last season of UCL
• can recover stable points output (3-5 points per match) despite the lower price
• On average 6 balls recovered per game
• can get you an occasional goal from time to time, and he is playing a more advanced role this season for City after Gundogan’s departure and KdB injury. Especially when Kovačič plays, Rodri can get higher on the pitch.
• 3G + 2A this season for City
• Sometimes, in-form attacking 6 – 7m midfielders cannot deliver points for goals and assists, so it is worth considering a balls recovering hero instead of them, to make sure you will get at least some points from your cheap mids

Joey Veerman (7m, PSV Eindhoven) – 2.5/10

• PSV’s best midfielder this season could be a great source of points from MD2 onwards
• 3G + 7A in the last 8 games for PSV Eindhoven

Bellingham (7.5m, Real Madrid) – 10/10

• heavily underpriced, the most-owned midfielder in the game currently (for a reason)
• reliable UCL Fantasy asset, he seems to always deliver in the Champions League
• 5G + 1A in the last 4 La Liga matches
• We do not like to use the phrase “must-own”, but he is very very close to that
• MOTM candidate when he do well in a match

Foden (8m, Manchester City) – 6/10

• After Rodri, another Man City midfielder to consider in the UCL Fantasy
• If you pick him, you must accept that he will be benched sometimes due to rotation among Man City players
• But while KdB is injured, he should start majority matches

Premium Midfielders for Matchday 2 (9m – 10.5m)

Sané (9m, Bayern) – 8/10

• back to his best at Bayern
• Sané can be an absolute beast in the Champions League
• Proven UCL Fantasy asset
• 3 goals in the Bundesliga this season
• Great fixture run

Saka (9.5m, Arsenal) – 8/10

• a key man for Arsenal
• on penalties
• reliable asset in FPL, so he could be a reliable asset in UCL Fantasy as well
• 14G + 12A in the Premier League last season
• Also, Odegaard will be a popular midfielder, as he is on set pieces and is more likely to score goals outside of the box (+1 point)

Bruno Fernandes (9.5m, Manchester United) – 6/10

• The main man for Manchester United
• On Penalties
• tough MD1 fixture, but one to consider for managers who aim to use a wildcard in MD2
• MOTM candidate for matches when he does well

Tips for picking the best midfielders for your UCL Fantasy team

When selecting a defender for your UCL Fantasy team you consider:

• If you pick a premium midfielder, make sure he is also a good captaincy option.
• If you pick cheap midfielders (less than 5.5 million), make sure they are good at balls recovered
• Also, consider midfielders who are talismans for their teams as they could get awarded MOTM 
• Form and fixtures are also important parts of your decision-making process
• Consider probabilities when picking midfielders. Let bookies any time goalscorer odds to help you with that. You can find them here: Champions League Goalscoring Odds.
• Make sure you have all playing midfielders and no non-starters in your team – you can sub off players when they blank for a player who is yet to play
• Think about the structure of your midfield. It could be something like:
  • 10m (premium captaincy option)
  • 7m (talisman)
  • 7m (talisman)
  • 6m (differential with good fixture)
  • 5m (balls recovered hero)