FanTeam UEFA Champions League 2023 Knockout Game preview

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When the Champions League 2022-23 Round of 16 kicks off on Tuesday, February 14th, it will have been more than three months ago since the Group Stage of Europe’s most prestigious club competition came to its end. Since then, we’ve had a World Cup and several domestic cup tournaments, plus a restart of domestic European competitions. To mark the return of the Champions League, FanTeam has launched its trademark UEFA Champions League Knockout Game, a fantasy format that will last until the final in June and that boasts an impressive € 46,000 prize pool.

In addition to an overview of the tournament’s rules above, we have taken a look at the coming games and highlighted a few fantasy picks to help you create your first squad of eleven players. Per position (Goalkeepers, Defenders, Midfielders, Forwards), we have identified a more expensive option and a more budget-oriented option with good potential for the coming Round of 16 and beyond. Do keep in mind that you will have three free transfers every gameweek to adapt your squad, plus two wildcards.

GOALKEEPERS

We’re starting this list with a more or less expected pick, as Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois (6.5M) has been amongst the best goalkeepers in the world for some years now. The Belgian, who finished seventh overall in the last Ballon d’Or ranking, is currently nurturing a bit of an injury, but is expected to return for Real’s LaLiga encounter with Osasuna on February 18th. He did not join the team for their World Cup for Clubs challenge in Morocco that is currently being played in order to work on his fitness. This makes us confident that he will feature from the start when Real visit Anfield on Wednesday, February 22nd, for the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 face-off. In Liverpool, Courtois is playing a side that is horribly out of form at the moment, in part due to its shyness in front of goal, and on top of that, Real is expected to go deep into the tournament as usual. Courtois is therefore not cheap on FanTeam, but fantasy picks don’t get more set-and-forget than him.

If you’re not planning to spend that much of your 95M budget on one of your goalkeepers, then perhaps Odysseas Vlachodimos (5.0M) is the perfect pick for you. With Benfica, the Greek shot stopper is playing for one of the most in-form teams in the European top competitions and in the Champions League Round of 16, they are facing a side that is not in optimal form at the moment. Reigning Belgian champions Club Brugge are currently in fourth place in the league, six points behind number three Antwerp FC and an incredible 21 points behind leaders KRC Genk. Of their last five league games, only one was won, while the other four ended in a draw and there is more. The Belgians are playing Benfica at home on Wednesday, February 15th, but five days before that they are playing number two in the league Union St. Gilloise and four days later, the derby against Cercle Brugge is on the agenda. In other words, the club is going through a tough run of fixtures and we think Benfica, and therefore Vlachodimos, can considerably benefit from all of the above.

DEFENDERS

As far as our defensive fantasy picks for the FanTeam UEFA Champions League Knockout Game go, we’ve gone with two relatively affordable options. First up is Ben Davies (5.5M), who will be traveling to Milano to face one of the two local giants there, AC Milan. The Rossoneri are going through a bit of a bad patch as they haven’t won in seven games in all competitions. In the Serie A, last weekend’s painful 1-0 away loss to archrivals Inter Milan meant the third league defeat in a row, while they also lost to Inter in the final of Italian Supercoppa back in January. As a result of their poor form, AC currently sit in seventh place in the league and we see chances for Spurs to boot the Serie A powerhouse out of the Champions League here. The Italians failed to score in three of their last four games and you can count on Spurs manager Antonio Conte to focus on defensive certainty when his side visits Milan on Valentine’s Day this month. Davies is our pick from the Spurs defence as he is a nailed-on defender for Conte and the one who has been most involved in goals this season. He has not scored or assisted in the Champions League yet, but in the Premier League he’s already got 2 goals and 1 assist to his name.

Our second defensive fantasy pick is just 0.5M cheaper than Davies and plays for AC Milan’s historic and city rivals Internazionale. Milan Skriniar (5.0M) was reportedly close to a move to the Premier League this January transfer window, but he eventually remained at Inter and is now getting ready for an encounter with Portuguese giants FC Porto. The Nerazzurri recently won the Supercoppa against AC Milan and find themselves in second place in the Serie A, though 13 points behind leaders Napoli. In the Champions League Round of 16, they are facing Porto on Wednesday, February 22nd, and they are favourites to go through to the quarterfinals, in our opinion. While Porto know very well how to find the goal in the domestic Liga NOS, the Champions League is another story and we see clean sheet potential for their opponents here. Inter have been defensively solid of late, conceding just a single goal in their last six games in all competitions, and at his current price, Skriniar looks like a shoo-in for your defence in FanTeam.

MIDFIELDERS

Napoli are favourites to qualify for the Champions League quarterfinals in their upcoming double encounter with Eintracht Frankfurt in the Round of 16 and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (9.5M) will be instrumental to converting that role into a satisfying result. The Georgian international has been nothing short of sensational so far this season, playing 22 games across all competitions and scoring 10 goals overall. Not bad at all for a winger, especially considering he has also given 14 assists. To make things even better, he is listed as a midfielder in the FanTeam UEFA Champions League Knockout Game. As far as the 2022-23 Champions League campaign is concerned, he has got 2 goals and 3 assists to his name already despite missing out on matchday 5 of the Group Stage. With Eintracht Frankfurt, the southern Italians have their work cut out for them, but they have shown that they are for real this season. After 21 games, they are currently 21 points ahead of Inter in first place in the Serie A and they have not lost in six games in all competitions. They have their eyes firmly set on the next round in Europe and on Kvaratskhelia to guide them there.

One of Liverpool’s many issues at the moment is the stability and resilience of their midfield, and that’s exactly where their upcoming Champions League opponent Real Madrid boast an abundance of experience and quality. No player embodies that better than Luka Modric (8.0M), who is showing week in week out that at 37 years old, he still belongs to the world’s footballing elite. We admit that he’s not the most productive fantasy asset in terms of attacking returns, but he’s a nailed-on part of manager Carlo Ancelotti’s starting eleven and on penalty duty for Los Blancos as well. Having said that, the Croatian playmaker still managed to record 5 goals and 3 assists from 28 games so far this season, and two of those goals were scored in the CL (against Celtic on matchday 1 and matchday 6 of the Group Stage). We expect him to be bossing the Liverpool midfield for the game at Anfield on Tuesday, February 21st, and assuming Real will get far in the tournament once again, we find it hard to ignore his undeniable qualities at his current price tag.

FORWARDS

We briefly mentioned AC Milan’s current troubles earlier in this article when discussing Ben Davies and we’re getting back to that with our premium fantasy pick in attack, Harry Kane (10.0M). As has become normal after so many years of elite performances, Tottenham’s Very Own is in excellent goalscoring form at the moment. So far this season, he managed 19 goals and 3 assists in 30 games across all competitions, including 2 goals and 1 assist in the CL Group Stage. The England captain is a guarantee for goals, something AC Milan will be very much aware of as well. The Rossoneri have already conceded 30 goals in 21 league games, while they shipped 7 goals in six CL Group Stage games, in a mediocre group with Chelsea, RB Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb. Their most recent defensive performances will surely sound like music to the ears of Kane, because the reigning Italian champions conceded a worrying 15 goals in their last five games. Kane is the fourth-most expensive forward in the FanTeam UEFA Champions League Knockout Game, but he’s looking more than worth it to us.

Our final recommendation for the FanTeam UEFA Champions League Knockout Game is also the most doubtful in terms of playing minutes, as Gonçalo Ramos (8.5M) is currently dealing with some injury niggles. Local reports seem to be hopeful of a return of the Portuguese league’s current topscorer in time before the visit to Club Brugge on Wednesday, February 15th, but we advise to keep an eye on how this situation evolves over the coming days. Having said that, Ramos could be an absolute steal at 8.5M. Benfica are the goalmachine of the Liga NOS, having netted 51 times in 20 games already, and their Portuguese striker was directly involved in 16 of those goals (12 goals and 4 assists). Taken over all competitions, Ramos already sits on 18 goals and 7 assists, numbers that include a goal and an assist in the Champions League Group Stage. In the Round of 16, it’s struggling Club Brugge up next for As Águias and the Belgians are surely breaking their heads over how to stop Benfica’s attack. Club’s 0-0 draw at Antwerp on Sunday, February 5th, was only their first clean sheet since their 0-2 victory over Patro Eisden in the Belgian Cup at the start of November 2022 and we don’t feel like the double encounter with Benfica will result in more of those.

For discussions on FanTeam’s Champions League knock-out game go to this FISO FanTeam forum topic.

World Cup Quarter Finals 2022

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The 2022 World Cup has now progressed to the quarter final stages. Surprisingly, Germany and Belgium departed in the group stages and then Spain in the last 16. Today in the first match Croatia hope to upset favourites Brazil with Neymar who has recovered from his ankle injury. Later Argentina and Messi battle against the Netherlands another fancied team with Depay and Gapko in attack. Tomorrow, Africa’s sole survivor Morocco play Portugal who scored 6 goals against the Swiss despite none from Ronaldo who is no longer starting for them. The biggest quarter final is arguably France, with their star player Mbappe, against England who will be hoping Kyle Walker’s pace at right back can quell Mbappe.

FanTeam have plenty of daily or short 2 day fantasy games to add to your enjoyment of watching the World Cup matches from just £2 entry fee with a variety of games on offer from either picking just 1 player, 2 players, or 6 or a full 11 so as simple or complicated as you fancy. They are an example of sports betting sites that aid the interactivity of watching these big matches.

If you entered the FanTeam World Cup 2022 Full Tournaments which had thousands of entries – the single entry per person option had almost 23,000 entries at £5 each (giving a prize pool of approximately £100,000) as well as the multi entry option with over 11,500 entries at £20 each leading to a prize pool of approximately £200,000 then you may already be on the edge of your seat. As always, do carefully go through all of the game’s rules and conditions before getting involved (min age 18).

Daily Fantasy World Cup Games at FanTeam

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The 2022 World Cup kicked off to great fanfare and we’re now in the crucial stages of the Group games. Despite an opening game shock, Argentina and Messi are fighting back and France, with their star player Mbappe, have already qualified for the knock-out stages. England are also through, barring a heavy humiating defeat to neighbours Wales. Brazil look deserved favourites with stars throughout their squad and will need them with Neymar’s ankle injury meaning no further part in the group stages. Tonight’s big match could see Spain eliminate Germany. FanTeam have plenty of daily or short 2 day fantasy games to add to your enjoyment of watching the World Cup matches from just £2 entry fee with a variety of games on offer from either picking just 1 player, 2 players, or 6 or a full 11 so as simple or complicated as you fancy. Just like horse betting is straightfoward when placing a punt on the horse that you fancy.

With 4 group games per day there is plenty of action to watch and you can get more involved even if you entered their FanTeam World Cup 2022 Full Tournaments which had thousands of entries – the single entry per person option had almost 23,000 entries at £5 each (giving a prize pool of approximately £100,000) as well as the multi entry option with over 11,500 entries at £20 each leading to a prize pool of approximately £200,000. As always, do carefully go through all of the game’s rules and conditions before getting involved (min age 18).

Fanteam World Cup 2022 – Group stages: Best midfielders and forwards

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As you are well aware, the 2022 World Cup is kicking off in a little over two weeks with the official opening game between hosts Qatar and Ecuador. FanTeam would not be Fanteam if they had not prepared yet another exciting fantasy game with unrivalled prices, so that’s exactly what they did. Just last week, the FanTeam World Cup 2022 Full Tournament was launched with both a single entry per person option (£50,000 guaranteed prize pool) as well as a multi entry option (guaranteed prize pool of £100,000), which means that you still have over 2 weeks to prepare. A budget of 90M, eleven team spots to fill, and 32 nations to choose from; get started on your own World Cup squad today. As always, do carefully go through all of the game’s rules and conditions before getting involved (min age 18).

We will be publishing a mini-series of articles featuring a selection of fantasy picks for the FanTeam World Cup 2022 Full Tournament that we feel could deliver big over at least the first rounds of the group stages. Like that, we hope to get you in your way with the selection of your own squad within the limits of the provided 90M budget. The first part looked at World Cup Goalkeepers and Defenders. In our second part of the previews, we’re taking a look at the best midfielders and forwards in the game which might also help you if you’re taking part in esports betting australia.

MIDFIELDER

Lionel MESSI (Argentina)

Our first one on this list is not exactly a differential gem to help you surprise your rivals, but he is very likely to shine during the group stages. Argentina’s Lionel Messi (12.0M) is considered one of the very best footballers in history, a ball-playing wizard who has won everything there is to win in world football. Everything, apart from the World Cup that is. Argentina came incredibly close in 2014, when a 113th-minute half-volley by Mario Götze decided the World Cup final in Germany’s favour, and this year is very likely Messi’s last chance to add the Jules Rimet trophy to his extensive collection of titles and cups. The Argentinian captain is in form as he has already scored 12 goals and provided 14 assists in 18 games across all competitions for his club Paris Saint-Germain, including 4 goals and 4 assists in 5 Champions League games, and will be kicking off the Argentinian quest for World Cup glory against Saudi Arabia, who on paper are one of the weakest sides in the tournament. After that, it’s Mexico and Poland for La Albiceleste, two more games they could and should win rather comfortably. Messi will be the heart and soul of Argentina during the World Cup, and we can see that translating to FanTeam World Cup 2022 Full Tournament points quite easily.

MIDFIELDER

Kevin DE BRUYNE (Belgium)

Whether or not Belgium’s golden generation can still deliver one more time at the upcoming World Cup remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: whatever they do and whatever they plan, Kevin de Bruyne (10.5M) will be at the centre of it. Widely considered as one of the best attacking midfielders and indeed all-round midfielders of his generation, the Manchester City playmaker is once again on fire this season. In 18 games for his club, KDB scored 3 goals and gave an impressive 13 assists, while for his country, he’s managed 2 goals and 1 assist from 5 games in 2022. The Red Devils were drawn into Group F at the World Cup, together with Canada, Croatia and Morocco. While the Croatians are joint favourites to win this group with the Belgians, the two European sides only face each other in the final group game. Considering the difference in quality between those two teams and the remaining two, it’s not crazy to assume that both Belgium and Croatia will already have qualified for the knock-out stages by then. Against Morocco and Canada though, Belgium might run riot and that’s why we’ve included De Bruyne in this list. On top of that, he’s a whole 1.5M less expensive than Messi, though 10.0M does not exactly say “bargain pick” either.

MIDFIELDER

The Budget Pick – Steven BERGHUIS (Netherlands)

Steven Berghuis (9.0M) is not exactly a budget “budget” fantasy pick, but the Dutch playmaker does cost a whole 3.0M less than Messi and 1.5M less than KDB, while offering similar or possibly even better upsides. The Netherlands have drawn one of the easiest groups on paper with Ecuador, Qatar and Senegal, and it looks like they could qualify for the knock-out stages in overwhelming fashion. Like at his club Ajax Amsterdam, Berghuis forms an integral part of coach Louis van Gaal’s plans, usually playing on the right wing from where he can cut inside and fire with his excellent left foot. He featured in 4 out of 6 Nations League games this year, providing 1 assist, and has 19 club games on his name already (7 goals, 6 assists), including 2 goals and 2 assists in 6 Champions League encounters. In Qatar, he will be given considerable freedom in attack to play his game and it’s useful, from a fantasy football perspective, that he’s on many set-pieces as well. We would not be surprised to see a couple of returns from Berghuis before the knock-out stages get going.

FORWARD

Harry KANE (England)

Did we really have any other choice to start our forwards fantasy picks with? Harry Kane (12.0M) is expensive, yes, but he is also in great form, the main man for England and facing three relatively easy opponents in Group B. The Golden Boot from the previous World Cup in Russia has already scored 12 goals in 20 games for Spurs this season, while also providing 3 assists. One of those goals and two of those assists came in the Champions League, thus playing a major role in the club’s qualification for the Round of 16. As for the Three Lions go this year, Kane has featured in eight games and scored 3 goals in the process. Apart from the home game in the Nations League against Italy and the friendly against Ivory Coast, in which he was subbed on with respectively 25 and 28 minutes to go, he also wore the captain’s armband. What we’re trying to say here is that, when it comes to strikers at the upcoming World Cup, few will provide as many “guarantees” as Kane does. He’s amongst the priciest attackers in the FanTeam World Cup 2022 Full Tournament game, but with Iran, the United States and Wales as opponents in the group, we’re thinking he’ll be paying back that investment in full.

FORWARD

Robert LEWANDOWSKI (Poland)

It’s a bit strange to see Robert Lewandowski (9.0M), one of the very best strikers of his generation, to not be featured amongst the most expensive attacking assets in FanTeam’s World Cup 2022 Full Tournament, but the fact that he represents Poland has everything to do with it. While not a bad side at all, the Bialo-czerwoni will need a considerable effort to pass a group with Argentina, Mexico and Saudi Arabia. The Argentinians seem out of reach on paper and Mexico’s quality is similar to that of Poland, while Saudi Arabia should be three points in the bag for them. The good thing about Group C’s schedule, for Poland at least, is that Argentina will be faced on the final matchday of the group stage, meaning that Mexico is up first, followed by Saudi Arabia, and those are two teams who will not be looking forward to facing Lewandowski. The Barcelona forward has got off to a flying start in Spain this season, scoring 18 goals and providing 4 assists in his first 19 games for the Catalans. He also captained Poland for every single Nations League game this year bar one when he was injured, scoring a goal and giving 2 assists. At 9.0M, you probably don’t want to miss out on Lewandowski for the group stages this World Cup.

FORWARD

The Budget Pick – Eric Maxim CHOUPO-MOTING (Cameroon)

Cameroon won’t be heading into the 2022 World Cup thinking they are favourites to pass the group stage, seeing as the Indomitable Lions are facing Brazil, Serbia and Switzerland in Group G, but that’s OK. They’ve got a decent squad that might just cause an upset or two and from a fantasy perspective, the strength of the group has resulted in a few interesting budget fantasy picks, including Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (6.0M). At the age of 33, the forward is going through one of the best spells in his rich career at Bayern Munich at the moment. Injuries to Leroy Sané (in October) and now Sadio Mané have turned Choupo into the main man for the German record champion, and he has not disappointed so far. He is sitting on 10 goals and 3 assists from 15 games so far, featuring from the start in 8 of those games. For Cameroon, Choupo-Moting tends to perform best when playing centrally up top, which is where coach Aliou Cissé wants to use him in tandem with his captain Vincent Aboubakar. The risk is that he might be moved to the wings when Cameroon decide to play a 4-3-3 variation, which has a notable detrimental effect on his performances. Nevertheless, you’re getting a tried and tested international forward at a bargain price of just 6.0M. He might be in your squad for just three games, but if you need a budget enabler with some upside, the Bayern man is your man.

For further tips and disccusion about FanTeam’s Fantasy World Cup game have a look at this fiso forum topic.

Fanteam World Cup 2022 – Group stages: Best goalkeepers and defenders

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As you are well aware, the 2022 World Cup is kicking off in a little over two weeks with the official opening game between hosts Qatar and Ecuador. FanTeam would not be Fanteam if they had not prepared yet another exciting fantasy game with unrivalled prices, so that’s exactly what they did. Just last week, the FanTeam World Cup 2022 Full Tournament was launched with both a single entry per person option (£50,000 guaranteed prize pool) as well as a multi entry option (guaranteed prize pool of £100,000), which means that you still have over 2 weeks to prepare. A budget of 90M, eleven team spots to fill, and 32 nations to choose from; get started on your own World Cup squad today. As always, do carefully go through all of the game’s rules and conditions before getting involved (min age 18).

We will be publishing a mini-series of articles featuring a selection of fantasy picks for the FanTeam World Cup 2022 Full Tournament that we feel could deliver big over at least the first rounds of the group stages. Like that, we hope to get you on your way with the selection of your own squad within the limits of the provided 90M budget. In our first part of the previews, we’re taking a look at potentially the best goalkeepers and defenders in the game all to help your enjoyment of watching the football action by playing fantasy sports or engaging in live betting.

GOALKEEPER

Jordan PICKFORD (England)

At the moment, there is no 100% certainty yet over who will be between the sticks for England when they face Iran on November 16th at the Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan, one of the eight stadiums that were specially constructed for the tournament in Qatar and cost the lives of over 6,500 migrant workers. Based on the bookies’ odds though, it looks like it will be Jordan Pickford (7.0M) who will start for the Three Lions later this month, ahead of Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale and Newcastle’s Nick Pope. The Everton shot stopper is amongst the most expensive goalkeepers in the game, despite England’s last clean sheet in regular time dating back to June 11th, 2022, when Italy were held to a 0-0 draw after 90 minutes in the (postponed) Euro 2020 final. Having said that, we still think that Pickford is amongst the best options for those looking to bring in a premium goalkeeper, as England will be facing Iran, the United States and Wales in the group stages. The Three Lions are favourites to top this group after three games and we wouldn’t be surprised to see them do it with a clean sheet or two (or three).

GOALKEEPER

Thibaut COURTOIS (Belgium)

OK, at 6.0M, he can’t really be considered a bargain, but we will admit that we were surprised to find Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois (6.0M) so far down the FanTeam World Cup 2022 Full Tournament list. Just a few weeks ago, the Real Madrid number one finished seventh in the prestigious Ballon d’Or ranking, making him the highest-ranked goalie on there this year, but FanTeam decided to price him a full million lower than a whole bunch of goalkeepers, including some who are not at all sure starters for their respective countries. Anyway, Courtois is the undisputed starter between the sticks for Belgium and the Red Devils were drawn into a group with potential, so we’re feeling good about including him in this list. Belgium are kicking off against Canada on November 23rd, followed by encounters with Morocco and Croatia. The final game against the Croatians is a cracker, but the Belgians are heavy favourites in the first two games. Despite an ageing defence, there could be a shut-outs on the cards for them against the minnows Canada and Morocco.

GOALKEEPER

The Budget Pick – Edouard MENDY (Senegal)

Amongst the less expensive goalkeepers who are sure to start in game one of their group stage adventure, Senegal’s Edouard Mendy (5.5M) is one of the most appealing picks. The 30-year-old is going through a bit of a rough spell at Chelsea at the moment, in part as a result of Kepa Arrizabalaga’s return to form, but you can count on him defending the Senegalese goal when the Lions of Teranga will kick off their opener of the tournament against the Netherlands on November 21st. While that first game might not go the way of the reigning champions of Africa, the two games after that definitely might. After Holland, it’s Qatar followed by Ecuador, two games that we can see Senegal not only win, but book a clean sheet in as well. That would also mean that the country qualifies for the knock-out stages, which is a nice extra when picking Mendy for your squad. You won’t find many starters with a decent opening set of fixtures at Mendy’s price or less.

DEFENDER

Denzel DUMFRIES (Netherlands)

With the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Virgil van Dijk and Stefan de Vrij fighting for a starting spot in what is currently one of the best national selections of central defenders in the world, a lot is expected of Holland’s defence for the 2022 World Cup. That’s why we feel that spending 7.0M on Denzel Dumfries (7.0M) can be justified, especially when looking at the opponents the Dutch will be facing in the group stages. With Senegal, Ecuador and Qatar, the Netherlands are heavy favourites to qualify for the Round of 16 in which they will face either the winner or runner-up from Group B (England, Iran, United States, Wales). Dumfries is part of Louis van Gaal’s starting eleven and is given plenty of freedom to bomb forward as the right-most part of a five-men defence, much like he does at his club Inter Milan. In 37 games for the national team, he managed an impressive 5 goals and 6 assists, while the Dutch are still to lose their first game of the year. Only five defenders in FanTeam Fantasy World Cup are more expensive than Dumfries, but looking at the opposition in Group A, we see clean sheet and goal opportunity potential for the energetic right-wingback.

DEFENDER

Joao CANCELO (Portugal)

Only a handful of teams from the European region managed to concede less goals during the qualifying rounds than Portugal. The 2016 Euro champions finished second in a group with Serbia and the Republic of Ireland, after which they overcame Turkey in the play-off semi-finals and North-Macedonia in the play-off final to make it to the main tournament. A majority of the Portuguese defence for the upcoming World Cup will especially familiar to followers of the Premier League, as three of their four expected starters (Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Diogo Dalot) are currently active in England. One of those, Joao Cancelo (6.5M), has made it into our stand-out picks for the FanTeam World Cup 2022 Full Tournament. Like Dumfries before, the Manchester City wing-back/all-rounder is quite expensive, but the attacking upside to his game justifies splashing the cash on him. The 28-year-old gets plenty of freedom to position himself higher up the pitch, both on the sides and in the middle of the park, which has led to his current 7 goals and 6 assists from 37 games with his national team. With Ghana, South Korea (now missing Son) and Uruguay, Portugal’s group is definitely not the easiest, but we feel Cancelo could become a set-and-forget option for many squads, albeit a slightly expensive one.

DEFENDER

The Budget Pick – Ricardo RODRIGUEZ (Switzerland)

For Cancelo, we started his section by writing that “only a handful of teams from the European region managed to concede less” than Portugal, but that doesn’t fly for Ricardo Rodriguez (5.5M) and his Switzerland. Why not? Because NO other team in the European region managed to concede less goals than the Swiss. In a strong group with Italy, Northern Ireland, Bulgaria and Lithuania, Switzerland only let in two goals, one in the first game away against Bulgaria and one in the penultimate group match versus Italy in Rome. After a disappointing Euro 2020 where each of the three group games was lost, the Swiss have started building a new side and they have done so by starting with the foundations. As far as Rodriguez goes, he is a fixed feature on the left-most side of Switzerland’s typical four-men defensive setup and he is on plenty of set-piece duties as well, which is why we included him in our list. Switzerland’s World Cup 2022 group is far from easy, with Brazil as theoretical favourites leaving it to Cameroon and Serbia to fight with the Swiss for second place, but we see potential for Swiss qualification. On top of that, Rodriguez might get the chance to build on his current tallies (9 goals and 10 assists from 100 international appearances), especially versus Cameroon and Serbia.

For further tips and disccusion about FanTeam’s Fantasy World Cup game have a look at this fiso forum topic.

WORLD CUP 2022 FANTASY FOOTBALL FROM FANTEAM – £150,000 GUARANTEED PRIZE POOLS

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Fanteam & The Scout Gaming Group have announced the opening of their World Cup 2022 Fantasy Football Games. Due to the popularity and positive feedback for their single-entry Fantasy Premier League season game, they’ve decided to once again offer their customers both a single-entry and a multi-entry World Cup Fantasy Football tournament, with £50,000 and £100,000 guaranteed prize pools up for grabs.

Managers in their World Cup 2022 Fantasy Football Game have the chance to choose a star-studded line-up from the worlds’ most elite talent. If you’ve ever wanted to own the likes of Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi in your fantasy side – now’s your chance!

FISO will be publishing our team selection recommendations over the coming weeks.

The Fantasy World Cup contest will be played over 7 gameweek’s – starting on the 20th of November 2022 – ending with the World Cup Final on the 18th of December 2022.

Start making your 2022 World Cup fantasy team today! 

FanTeam 2021-22: 250K Champions League Group Stage – Budget picks

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After what may well be called one of the most spectacular summer transfer windows in recent memory, European football’s ball of billions is upon us once again. In a week’s time, Sevilla FC at home against Red Bull Salzburg and Swiss side Young Boys at home to Premier League giants Manchester United are kicking off the 2021-22 edition of the Champions League, and of course, FanTeam is present. As we have become accustomed by now from Europe’s largest DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports) platform, they have announced another giant €250K Champions League Group Stage tournament at a buy-in of just €25 a pop.

As one of the main sources for FanTeam Champions League content, we at FISO.co.uk will be providing tips and useful information in the build-up to the September 14 kick-off. To start with, especially for the newcomers (very welcome, by the way!), you can find a comprehensive overview of the 250K Champions League Group Stage tournament’s rules here.

In this piece then, we will be taking a look at some of the best value and budget options amongst the 32 Champions League rosters. With living Champions League legends and regular heavy hitters like Robert Lewandowski (14.5M), Karim Benzema (13.5M), Lionel Messi (13.5M) and Cristiano Ronaldo (13.0M) all weighing heavily on your 100M budget, making a few effective budget-enabling fantasy picks can go a long way in helping you finish inside the lofty €250K prize pool.

Don’t forget that the deadline for submitting a team in the €250K Champions League Group Stage game is set at 16h15 (UK time) on Tuesday, September 14th.

IN GOAL

When budgets are tight and player prices high, picking a decent budget goalkeeper can help free up the funds you need to invest in your outfield players. For example, where premium shot stoppers like Thibaut Courtois and Gianluigi Donnarumma are available at heavy 8.0M price tags, finding a goalkeeper priced at 6.5M or even 6.0M can mean the difference between including Sadio Mané (12.0M) in your team instead of Roberto Firmino (10.0M) or Paul Pogba (10.5M) instead of Anthony Martial (9.5M).

Then again, goalkeepers can provide good value as well when they manage to combine a starting spot with a decent defence in front of them and a good set of upcoming fixtures. In a strong group, ‘save’ potential can be of value as well. In that light, one of last season’s best budget goalkeeper picks Péter Gulásci (6.5M) presents himself once again. His side RB Leipzig are in the extremely challenging group A with PSG and Manchester City, as well as Club Brugge. Leipzig are opening at the Etihad in Manchester next Wednesday and are hosting Brugge for a must-win encounter on September 28th. A combination of save points from the first game and a potential clean sheet in the second is definitely on the cards for Gulásci.

DEFENDERS

This season, Trent Alexander-Arnold (8.5M) is the most expensive defender on FanTeam’s €250K Champions League Group Stage tournament, thanks to a combination of being part of a top defence and exceptional potential for attacking returns. Other high-profile defenders offering good chances of attacking returns, such as Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies and Manchester United’s Luke Shaw can be brought in for 8.0M, which still represents a considerable part of your available budget. While including one or even more of these premium defensive picks is recommended, you’ll likely at one point or another be looking for a few more budget-friendly alternatives as well.

One name to have on your watchlist is Villareal left-back Marcos Acuña (6.5M), who is first-choice for the reigning Europa League champions in both four- and five-man defensive set-ups. El Submarino Amarillo has conceded just one goal in their first three games of the 2021-22 LaLiga season, admittedly against smaller sides, and their opening schedule in the Champions League is kind as well. The Spaniards are starting with a home game against FC Salzburg before travelling to Wolfsburg in gameweek 2.

THE ENGINE ROOM

Some of the game’s most expensive fantasy picks this season can be found in midfield. The likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Bruno Fernandes cost 12.5M or more, while many of the world’s best wingers are listed as midfielders as well. These include prolific goalscorers like Liverpool’s Mo Salah (13.0M), Bayern’s Serge Gnabry (12.0M) and Real Madrid’s fit-again Eden Hazard (12.0M). In our search for interesting budget picks in midfield we have looked at assets priced at 8.5M or less as these can represent a considerable saving when compared to the popular premium picks.

At 8.5M, you can bring Bayern Munich mainstay Joshua Kimmich into your squad, which is interesting for several reasons. First of all, he is a nailed-on starting for the reigning German champions, usually as part of a double pivot just behind the teams four attackers. Second of all, he has set-piece duties for Bayern, both when it comes to corners and (indirect) free kicks. There are a few other candidates in the team as well, but Kimmich gets his fair share. And third of all, Bayern start the 2021-22 Champions League campaign with a home game against Dynamo Kiev followed by a visit to a Messi-less Barcelona side in big financial trouble.

For a whole million less, Davy Klaassen (7.5M) could be another interesting addition to your squad’s midfield. The Ajax midfielder and Dutch international is a key component of a side that will be eyeing qualification for the knock-out stages in a group with Borussia Dortmund, Sporting Lisbon and Besiktas. He has a knack for turning up in the box at the right time, which is illustrated by his 3 goals and 1 assist in six Europa League games last season, as well as by his 12 goals and 3 assists in the Eredivisie. The Amsterdam side are facing Sporting in Portugal and then Besiktas at home to kick off their Champions League campaign this year, so we feel Klaassen is worth keeping an eye at his price.

UP FRONT

By far the biggest portion of ultra-premium fantasy assets in FanTeam’s €250K Champions League Group Stage game can be found in the Forward category. Besides the game’s most expensive player Robert Lewandowski (14.5M), big bucks are also required to bring in the likes of Romelu Lukaku (14.0M and the second-most expensive player in the game), Erling Haaland (13.5M) and Cristiano Ronaldo (13.0M). Even good attackers with lesser guarantees of playing minutes, such as Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus and Liverpool’s Diogo Jota will set you back more than 10M.

One big name who might end up being under-priced by FanTeam this season is Edin Dzeko (8.5M). The Nerazzurri lost their big man up front Romelu Lukaku to Man United just a few weeks ago and the Bosnian veteran was brought in to fill the void. In the two Serie A games that he played for Inter so far, Dzeko started as the sole striker and managed a goal and an assist. Their opening game in the Champions sees them square off with Real Madrid, but with an away game against Shahktar Donetsk followed by a double encounter with Moldovan minnows Sheriff Tiraspol, Dzeko looks like a potentially very smart use of limited funds.

For a second and even more budget-friendly forward pick, we’re staying in Milano, but moving to the red-and-black side of town. At AC Milan, another tall veteran in the person of Olivier Giroud (7.5M) has made a big impact from the get go. There is, of course, the not-so-small matter of Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the former Arsenal man to compete with, but with the Swedish forward out injured, Giroud has scored 2 goals in his first two games for the Rossoneri. Milan’s Champions League group is far from easy with Liverpool, Atletico Madrid and FC Porto, but with Giroud, you’re getting a proven goalscorer who is currently a starter for a good side at a bargain price.

Remeber you have almost 3 months of entertainment on offer but you must get your entries in by 4:15pm Tuesday 14th September. For furtehr help visit the FISO forum discussion on FanTeam’s September 2021 Champions League game.

€250K Champions League Group Stage Game from FanTeam – enter by 14 Sep 2021

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FanTeam’s UEFA Champions League fantasy competition gets underway on Tuesday 14th September 2021 at 4:15pm. A massive guaranteed prize fund (paid in £GBP or €euros) awaits the top 1,250 placed teams with €50k (or £42k) to the overall winner as per:

In the group stage there are 6 gameweeks and you are allowed 2 free transfers per gameweek. There are no player price changes, no wildcards and no late registration. Pick 11 players (no subs) and if any of your players does not start then the saftey net will be activated for that gameweek (i.e. the next available starting player for that club in that position at cheaper price will replace your benched or injured player).

The scoring is typical FanTeam:

It’s always helpful to get off to a great start so watch out for the Gameweek 1 fixtures:

So almost 3 months of entertainment on offer but get your entries in by 4:15pm Tuesday 14th September. Join the FISO forum discussion on FanTeam’s September 2021 Champions League game.

FanTeam 2021/22 – Gameweek 1 Monster

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As part of FISO’s special series of weekly articles on FanTeam, Europe’s biggest daily fantasy football provider, we will actually be entering the team we write about each week into the game. Our article will focus on an Early Entry for their Fantasy Premier League tournament held each week in order to help you identify game rules, tactics and the most promising players per gameweek, so you can win some of that large prize money.

Our FISO team below will be entered into this week’s £10.32 entry Monster with £43,000 of cash prizes on offer bringing plenty of excitement to the weekend’s Premier League action. Entry deadline is the usual 3pm on Saturday. Join the discussion on FISO’s FanTeam forum.

Before moving onto our team selection, we want to highlight a couple of FanTeam rules that they apply to their Weekly Monster competition and that represent some of the major differences when comparing the game to the FPL. Do though check out the Predicted Line-Ups for the Premier League clubs as well as the latest injury news (click on ‘Team’ to sort per club rather than the default ‘date’) before finalising your picks.

Number one is that FanTeam have a rule called the ‘safety net’. The safety net comes into play when a selected player does not start in the Weekly Monster, because the game will then automatically replace this player with the next lowest-priced player from the same position (GK, DEF, MID, FOR) in the same team. This is regardless of whether or not your selected player does take to the field later in the game. This rule helps people who have entered a team into the Weekly Monster not to worry too much about whether their selected players will start or not, particularly if they know there are cheaper players for that same club in that same position who should start instead.

Number two is that FanTeam also have a ‘stacking penalty’ for the Weekly Monster, which penalises teams that have selected more than one defenders/goalkeeper from the same club. The stacking penalty comes into play when you pick more than one defensive player (defenders or goalkeepers) from a particular club and this club records a clean sheet. The points awarded for this clean sheet will decrease by 1 point for each additional defensive player from the same club that you have selected. The stacking penalty has a maximum of minus 3 points. This rule helps stop multi-entrants from gaining an advantage by submitting block defence teams. A reasonable tactic can be to select two players from two different clubs for your Goalie and 3 Defenders, which would see you incur just 2 single-point deductions if you nail both clean sheets correctly.

Our team entered in the Gameweek 1

Liverpool

Norwich got themselves quickly promoted back to the Premier League but didn’t fare very well last time around and many, ourselves included, will fancy Liverpool to come out the winners over 90 minutes. Tsimikas looks to have the left back role in Robertson’s injury absence whilst Jota and Mane (captain) have been on the score sheet in pre-season (unlike Saha who we’re bravely passing over).

Leicester

The Community Shield win against Man City showed that Leicester are already up and running this season. Wolves are a bit of an unknown quantity with their new manager and a disappointing campaign last season. We’re banking on Barnes (vc), Maddison and Pereira putting their injury troubles from last season behind them.

Watford

A solid defensive unit coming up from the Championship will be put to the test by a Grealish-less Aston Villa. Our budget options of Bachmann and Danny Rose may pay dividends, particularly if Watkins misses out and Ings fails to gel with his new team-mates.

Burnley

Barnes has had a good pre-season and we will see the team line-ups v Brighton so can change if he’s not a starter. Jack Cork is very cheap and may just get an assist.

West Ham

Our final spot goes to the energetic Antonio who’s another with a good pre-season and will be fancied to get on the score sheet away to Newcastle.

For more comment join other FPL enthusiasts in FISO’s FPL discussion forum.

FanTeam £1m Fantasy Premier League 2021/22

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FanTeam have today launched their 2021/21 season-long Fantasy Premier League game with a guaranteed pool of £1million including a life changing £200,000 for 1st place. At £20 per entry, you get 9 months of entertainment and excitement along with the chance to win some serious cash. A number of fiso members finished in the prizes in the 20/21 season game.

On top of £200,000 for 1st place, there is £75,000 for 2nd, £50,000 for 3rd …… £10,000 for 10th and prizes are paid out all the way down to 5,000th place.

The game rules are fairly straightforward and little changed from the previous season:

The scoring systems has been slightly tweaked from the previous season to reduce the impact of the team winning/losing and to provide points for shots on target (that don’t result in a goal).

Follow the news and discussion about FanTeam on our FanTeam forum where you can also see promotional offers from FanTeam for entries into their 2021/22 FPL game.