Who to pick as captain in Champions League Fantasy: top options for round 4

One of the most interesting candidates for the captain's armband on Tuesday will be Luis Suárez (€7.3 m), who is set to play in the early match of the game day. His Lisbon side Sporting will host Shakhtar Donetsk, so UCL Fantasy managers will have the chance to first confirm that the Colombian is in the starting lineup, and only then make him their captain. The Lisboners will try to rebound from the defeat to LASK with a score of 2‑3. Suárez has all the prerequisites to help the team achieve the needed result. The striker of the Colombia national team scored in each of the three previous Champions League matches, which makes him especially attractive ahead of the meeting with the Ukrainian club.

Barcelona should not be overlooked. The Catalans are showing impressive scoring: this season the team averages 4.2 goals per game in La Liga and 3.7 goals in the Champions League. Moreover, ahead of the home match against Aston Villa, Barcelona is among the tournament leaders in expected goals. Given such statistics, betting on one of the Catalan attacking leaders with the captain's armband could bring managers a substantial number of points.

Choosing between the two main candidates from Barcelona's squad will not be easy. Lamin Yamal (€10.2 m) has already recorded two goals and four assists in just three Champions League matches. The ability to regularly take part in multiple goal‑scoring episodes makes the Spaniard an extremely promising captaincy candidate.

At the same time, Raphinha (€9.7 m) has recovered from injury and continues to demonstrate outstanding scoring. Among the midfielders in the game there is no player who could match the Brazilian's numbers in the domestic league: 15 goals and three assists. By the fourth round of the Champions League he is also in great form, having scored three times in the last two matches.

Another serious candidate for the captain's armband is Harry Kane (€11.1 m). Compared to other stars, his candidacy may seem somewhat undervalued, although there are no objective reasons to overlook the Englishman. Last season the Bayern striker scored an incredible 50 goals in the Bundesliga and the Champions League, confirming his exceptional consistency in the final phase of attacks. The upcoming match against Atlético Madrid at first glance does not look like the most convenient option for the forward. However, Kane has repeatedly shown that even against strong opponents he can maintain high scoring. In Bayern's previous European match against Arsenal, which was considered a very tough test due to the English club's powerful defense, the striker recorded a goal and an assist, and also received the award for best player of the match. Given this example, turning away from Kane solely because of the upcoming opponent's level would be a mistake.

But the best option for choosing a captain in your Champions League Fantasy squad is, in our opinion, the player who will have his match on Wednesday. Real Madrid approaches the fourth round with a run of five consecutive wins. However, Fantasy Champions League managers should pay even more attention to the Madrilenian side's scoring. In the two previous tournament matches the team scored four goals each, and the upcoming match provides an excellent opportunity to continue this streak. The next opponent for José Mourinho's charges will be AEK Athens, which is experiencing serious defensive problems on the European stage. First, the Greek club lost to Shakhtar Donetsk 1‑3, and then suffered a crushing defeat to Manchester City – 1‑5. Given these results, the Madrid side can very well stage another high‑scoring show.

The main candidate for the captain's armband on Wednesday looks like Kylian Mbappé (€11.0 million). The Frenchman is having a superb season and has already recorded 16 goals and three assists for club and country. His recent statistics are especially impressive. In three of the last four matches Mbappé recorded at least two goal involvements, which clearly demonstrates his huge potential in Fantasy. Considering Real's attacking power and AEK's defensive problems, the Frenchman appears the most attractive choice for captain on Wednesday.

Our captain ranking for the Fantasy Champions League for the 4th round looks like this:

1. Kylian Mbappé – reliability 5 out of 5

2. Lamin Yamal – reliability 4 out of 5

3. Raphinha – reliability 4 out of 5

4. Luis Suarez – reliability 4 out of 5

5. Harry Kane – reliability 3.5 out of 5

Also read on our site: 6 Bayern players may miss the Champions League match in Madrid