RADIO
This article covers top fantasy tips and captaincy picks for Matchday 8 in the 2024-2025 UEFA Champions League.
Matchday 7 of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League delivered thrilling action, highlighted by Paris Saint-Germain's incredible 4-2 victory over Man City and Barcelona's stunning 5-4 comeback victory over SL Benfica. The final game in the league phase is here, and we are set for more UCL action to come.
Matchday 8 promises more excitement, with headline clashes like Inter vs. AS Monaco and Barcelona hosting Atalanta this midweek. The road to Germany is set to be thrilling, ultimately leading to the final at Munich's Football Arena. RotoBaller remains your go-to source for top-tier UEFA Champions League fantasy content.
The Matchday 8 deadline of the 2024-2025 UEFA Champions League season is Tuesday, January 29 at 3 p.m. EST, when all 18 UCL matches kick off collectively. Also, check out the rest of our excellent soccer coverage as the squad gets you all set for every English Premier League slate with our EPL DFS lineup picks and betting picks.
#UCLfantasy kings 👑@PlayStationEU pic.twitter.com/M7DOGiIyrW
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) January 23, 2025
Matchday 8 UCL Fantasy Tips
Target Man City, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund Assets
Manchester City is currently 25th in the Champions League rankings, putting them in a perilous position. If the Cityzens fail to secure a win against Club Brugge at the Etihad Stadium. The 2022–23 UCL champions will be eliminated.
The Matchday 8 clash becomes a 'do or die' affair for Pep Guardiola's men, who must step up to the occasion and secure a spot in the top 24.
A big #UCL night at the Etihad 🔜 pic.twitter.com/67NkILYUnT
— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 27, 2025
Meanwhile, the German clubs aspire to finish among the top eight. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will try to escape the play-offs; however, this will only be possible if both teams win by a large goal margin over their opponents.
Let's book our spot 💪 pic.twitter.com/DBDxPJKndn
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) January 26, 2025
Home advantage may come into play this Wednesday, as all three aforementioned teams are hungry to pave their way to the next round. To this end, it's strongly recommended that UCL fantasy managers target assets from Man City, Bayern Munich, or Borussia Dortmund.
Recommended UCL Fantasy assets for Matchday 8
- Man City: Erling Haaland (on pens), Phil Foden, and Josko Gvardiol.
- Bayern Munich: Harry Kane (on pens), Jamal Musiala, and Michael Olise.
- Borussia Dortmund: Serhou Guirassy (on pens), Jamie Gittens, and Nico Schlotterbeck.
Fly Barca Fly: Hansi Flick's Unstoppable Barcelona
Barcelona's goal is complete, winning six of seven games and sitting second in the Champions League rankings. They have advanced to the Round of 16. However, the Catalans might have a slim chance of topping the table when they host Atalanta BC next at Camp Nou.
🚀 FLY, BARÇA, FLY! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/fY91BeFaZU
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 26, 2025
A thunderous 7-1 home victory over the weekend indicates that Hansi Flick's men are not done yet and may not take any risks in making substantial changes to the first team. Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha currently lead the goal-scoring charts with a combined 17 goals scored in seven games.
1 – Managers with the highest win percentage in UEFA Champions League history (10+ matches):
🥇Hansi Flick - 88%
🥈Dieter Hecking - 70%
🥉 Arne Slot - 69%
Selection. @Hansiflickk pic.twitter.com/N22nAyogE9— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) January 21, 2025
Given this, UCL Fantasy managers are advised to hold on to their Barcelona assets. Nonetheless, if you decide to sell, try to keep Raphinha in your fantasy team or, if possible, add a few picks like Fermin Lopez or Pedri, who are expected to start on Wednesday.
Matchday 8 Top Captain Picks
The Champions League midweek fixtures present many fascinating options for your captaincy choice. Players like Kylian Mbappe facing Stade Brestois 29 FC and Florian Wirtz with a favorable home tie against AC Sparta Praha all present strong cases. However, my top three picks across Matchday 8 would be:
Raphinha (€7.7m) - FC Barcelona
Topping the UCL Fantasy rankings with 76 points, Raphinha has been instrumental for Barcelona in the Champions League and recorded his fourth double-digit haul last time out against Benfica.
Are you looking for a clutch player to rely on in the high-stakes games? You are in luck, as the Brazilian international will intend to rehash a big game moment against visitors Atalanta BC. Raphinha is our RotoBaller captain of the week.
67 - Players with most chances created in top five European leagues this season:
67 - RAPHINHA 🇧🇷
63 - Cole Palmer 🏴
59 - Álex Baena 🇪🇸
58 - Dejan Kulusevski 🇸🇪
55 - Junya Ito 🇯🇵Guarantee. 🔘 pic.twitter.com/q6UyK5l9Nh
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) January 27, 2025
Erling Haaland (€11m) - Man City
Despite Manchester City's shortcomings, Erling Haaland has six goals in seven UCL games. The 24-year-old Norwegian presently boasts an impressive record of 47 goals in 46 Champions League appearances.
Man City needs a win to qualify for the playoffs and will be confident their star forward will score a few goals to keep their Champions League dreams alive. Haaland is a compelling contender for the captain's armband this Wednesday.
Pep Guardiola on Club Brugge (H) being a 'final': "Win the game, if not we will not continue in this competition, and we want to. We want to go through, to get another chance to play another two games to qualify for the next stages. It's an opportunity, a challenge, and we will…
— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) January 28, 2025
Harry Kane (€10.7m) - Bayern Munich
Harry Kane continues to dominate domestically with 23 goal contributions (17 goals, 6 assists), making him one of our top captain picks this week.
The 31-year-old boasts an impressive 0.87 xG per 90 minutes in the Bundesliga and has now netted 34 goals in 50 Champions League appearances. With a home tie against Slovan Bratislava up next, Kane is a prime captaincy option for Matchday 8.
Differential Captain Pick (<10% ownership)
Serhou Guirassy (€8m) - Borussia Dortmund
Serhou Guirassy is the only player who has yet to blank in the Champions League this season. The Gabonese international has nine attacking returns for Dortmund (seven goals and two assists), totaling 52 points for UCL Fantasy managers.
As previously stated, Dortmund requires a significant goal difference to remain in the top eight and will rely on the services of their striker. With only 8% ownership, Guirassy is a good differential captain for Matchday 8.
Join The RotoBaller League
Once again, join our RotoBaller.com league. Hit any of our writers up over the next two weeks, and we will give you the code (also in the graphic below), and you'll be good to go. Good luck for UEFA Champions League Fantasy, RotoBallers!
Stick around for more UCL Fantasy content coming soon. Is there a question you would like to have answered every week? Hit us up on X @RotoBaller. We would love to hear your feedback and ideas!
