SOCCER

Champions League Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 3/7/18

The hopes of Juventus lay on the shoulders of Paulo Dybala, who is fit just in time for the vital second leg against Tottenham.

Wednesday brings two more Champions League Round-of-16 second-leg matches, with FanDuel offering its second UCL main slate of the week.

FC Basel will travel to Manchester City down 4-0 after the first leg. Life has not been good to Basel since the leg-one loss as they were knocked out of the Swiss Cup and their latest match was postponed due to a power outage. City skipper Pep Guardiola has the luxury of rotating players, so some familiar City names may not start or could get pulled early.

Tottenham hosts Juventus with the Italian giants carrying the weight of the death of Fiorentina captain Davide Astori. The sad news may be added motivation with Tottenham as a slight favorite. Tottenham did manage two away goals in the first leg after going down 2-0, so this tie is very much up in the air.

Let's look at some players at various price points.

Forwards to Target

Harry Kane ($11,500) -- Tottenham's Kane averages more FanDuel points in the Champions League than anyone else on the slate. He has an astronomical 42.5-point average over six games played, and he scored 41 points in the first leg of this tie. There have been more than 2.5 goals scored in eight of Tottenham's last nine Champions League games, and one more Spurs goal would go a long way toward ensuring qualification to the next round. Kane has a goal or an assist in 9 of his last 10 games across all competitions, so if Tottenham score, he will likely be involved. The $11,500 cost is actually lower than his price in the Premier League this past weekend, and there are good values that make roster construction fairly easy even when picking Kane.

Paulo Dybala ($10,000) -- After missing the first leg, Dybala is fit for Juventus, which is not something that can be said for the majority of their forwards. Mario Mandzukic may recover in time for the match in England while Gonzalo Higuain may not be fully healthy. Fitness concerns mean that a lot of the attacking onus is on Dybala. He scored a stoppage-time winner this past weekend that showed his finesse and strength. Without scoring a goal in six Champions League games this season, Dybala is still averaging 22 FanDuel points per match. He has been credited for 19 chances created and drew at least four fouls in each of the last three matches of the group stage.

Gabriel Jesus ($10,000) -- Jesus recently returned from injury and should start this match after spending only a few minutes on the pitch this past weekend against Chelsea. He is expected to be in the middle of an attacking front three as City look to quickly finish off Basel. Jesus has started four Champions League matches this season and has two goals. He has not been featured much since his return to health, but the four-goal edge will afford Guardiola the opportunity to use this match to build Jesus' fitness. Jesus has 11 goals in 29 appearances this season. Manchester City's attack is always worth targeting, and Basel have been outscored 8-0 in their last three matches.

Midfielders to Target

Son Heung-min ($9,000) -- Son did not start in the first leg of this tie with Erik Lamela's familiarity with Juventus being cited as the reason for Lamela getting the nod. However, Son's form is speaking for itself. He has four goals in his last two matches, including the only two goals scored against Huddersfield last weekend. He has also not played a full match in any of Tottenham's last three, so he should be rested enough to start at Wembley on Wednesday. Son scored more than 30 FanDuel points in his last two Champions League matches, including 35.25 points against Dortmund in November. He has three goals in four appearances in the competition this season.

Douglas Costa ($7,000) -- With Gonzalo Higuain looking less than 100%, Costa might fill out the front three for Juventus. He should be more than rested having played only 33 minutes against Lazio this weekend. Costa's speed can be killer, but he also has a deadly touch from distance and on free kicks. Still, he is more likely to assist on a goal than score one as he owns six assists to four goals this season. Although Costa has played all over the field this season, playing in an advanced role would increase his value. As an added bonus, Costa is willing to get back on defense, and he recorded three defensive actions in the first leg against Tottenham. If Higuain does make the starting lineup, more value may lie with Blaise Matuidi if he and Costa are both in the second bank of attackers.

Geoffroy Serey Die ($4,500) -- Die has the cheapest cost of any expected starter in the midfield. The first leg against Manchester City was his best performance in the Champions League, and the Basel defensive midfielder will be needed again to repel the City attack. Die recorded seven defensive actions, drew two fouls, and created one chance in the first leg. Die has started Basel's last four matches across all competitions and now averages more than three defensive actions as well as 1.5 successful dribbles per match. Another 17.5-point performance would be well worth the $4,500 investment.

Defenders to Target

Kieran Trippier ($6,500) -- Serge Aurier is suspended for this match, so Trippier should step in at right-back. Trippier is tied with Nicolas Otamendi as the most-expensive defender on the slate thanks to his 23.3-FanDuel-point average. However, he played in just two matches in the group stage, though he did score 21.25 points against Real Madrid. The outside back was able to create five chances in his limited playing time. Trippier averages a touch more than 4.5 defensive actions per match across all competitions. He has accumulated six assists from his right-back position and averages nearly two key passes per match. He also registers just over 50 passes per game at an 80% success rate.

Danilo ($5,500) -- Danilo also made a cameo in the Premier League match against Chelsea this past weekend, so he should be in line for a start at right-back. He has appeared in four Champions League matches this season, averaging 10.3 FanDuel points in them. He played just five minutes in the first leg against Basel, but he managed two tackles. Danilo averages four defensive actions and 48.1 passes per match across all competitions. His 90% pass success rate has allowed him to complete 44 passes in his four Champions League appearances. Danilo has also shown a magic touch from distance, and with City up comfortably in this tie, he could try for the spectacular once again.

Raoul Petretta ($4,500) -- Basel must go for it, so Petretta will need to be involved on both sides of the pitch. Unfortunately for Basel, they will likely be trying to win possession much of the game unless City add to their lead early. If City do score early at home, look for the game to open up with the tie mostly settled, which could give Petretta a chance to send crosses into the box from his outside wing-back position. He is tied for the least expensive expected starter on the back line on Wednesday. His advanced position should help him be involved on the offensive end, but the defensive contribution will make the investment worth it. Although he did not play in the first leg, Petretta does average a bit more than 15 FanDuel points in his five Champions League appearances. His best game came against Manchester United as he tallied an assist and four chances created to go along with his four defensive actions.

Keepers to Target

Hugo Lloris ($5,500) -- Lloris has five clean sheets in his last seven games across all competitions. He did allow two goals early to Juventus in the first leg, but the Frenchman settled in and allowed his team to get back into it on the road. It was Juventus keeper Gianluigi Buffon that was a step off in the first leg as the blame for the free kick that tied the match was squarely on Buffon's shoulders. Lloris averages nearly 15 FanDuel points per game in the Champions League, which is second only to Ederson on this slate. Higuain's potential absence also helps Lloris' value. With Buffon averaging just 9.1 FanDuel points per game, Lloris has the upper hand at Wembley.

Claudio Bravo ($4,000) -- Based off Guardiola's ability to rotate his squad this week, Bravo should get another start in goal to spell Ederson. The value pricing and the thought that Manchester City should still own much of the possession gives plenty of value to Bravo. He has yet to play in the Champions League this season, but Bravo does have three consecutive clean sheets in cup competition, including a 3-0 win over Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final.


Douglas Smith is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Douglas Smith also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username aquemini03. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.