Two games into the new UEFA Champions League season and we have been duly entertained by some exhilarating performances, especially from an individual front. So, as we approach the third matchweek of the competition, we look at five players you need to add in your fantasy teams in order to ensure a rewarding week.
Player: Joao Felix
Team: Atletico Madrid
Match: Lokomotiv Moscow vs Atletico Madrid
After struggling for fitness in his debut season at Atletico Madrid, 20-year-old Joao Felix has made a grand comeback in the 2020/21 campaign, already scoring half the goals (3) he managed in the entire 2019/20 La Liga season (6). Felix is enjoying a great run of form of late, having bagged four goals in his last two outings and you can expect more of the same from the Portuguese wunderkind.
Lokomotiv Moscow are without a win in their last four games and have conceded two goals in each of those fixtures. So with their defence struggling, punt on Felix to come back home with better points.
Player: Dusan Tadic
Team: Ajax
Match: Midtjylland vs Ajax
Dusan Tadic has been a real revelation for Ajax since moving from Southampton in 2018. This season, too, the 31-year-old has bagged six goals and two assists in all competitions and is arriving on the back of scoring in three consecutive games. In fact, five of his six goals have come in his last five outings, meaning that the Serbian international will be a potent threat for Midtjylland, who have conceded goals at will. The Danish team has won just one of their last six games in all competitions while conceding a whopping 15 goals during the tenure.
Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Team: Juventus
Match: Ferencvaros vs Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo’s last league action before Sunday’s win over Spezia came against Roma in a 2-2 draw back in late September. The Portugal captain had since missed five games after testing positive for the global virus but it didn’t take long for him to assert his claim. Coming on as a substitute in the 56th minute against Spezia, the 35-year-old scored a brace to announce his comeback in style. With no Champions League appearances to his name so far this season, Ronaldo will be riding high on confidence to finally open his account in the competition, and a game against Ferencvaros is the perfect platform, to say the least. They have lost just one of their last five games but lack of experience on the bigger stage rightly gives Ronaldo a perfect opportunity to strike.
Player: Robert Lewandowski
Team: Bayern Munich
Match: RB Salzburg vs Bayern Munich
Like Ronaldo, striker Robert Lewandowski, too is yet to open his account in the Champions League but it is about time. Salzburg are on the top of the Austrian Bundesliga standings but winless in the Champions League this season. Lewandowksi, on his part, is coming on the back of seven goals and two assists in his last five outings, meaning that Bayern are certain to count on their marksman. 10 goals and three assists in a mere five Bundesliga games tell how vicious he has been this season too, and you can rightly expect a goal or two from him on Tuesday night.
Player: Ansu Fati
Team: Barcelona
Match: Barcelona vs Dynamo Kyiv
“I would advise him to keep working and improving. Yesterday I spoke with him to improve the concentration issue. His turnovers are due to lack of concentration, not quality” Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman recently said of Ansu Fati. When you think about it, it is exactly what it is. At 18, Ansu Fati is a raw talent and can be a real threat for any big team on a given day. So when Barcelona take on Dynamo Kyiv, Fati will be the one to keep an eye. He has already notched five goals and an assist this season and is certain to keep the Ukrainian team on their toes.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Vincenzo Pinto
