After the first two sets of quarterfinal games wrapped up on Tuesday, the focus shifts to the final two matchups for the Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, we saw a couple of entertaining affairs. Leicester City, who is having a disaster of a season in the English Premier League, was ousted in Champions League action. They tied Atletico Madrid 1-1 in a tightly contested affair. It wasn’t good enough as they lost the first leg 1-0. As for the second game of the day, we saw Real Madrid top Bayern Munich 4-2. Real Madrid really had no problems as their offense cut through Bayern with ease. The four goal performance with the two-goal differential was more than enough to push Real Madrid through.
Looking ahead to Wednesday, Barcelona will have some work to do after falling behind 3-0 to Juventus and it will certainly be a tall task for them to claw their way back in to that matchup. Meanwhile, Monaco is still far from locking up a spot in the semi-final as it takes a 3-2 lead in to its second leg with Dortmund. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for this Tuesday’s DraftKings Champions League daily fantasy leagues.
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Barcelona
Salary: $5,600
Barcelona allowed three goals in its opening leg against Juventus. One goal allowed in the second leg could be enough to seal their elimination. Marc-Andre ter Stegen will need to be at his best in this second leg with zero room for error. We think he will deliver the best performance out of the four goalkeepers available for Wednesday’s action.
D: Benjamin Mendy, Monaco
Salary: $5,500
Mendy is the top-priced defender on the board for a reason as he can do it all at both ends of the pitch for Monaco. These teams combined for five goals in their first leg and it won’t surprise if Mendy is involved in another high scoring affair on Wednesday.
D: Jordi Alba, Barcelona
Salary: $4,400
Barcelona will need to push everyone forward in waves on the attack and that means help from its defenders in support. Alba is an excellent defender option in DraftKings formats at just $4.4K.
M: Lionel Messi, Barcelona
Salary: $10,600
It isn’t often that an opponent completely shuts down arguably the best player on the planet on the big stage. That was the case in the opening leg when Messi couldn’t find any room against Juventus but it’s unlikely to happen again. Messi needs to produce in order to give his team a shot. We will take advantage of his dual-position eligibility by playing him at the midfield position on Wednesday.
M: Shinji Kagawa, Dortmund
Salary: $6,100
Kagawa will be in Dortmund’s starting XI again on Wednesday and at just over $6K he makes a solid value option. Kagawa played an attacking role in the first leg versus Monaco and delivered with a goal, an assist and three chances created. He should be a solid second midfield pick on Wednesday.
F: Mario Mandzukic, Juventus
Salary: $4,900
While Messi gets all of the attention with Barcelona down, Mandzukic will be very dangerous on Wednesday with the potential to put the matchup away with one goal. Barcelona will be cheating to score and that is where Mandzukic can take advantage if they take risks with their defenders.
F: Paco Alcacer, Barcelona
Salary: $6,900
Alcacer is an intriguing option that could play a role in a Barcelona comeback while also serving as a decent value option in DraftKings tournaments. Alcacer is available at under $7K, so he is a decent option in this spot.
FLEX: Ivan Rakitic, Barcelona
Salary: $5,700
After plugging in a couple of value plays in Kagawa and Alcacer we have enough money to buy Rakitic as a smart value play for the FLEX position. Rakitic is fourth on the team in goals behind the big three of Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez and he will be asked to help contribute to their attack on Wednesday as they look to climb back against Juventus. At under $6K, Rakitic is a quality value option in DraftKings Champions League daily fantasy leagues.
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