Here’s an update on the Telegraph Fantasy Football Europe knockout stage competition and a preview of tonight’s games which are the last in the round of 16.
telegraph fantasy football Europe – FFGeek team update and preview of tonight’s games
FFGeek team update
Here’s my team for the knockout stages. A bit of a slow start with my rank of 3,150. I didn’t really anticipate the big wins from Liverpool and Man City and spread my team about a bit to manage risk. Plus I’ve been fairly conservative on transfers with 13 transfers still remaining.
As I go into the next round I only have Marlos of Shaktar and David De Gea as players who have exited the competition which keeps me in good stead for transfers in the next round. However, I also have Stones and Jesus who you have to question whether will play in the next round for Man City. Despite the transfers in hand I have some catching up to do that’s for sure.
You can see my introductory article here
Here’s my team:
Tonight’s fixtures
There are 2 games:
Barcelona v Chelsea
After a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, Barcelona have a decided advantage at Camp Nou for the second leg of their Round of 16 Champions League matchup with Chelsea. A home win or a scoreless tie would send Barcelona to the quarterfinals, and with Lionel Messi well rested and Andres Iniesta possibly healthy, a home win seems very likely. It won’t be a walkover, however, as Chelsea have a deadly counterattack that will have Barcelona fans constantly on edge.
Prediction: 2-1 Barcelona. via sportsbettingdime.com.
With the game still in the balance I’ll be expecting a strong lineup. I currently have Lionel Messi in my team and defender Jordi Alaba. Both will stay and I won’t be looking to make any additions to that for the moment. I did think about replacing Jesus with Suarez but that isn’t feasible funds wise so I’ve left it.
Here’s a preview from the guardian
Besiktas v Bayern Munich
This game couldn’t be any more different to the Barca fixture with Bayern up 5-0 from the first leg and is the opposite of “in the balance”. No team has ever overturned a 5 goal deficit and I don’t expect it here. With the game in Turkey I still expect a strong Bayern lineup but the team sheet could be crucial and may lead to some last minute adjustments of my plans. Certainly the Besiktas coach has said that he will field a strong lineup and has more or less accepted they will be playing only for pride.
At the moment I have striker Robert Lewandoski, the injured midfielder Kingsley Coman and defender David Alaba. I’ll keep Coman in the team if he is fit for the next round.
The Quarter finals
The quarter final draw will be made on Friday March 16 and to get maximum use of my transfers and team longevity I’d ideally like the 4 favourites of Man City, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern not to be drawn against each other. However the quarter final is a totally open draw with no country protection. The team drawn first is at home first so anything could happen
Good luck to everyone!
Follow us on twitter and facebook for article updates and news.
GEEK LEAGUES
TFF Europe: FantasyFootballGeek PIN 8000919 Passcode 6296
Fantasy Premier League: 5379-1967
Sun: FantasyFootballGeek SGDKX9Y3
TFF: FantasyFootballGeek PIN 8000919 Passcode 1159
Sky: FFGeek 8310511
