The UEFA Champions League enjoys cult status in the hearts of football fans, having featured some of the most exciting matches ever in the history of the game.
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The UEFA Champions League enjoys cult status in the hearts of football fans, having featured some of the most exciting matches ever in the history of the game. Liverpool’s thrilling triumph against AC Milan in the final of the 2005 edition of the Champions League, Barcelona’s historic comeback against Paris St Germain against the odds are some examples of such games. The popularity of the tournament extends even to the official fantasy league, with fans from all over the world seen attempting their best to build a strong lineup comprising of the greatest players in the game. Almost a million users played the game in 2018/19 which is an indication of the love and respect it commands.
Let’s take a look at all the aspects of the popular fantasy game:
UEFA Champions League Fantasy Football works only by matchdays, which refers to the set of matches played within a given week, usually over Tuesday and Wednesday. However, the only matchday which does not take place over the course of a single week is the round of 16. Matchdays span two weeks in the round of 16.
The creation of an account is followed by a squad of 15 players being picked. The squad comprises of two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders and three forwards. This is further followed by the selection of a starting XI before each matchday deadline, which is the kick-off time of the first match within a matchday. Players not making an appearance in the game will be replaced by substitutes. Any formation can be selected as long as a keeper, minimum three defenders, at least two midfielders and minimum one attacker is included in the starting XI. A captain further needs to be selected from the lineup fielded, with the player’s points doubled for that matchday. The captain can be subbed out once all matches on the first day of a matchday have finished, with the second day’s matches yet to begin.
A manager gets an initial sum of €100 million to build his squad for the group stage. This rises to €105 million from the round of 16 stage of the tournament.
There are limitations that have been enforced with regard to the selection of players from a particular club, which depends on the stage of the competition. In case of group stage matches, a maximum of three footballers can be picked from the same club in the squad. This increases to four players before the round of 16. Managers can pick a maximum of five players from the same club in the squad for the quarter-finals. This increases to a maximum of six and eight players respectively for the semi-finals and final.
Before the UEFA Champions League edition begins, one can make as many transfers as needed as long as the same are within the budget. Unlimited transfers can further be made in the period between the group stage and the round of 16. Free transfers are available each matchday. Four points are deducted from the points tally in case of transfers made beyond the free transfers quota.
There are two chips that can be used during the course of the competition. The first is the Wildcard and the second is called Limitless. The Wildcard allows a manager to change the squad as much as one likes, with the new additions continuing to reflect despite the conclusion of the matchday. The chip can be used only once per season. Limitless permits changes to the squad for a particular matchday. Unlimited free transfers can be made for that matchday with no budget constraints. The conclusion of the matchday results in the squad reverting to how it was before Limitless was played. It can be used only once per season.
