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Hello, RotoBallers! Along with some midweek EPL action, we also have the beginning of the second legs in the Champions League Round of 16. Two teams will advance to the quarterfinals on Tuesday, and I have another full breakdown for you covering this slate. Keep reading this breakdown for my DFS soccer picks on RotoBaller and see how to have success on Tuesday's slate.
The large majority of my DFS content will be EPL or UCL-related, however, there is always more soccer DFS to cover. If you want to chop it up with myself and other RotoBaller writers about non-EPL/UCL leagues or other sports, consider becoming a premium member and joining our ever-growing community of DFS and fantasy sports enthusiasts! We have had some great conversations in the Premium Slack chat about the past few UCL slates.
You can also get access to my brain for questions and edits to lineups for Tuesday. In this article, I will be providing you with my UEFA Champions League daily fantasy soccer lineup picks for FanDuel on 3/9/21 for the slate that locks at 3:00 pm ET. Be sure to also check out our other DFS lineup picks for other active sports. You can always find me on Twitter @vdray5 if you have any questions. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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UCL DFS Lineup Picks - Overview
Juventus vs Porto
Porto got a nice 2-1 win in the first leg, however, they are now big underdogs as they travel to Italy to face Juventus (-220) in the deciding leg. Juventus got their all-important away goal in the first leg and just needs a 1-0 win or better to advance. Juventus still trail the Serie A leaders by seven points, but they have been in solid form with three wins out of four in Italy. They have a great home record in Serie A play and will have the upper hand in this matchup. The goal total over/under is 2.5.
Dortmund vs Sevilla
It was a wild first leg between these two teams with Sevilla jumping out early with a goal and then Dortmund storming back for three straight goals. Sevilla eventually got one back with a late goal, but they are in big trouble heading to Germany down 3-2 aggregate and having given up three away goals already. Dortmund (+115) are not huge favorites in this game themselves because they can still go through with any draw or one-goal loss up to 3-2. Expect Dortmund to come out ready to put Sevilla away early and clinch their spot in the quarterfinals. The goal total over/under is 3.0.
FanDuel DFS Forwards / Midfielders
It's always hard to not recommend Cristiano Ronaldo ($23) on any given Champions League slate, and it's even harder when the game is a must-win at home. Ronaldo was not very productive against Porto the first time around, but he still managed to score 11 fantasy points with his peripherals. Ronaldo has scored four goals in his last three Serie A starts and has -180 anytime scoring odds in this game. Porto's defense has not been as good as you might think in the Primeira Liga, so Ronaldo should be able to get through them and onto the score sheet Tuesday. Alvaro Morata ($19) is the second-leading scorer on the team this year, however, Federico Chiesa ($16) is my second Juventus option. With the increased playing time he's gotten recently, he has been productive with two goals and two assists. One of those goals was the lone goal Juventus scored in the first leg in Portugal. Chiesa has a solid floor with chances created and a nice ceiling with +140 anytime scoring odds.
Erling Haaland ($22) just cannot stop scoring. He scored twice against Sevilla in the first leg and two against Bayern over the weekend which gave him 10 in his last 10 games in all competitions. The biggest drawback to playing him here is the fact that Dortmund might not be pressing for goals. However, he still leads the slate in anytime scoring odds at -190 and has one of the highest ceilings on the slate. Thorgan Hazard ($15) is a great secondary Dortmund piece to pair him with. Hazard always has a pretty strong floor and he does not cost too much on this slate.
Dortmund's defense has been very suspect this season, and Sevilla HAS to push for goals from the onset. Youssef En-Nesyri ($19) leads the squad in goals this year with 17 and it's not even close with the next most being Luuk de Jong ($16) with nine including three goals in five games, but he's not a lock to start either. Joan Jordan ($13) is a little safer with his floor. He has the second-most chances created on the team so far this year and should be busy attacking in this game where Sevilla need goals.
Playing away to Juventus in a Champions League match is such a difficult task for any opposing attacker. Currently, Juventus have conceded nine goals in 13 home games in Serie A play this year. At some point in this game, Porto are likely going to need to make a push for goals. Mehdi Taremi ($15) leads the team in non-PK goals this year with 11 with seven of those coming since the beginning of 2021. He also has three assists in that span. Juventus is such a difficult matchup and Taremi is not anywhere close to a household name, so his ownership should stay very low. Sergio Oliveira ($16) is a decent GPP option as well as the team leader in goals with 13.
FanDuel DFS Defenders
From a value perspective, a lot of these UCL slates coming up that are only two games are not going to have many good plays. Juventus hardly force any defensive action out of opposing teams, and it is apparent even looking at game logs from the first leg. No Porto defender scored more than 10 points off defensive stats, and none have attacking upside worth chasing.
Marcos Acuna ($10) has returned from injury now, but he has yet to play a full 90 minutes in either of his two games back. He might be fit enough this time around to get a full game, and he makes for a decent value play if he does. He can rack up a good number of defensive stats against Dortmund, and he has definite attacking upside. He just assisted a goal against Elche over the weekend. He's one of the better value plays across the entire slate.
Juan Cuadrado ($15) is a nice pay-up defender option on this slate. He has been essentially playing as a midfielder all year and spends a ton of time attacking up the flank. He doesn't have a goal yet this year, but he does have assist upside with 11 and can create chances. Juventus will be pushing for goals here as they are down 2-1 aggregate, so Cuadrado will be heavily involved. He also looks like a decent shot for a clean sheet bonus given how good Juventus is defensively at home.
Jesus Navas ($13) is another attacking defender worth the salary on this slate. He leads Sevilla in chances created and also has four assists this season. Like I mentioned, Sevilla will need to push for goals and getting Navas involved is a great way to do that.
Mats Hummels ($13) is also worth a look here with his defensive peripheral stats.
FanDuel DFS Goalkeepers
Wojciech Szczesny ($14) is the top GK option on this slate. He has a great shot at both bonuses being a large home favorite and with Juventus hardly allowing many goals at home. He should also come away from this game with a good number of saves with Porto likely being forced to press for goals at some point during the match.
Marwin Hitz ($11) is a decent GK play in the mid-tier as another home favorite, however, Bono ($7) seems awfully cheap considering the circumstances for this game. Dortmund don't necessarily have to push - or score at all - if they don't allow any goals. Sevilla can even win the game which would be great for Bono and they might not even advance.
I prefer Szczesny over Hits and Bono easily, but you can get away from the chalky Juventus keeper if you want.
Thanks for reading my EPL DFS lineup picks breakdown on RotoBaller and good luck!
