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    Fantasy Football Blog

    Euro update: Super Schweinsteiger

    With the third week of the Fantasy Europe Cup looming, we aim to show you how to find a bit of value.

    You have 200 million euros to spend to compete with Europe's best, choosing from all the squad players at the 32 clubs who have qualified for the group stages of the Champions League.

    With that much money to play with you can afford to splash out on a decent goalkeeper, and with AC Milan playing at home Christian Abbiati at 13 million euros might fit the bill.

    But Abbiati's side are up against in-form Real Madrid this week, so you may prefer to go elsewhere.

    Rangers keeper Allan McGregor is yet to concede in the Champions League this season and is a snip at 7m, while Marseille shot stopper Steve Mandanda (12.5m) could have a quiet night in store as his side host Zilina.

    In defence, ignore Internazionale's ludicrously-priced Brazilian duo Maicon (25m) and Lucio (22m) - unless you fancy saving money by taking a punt on a benchwarmer like Michael Owen (8m) up front.

    Instead, with Panathinaikos playing at home against Rubin Kazan it's time to cash in on the Russian club's cheapo defence.

    Rubin will be full of confidence after holding Barcelona to a draw last time out, while Pana failed to score against Copenhagen. Lasha Salukvadze at left-back is a snip at just 1m.

    Bayern Munich started the domestic season in abysmal form, but are getting back into their stride and have two wins out of two in Europe this season to their name.

    And with Romanian side Cluj visiting this week, it could be time to plunder the German champions for players.

    Yet Philipp Lahm (19m) costs a fortune, while Martin Demichelis (6m) is at loggerheads with coach Louis van Gaal and Daniel van Buyten is unlikely to start due to injury. That lends allure to bargain basement picks such as centre-back Holger Badstuber (4m).

    Bayern's midfield also looks tempting, with Bastian Schweinsteiger (22m) fit again - though remember Arjen Robben (30m) and Franck Ribery (37m) are injured.

    Lyon's Michel Bastos has three Champions League goals to his name already this season, and at 16.5m seems an excellent mid-price choice from a side who have done consistently well in the group stage over the last few years.

    For value, Copenhagen midfielder Martin Vingaard (1.8m) looks astonishing value. The Danes might be heading to the Camp Nou this week, but Vingaard scored in Greece a fortnight ago and Barcelona's wobbly season so far means he could shine again.

    Another German side, Schalke, also have a straightforward-looking match as they host Hapoel Tel Aviv. The side have been in horrible domestic form, but this could be the match to give them a much-needed confidence boost - and midfielder Jermaine Jones (5m) looks decent value.

    For even more value, look at whoever is playing Sporting Braga - the Portuguese side look well out of their depth at this level and have been on the wrong end of two hammerings so far.

    Their opponents this week, Partizan Belgrade, have also been handed two defeats, but in far more positive fashion - and with 11 goals in their last two domestic matches they seem to be a team who at least know how to find the back of the net. Nemanja Tomic (3m) and Radosav Petrovic (2m) look exceptional value for the trip.

    Up front, remember to avoid Inter's Diego Milito (45m) who is injured at the moment, while the patchy form of Barcelona's David Villa makes his price seem too high at 40m.

    If you're hankering after a big-name striker then Roma's Francesco Totti (30m) has plenty to prove after a poor season so far, and entertaining Basel could be the ideal time for him to prove it.

    Auxerre have struggled to two defeats in the Champions League this season, making Ajax's Uruguayan World Cup hero Luis Suarez a solid pick at 27m.

    Bargain hunters need look no further than Spartak Moscow's Ari, however. Chelsea look set for a very tricky afternoon in Moscow - and if anybody is going to get on the scoresheet for the home side it's likely to be the Brazilian.

    About Fantasy Football

    The Fantasist is an expert, no, a guru, in all things Fantasy Football. It will dispense its wisdom throughout the season, unravelling the great mysteries of our time. Conundrums like "Aaron Hughes or Stephen Warnock?' and 'Where does Matty Taylor get all those points from?' During the barren summer months, The Fantasist satisfies its gaming needs by losing a small fortune at its local bingo hall. Consequently, it has a lot riding on Eurosport-Yahoo!'s £5 entry, winner-takes-all office league this season.

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