The UCL showdown slate on DraftKings closes out Leg 2 of the final semifinals between Manchester City and Real Madrid. Manchester city is the home team and a heavy favorite at -190. Let’s take a look at the best UCL DFS picks for today and find some value spots.
UCL DFS Picks & Predictions
UCL DFS Picks For Captain
Kevin De Bruyne (DraftKings: $16,500)
Erling Haaland (DraftKings: $15,600)
Manchester City at home will look to control the match and avenge the mistakes of last season’s loss to Real Madrid. Leg 1 was a 1-1 draw, and another tie will lead to extra time, which would increase the output of a select few that are too important to their respective clubs to get the hook. Kevin De Bruyne is the headliner for Manchester City. He has the highest salary, which is a change from consistent weeks of Erling Haaland holding that top spot.
De Bruyne is a high-floor, high-upside option with crossing volume of 8.54 and 6.67 created scoring chances per match, both of which are first on the team. De Bruyne is not shy to take chances just outside the box in open play, averaging 2.49 shots per match, and he accounts for 23% of the club’s scoring. He is an all-around top option at the captain spot, and ownership will tell that.
The GPP pivot when stacking the Manchester City attack is Haaland. Haaland failed to score in Leg 1 but did manage to place two of his three chances on target. The shots were there, and he did not get a hold of at least two of them, and they rolled to the Real Madrid keeper. Haaland is always a scoring threat, and his 36 goals in just 32 starts on the year prove that. His salary drop is warranted against the competition but makes him hard to fade. Haaland averages 3.67 shots per match and hits target at a clip of 47.7% clip. There is a little floor for the salary that comes with Haaland, and his ownership offers instant leverage if he is left off the lineup. The two approaches in GPPs are either fading Haaland and sweating it out or captaining him to leverage against the higher-owned De Bruyne.
UCL DFS Picks For Flex
Karim Benzema (DraftKings: $8,800)
Karim Benzema has not scored in two straight UCL matches. The matchup and odds favoring Manchester City will have Benzema’s ownership down. He is a star that answers the call when his team needs it and is no stranger to scoring in big moments. Benzema will get overlooked for Vinicius Jr. in balanced stacks, and using him in a Madrid-favored stack is leverage enough given the implied odds for Manchester City. Benzema averages 4.80 shots per match, and the on-target rate is down to 34%. His 4.74 created scoring chances per match trail both wingers alongside him in Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. Benzema is a one-off play and a direct counter against a popular Ederson in net for Manchester City as well as a pivot to the red-hot Vinicius Jr. In single entry, pairing Vinicius Jr. and Benzema with a high floor De Bruyne in the captain spot at the expense of Haaland makes a lot of sense despite the risk.
Eduardo Camavinga (DraftKings: $4,400)
Eduardo Camavinga will no doubt be the one-off option in Manchester City-favored stacks. Camavinga does not handle set shares and does little offensively despite finding an assist in Leg 1. His defensive metrics play to the possession strength of Manchester City, and he may increase his 3.74 won tackles/interceptions per match. His 2.88 drawn fouls per match trail only Vinicius Jr on the team and help Camavinga pay off the sub-$5,000 price tag on DraftKings.
Camavinga as a one-off offers salary relief to stack one of De Bruyne and Haaland in the captain spot while stacking the high shot volume of Ilkay Gundogan or high floor of Jack Grealish without the direct impact against chasing an Ederson clean sheet in the flex.
Other Options: Thibault Courtois (DraftKings: $5,400), Rodrygo (DraftKings: $7,800), John Stones (DraftKings: $5,600)
