UCL Fantasy MD9: Top Picks in a 4-3-3 Formation
The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League has entered the knockout phase. These are two-legged ties in which the winners advance to the Round of 16 and the losers are eliminated.
With away goals no longer serving as a tiebreaker, aggregate score decides the outcome, with extra time and penalties if necessary.
As first legs, Matchday 9 fixtures carry added tactical weight.
Teams will prioritize strong results — ideally a win or a clean sheet — before the return leg.
Upsets remain possible in knockout football, which makes squad selection even more crucial for UCL Fantasy managers looking to gain an early edge.
Below are our top player picks for UCL Fantasy MD9.
Goalkeeper
Nick Pope (£5.1m) vs Qarabag
With 40 UCL fantasy points so far, Pope remains a dependable option. Known for his positioning and reflexes, he consistently delivers in high-pressure European matches.
His save percentage and command of the box strengthen his appeal heading into this first leg.
Defenders
Alejandro Grimaldo vs Olympiacos Piraeus
Grimaldo has scored four goals and accumulated 40 fantasy points — outstanding production for a defender.
His attacking presence from the left flank, combined with strong crossing and creative passing, adds significant upside. He also carries set-piece and free-kick threat thanks to his precise left foot.
Federico Dimarco vs Bodo/Glimt
Dimarco operates as an aggressive outlet in Inter’s system, often functioning like a wide midfielder while maintaining defensive responsibilities. His pace, crossing, and goal contributions enhance his value for fantasy managers seeking attacking returns from defense.
Malick Thiaw vs Qarabag
With approximately 37 fantasy points this season, Thiaw offers physicality and aerial strength at center-back. His ability in defensive duels and set-piece situations increases both clean-sheet and bonus potential, while his composure supports build-up play from the back.
Marcos Llorente vs Club Brugge KV
Llorente demonstrated his fantasy upside with a double-goal performance that delivered double-digit points. Across six games, he has scored three goals and accumulated 27 fantasy points. His tendency to arrive late in the box or strike from distance gives him explosive matchday potential.
Midfielders
Anthony Gordon vs Qarabag
Gordon brings high attacking volume, regularly taking shots and creating danger from wide and central areas. He has been especially productive in Europe, registering 52 fantasy points, six goals, and two assists. His big-stage output makes him a standout midfield option.
Nicolò Barella vs Bodo/Glimt
While not a major goal or assist contributor in this campaign, Barella’s value lies in consistent minutes and involvement in buildup and transition phases. His passing and defensive contributions make him a reliable presence in Inter’s midfield engine room.
Robert Andrich vs Olympiacos
Andrich anchors midfield with defensive discipline and ball recovery. In the 2025/26 UCL campaign, he has maintained a passing accuracy of around 90.8%, ensuring steady distribution. His attacking output is limited, but he provides tactical stability and dependable minutes.
Forwards
Lautaro Martínez vs Bodo/Glimt
Lautaro remains Inter’s primary goal threat and a high-upside fantasy forward. His tenacity, clinical finishing, and leadership make him central to Inter’s attack, particularly in matches where he dominates chances.
Julián Álvarez vs Club Brugge KV
Álvarez has featured in every UCL match this season, logging strong minutes and averaging roughly half a goal contribution per game. His combined goals and assists profile makes him a dependable forward option rather than one reliant solely on scoring.
Patrik Schick vs Olympiacos Piraeus
Schick is known for his aerial presence, intelligent movement, and finishing ability. In this season’s Champions League campaign, he has recorded two goals and one assist, contributing as a forward option off the bench and offering scoring threat when called upon.
Random Ramsdom: Landman had a great year
Nate Landman had a career changing year, and a life changing one. He received an extension from the Los Angeles Rams potentially solidifying his next couple/few season in the NFL, and he secured the type of money that could set his family up for life.
Landman started the year strong, and he was solid throughout, but I would guess he (like many of the players) would’ve liked to played just a bit better in the NFC Championship Game.
Can Landman build on his breakout season? Fair question, but if he can keep forcing fumbles, then I would guess the Rams will be glad they have him.
Thank you for checking out Turf Show times and have a great Tuesday!
2025 Breakout: Nate Landman brought turnover creation, leadership in career-best season (rams.com)
“The Rams’ efforts to shore up their run defense last season included signing former Falcons linebacker Nate Landman to a one-year deal.
He outplayed the contract so quickly, the team signed him to a three-year contract extension in November. Landman went on to set career-highs in total tackles, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries by the end of the regular season.“
Rams trade proposal sends first-round pick to Chiefs for All-Pro CB for ‘all-in’ deal (sports.yahoo.com)
“The Los Angeles Rams came up just short of making it to the Super Bowl, where they likely would’ve been able to beat the New England Patriots.
Fortunately, the Rams will have another shot in 2026, as Matthew Stafford is coming back. With the Rams ready to go “all-in” after Stafford’s return, there’s a very interesting trade option the Rams could take this offseason.
As ESPN’s Bill Barnwell proposed, the Rams could trade a 2026 first-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie. But, with two first-rounders, 13th and 29th overall, the pick the Rams would send in this deal matters a lot.“
Rams take on $9M in dead money due to 2 veteran contracts voiding (ramswire)
“When the Los Angeles Rams signed Tyler Higbee and Rob Havenstein to their most recent contracts, they tacked on void years for salary cap purposes. That allowed the team to spread money out after the contracts expired, lowering each player’s cap hits at the cost of paying more after their deals end.
Well, the bill has come due because both contracts have officially voided. Havenstein, despite retiring, leaves behind a dead cap charge of $6.97 million on the Rams’ books. That was going to go on the Rams’ salary cap regardless of whether he left in free agency, retired or re-signed with Los Angeles.“
Lindsey Vonn back in US for treatment but ‘not yet able to stand’ after Olympic crash
Lindsey Vonn is back home in the US to continue treatment after she broke her leg during the Winter Olympic downhill.
“Haven’t stood on my feet in over a week… been in a hospital bed immobile since my race. And although I’m not yet able to stand, being back on home soil feels amazing,” Vonn posted on X with an American flag emoji. “Huge thank you to everyone in Italy for taking good care of me.”
Related: Lindsey Vonn’s crash is violent but honest ending to an unprecedented Olympic bid
The 41-year-old suffered a complex tibia fracture after she crashed early in her downhill run on 8 February. She was initially treated in hospital in Italy and underwent several surgeries on her injured leg. She has said she will need further surgery in the US.
Nine days before her fall in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Vonn ruptured the ACL in her left knee in another crash in Switzerland. Even before then, she had been the focus of attention heading into the Olympics for her comeback after nearly six years of retirement.
Vonn has said that she had “no regrets” about her decision to race. “Knowing I stood there having a chance to win was a victory in and of itself. I also knew that racing was a risk. It always was and always will be an incredibly dangerous sport,” she wrote on social media last week.
Her fellow skiers have also supported her. “It’s her choice [to race at the Olympics],” Italy’s Federica Brignone, who has won two gold medals at this year’s Games, said. “If it’s your body, then you decide what to do, whether to race or not. It’s not up to others. Only you.”
Report: Seahawks are "unlikely" to apply franchise tag to Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III
Kenneth Walker III could be the next player in the tradition of Larry Brown, Desmond Howard, and Dexter Jackson.
Each won the Super Bowl MVP and then became free agents. Each left for a larger offer from another team.
Brown, the MVP of Super Bowl XXX after catching two passes that Steelers quarterback Neil O'Donnell threw right to him, signed with the Raiders. Howard, who had 244 return yards in the game and scored on a 99-yard kickoff return to essentially ice Super Bowl XXXI, also signed with the Raiders. Jackson, the Super Bowl XXXVII MVP in a Buccaneers win over the Raiders, signed with the Cardinals.
Walker may not be free to do the same thing. Via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, the Seahawks are “unlikely” to apply the franchise tag to Walker.
Tweets Schefter: "The Seahawks have multiple free agents they want to retain and sign. They also will try to extend WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba. There are enough Super-Bowl tax costs that now make using a franchise tag this offseason unlikely."
The franchise tag would result in a one-year, $14.1 million contract for Walker. In four total seasons, he has made $8.44 million.
The fact that the Seahawks have leaked this nugget upon the opening of the two-week tag window likely wasn't accidental. They want their fans to understand what's going on, and in turn to short-circuit any speculation/anticipation that Walker may be tagged.
The implicit message is that the Seahawks believe Walker wants more on a long-term deal than the Seahawks can justify. The Seahawks may also believe that Walker won't get what he's looking for on the open market, either.
His agents likely will find out the answer next week at Tampering Central a/k/a the Scouting Combine.
Still, the best offer Walker gets may end up being better than whatever the Seahawks will pay. And the Seahawks are making their assessment not on three 2025 postseason games but four full seasons of working directly with Walker.
That's always the most important thing to remember when free agency rolls around. In most cases, the team that has employed the player for four or five years has placed a lower value on him than a stranger will. There's a chance Seattle has gotten it wrong (like the Giants did with Saquon Barkley), but it's an assessment that needs to be made in light of the other areas of the roster that require the cash and the cap space.
Then there's the basic supply/demand reality of the running back position. The Seahawks can draft Walker's replacement, pay him a lot less than Walker wants, and plug him into the offense right away. Or they can sign a veteran who won't be looking for an eight-figure average.
Olympia 2026: DEB-Team arbeitet sich gegen Frankreich ins Viertelfinale
Die deutsche Eishockey-Nationalmannschaft präsentiert sich formverbessert und gewinnt verdient gegen Frankreich. Den Grundstein zum Einzug ins Viertelfinale legt die DEB-Auswahl mit einem furiosen ersten Drittel. [mehr]