DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Champions League Semifinal

This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.

Goal = +10 PTs
Assist = +6 PTs
Shot = +1 PTs
Shot on Goal = +1 PTs
Crosses = +1 PTs
Fouls Drawn = +0.75 PTs
Red Card = -1 PTs
Saves (GK) = +2 PTs
Goal Allowed (GK) = -2 PTs
Clean Sheet (GK, D) = +5 PTs
One Goal Allowed (GK, D) = +2 PTs
Win (GK) = +5 PTs
Penalty Kick Save (GK) = +3 PTs

With that out of the way, here are the best available GPP contests for Champions League soccer Tuesday and Wednesday:



$6K Equalizer ($1,200 first prize), Entry Fee: $27
$4K Golden Boot ($2,000 first prize), Entry Fee: $200
$4K Striker ($300 first prize), Entry Fee: $3
and many more…



Also, be sure to check out the $100K Fantasy Soccer World Championship Satellites a $12, $33 and $55.

The following games are included:
Barcelona at Bayern Munich (Tuesday)
Juventus at Real Madrid (Wednesday)

We are just two games away from the Champions League final. Tuesday features Barcelona and their huge 3-0 aggregate advantage traveling to a slightly healthier yet still distracted Bayern Munich side who suffered an embarrassing 1-0 loss at home to FC Augsburg at the weekend. Barcelona continued their dominance, taking a 2-0 victory over Real Sociedad domestically. Second legs with such lopsided aggregates often lead to odd results, and taking any defenseman in this matchup is a risk, as there figures to be a fairly large proportion of offense. Bayern Munich will look to own possession constantly moving forward, while Barcelona's dynamic forwards will show off their lightening quick passing and finishing skills in the counter attacking game. Expect Bayern to really throw a lot of men forward, as they need goals and they need lots of them.

Wednesday's game offers more intrigue, as the result of who actually moves onto the final is much more in question. Juventus will travel to Real Madrid with a 2-1 aggregate advantage, but the away goal Cristiano Ronaldo scored for Real Madrid in the first leg could be crucial. Juventus will go through if they win, draw or lose by one while scoring multiple goals. If the game is 2-1 favoring Real Madrid at the end of 90 minutes, the game will enter extra time. If Real Madrid wins by two or scores at least three goals and win they will move on to the final (easy enough, right?). With that out of the way, both teams are coming into this game off of surprising draws domestically. Real Madrid drew fourth-placed Valencia 2-2 at home, showcasing the defensive difficulties they've presented all year. Juventus' result may seem even worse, drawing 1-1 to likely relegation victim Cagliari, though Juventus has already locked up the Serie A title and the result is really a result of a desperate Cagliari and a Juventus side just trying to stay rested and healthy for the game they really care about – this one. Expect Juventus to do the best they can to win this matchup on the defensive end, and will get back a key cog to their effort in the midfield via Paul Pogba.

There is a bit of guesswork in projecting who will play until the lineups are actually announced, so every recommendation comes with the same warning label: check the starting lineups upon their announcement approximately one hour prior to kickoff.

Goalkeepers
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen ($4,700)
Simply stated: it makes absolutely no sense for Ter Stegen to be $400 less than Manuel Neuer. It's a bargain and I'm sure I'm not the only one that sees it. Ter Stegen will see some save opportunities from a desperate Bayern Munich side who has really struggled to score lately.

Gianluigi Buffon ($3,500)
The price differential is ridiculous. Real Madrid are favorites, but not by this much. Juventus' defense is stout. Buffon is stout. A shutout is not out of the question, and a shutout in this matchup against Madrid will equate to A LOT of saves. There's always the chance he does get scored on a few times, but that's just the risk you're taking.

Iker Casillas ($5,800)
This is a lot of money to splurge on a goalkeeper, but Real Madrid are the only actual favorites on the day. Honestly, I don't love Casillas at this price, but I'd be naïve to leave him out completely.

Defenders:
Dani Carvajal ($3,700)
Disappointing in the first leg, expect Carvajal to be more impactful up field as his side needs to score. The price on Carvajal is simply to good with all of the possible upside he posses.

Marcelo ($6,100)
The most expensive defender, but also possibly the very best wingback in the world, and he may be worth every penny come Wednesday. Technically a defender, Marcelo is a huge part of the Real Madrid offense through his crosses and even goals. When seeing a full slate of minutes, he more or less always hits at least double-digit points – its fair to expect even more than that with the dire circumstances his club finds itself in this leg.

Rafinha ($4,800)
With the desperate need of goals, Rafinha will look to hit the upwards of eight or nine crosses he's shown to be capable of.

Jerome Boateng ($3,500)
For those really looking to take a punt, Boateng gets up the field very well despite playing as a center half. Just hope he's not too dizzy after what happened last week…

Midfielders
Isco ($5,600)
Coming off a big goal at the weekend that tied up Madrid's match with Valencia, Isco will look to carry that momentum into some much-needed offense.

Thiago Alcantara ($5,700)
Thiago sees a role that is very forward for a team that will need a lot of goals; he should see a fair amount of production (mostly through shots).

Ivan Rakitic ($4,800)
Barca's only real goal-scoring threat from the midfield picked up an assist on one of Messi's goals in the first leg. As I've said, he can score, and for this reason is always usable as a punt from the midfield.

Paul Pogba ($4,900)
He's back from injury, and the likely largest transfer of this upcoming summer may or may not make his presence known in the DK fantasy front. I really want to mention him because of just how highly he is regarded and the huge sums of money coming his way in the near future.

Gareth Bale ($8,800) or James Rodriguez ($8,100)
Both Bale and James make a good deal of sense, as both serviced crosses and assists over the weekend. Bale actually had a very threatening free kick that nearly found the goal. It's hard to push all the chips in and pay for them, but hedging with a few chips seems a necessity.

Forwards
Robert Lewandowski ($7,500)
At this price, with how much Bayern is expected to attack, Lewandowski stands a very strong chance to score. He almost certainly will lead the team in shots, we'll just have to see if they indeed convert to goals.

Cristiano Ronaldo ($11,800)
Whenever his side needs a goal, it seems like Ronaldo gets it done. He scored the away goal, assisted the winner against Atletico in the quarterfinals, scored the two goals that got his side past the Round of 16 second leg against Schalke. He's considered the best in the world, and this is the stage for him to validate that claim – especially with the display Messi put on last weekend.

I rank these two at the top fairly clearly; afterwards I rank the forwards as follows:
1. Luis Suarez ($8,900)
2. Neymar ($9,600)
3. Thomas Muller ($8,400)
4. Lionel Messi ($11,500)
5. Chicarito Hernandez ($8,300)
6. Carlos Tevez ($7,900)