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MD-9 Build-Up
It’s the first leg of the UCL quarterfinals. R Madrid is well rested and hosting Man City. The early exit from Copa del Ray means that R Madrid got a break from fatigue on a weekend when their English opponents hammered Crystal Palace 4-2 in the EPL title race.
Arsenal also made it look easy putting three past Brighton ahead of hosting Bayern. The Germans under Tuchel suffered yet another defeat away from home, 2-3 at the hands of Heidenheim to lock Leverkusen’s early Bundesliga title win.
Atletico has the same advantage as R Madrid, resting over the weekend before hosting Dortmund on Wednesday. Ironically, the German visitors were also defeated, 0-1 against Stuttgart.
Lastly, PSG salvaged a Ligue-1 point at Clermont, drawing 1-1 on Saturday while Barcelona was probably watching them on TV before traveling to Paris.
For the early look at all of the quarterfinal matches, go to our MD-9 Fantasy Preview article. We all have five transfers in UCL-Fantasy before the kickoff. To see NMA’s selections, go to UCL MD-9 player picks article.
And remember, now your fantasy squad can have up to five players from each club. Cheers and good luck!
Team News (Injury / Suspension)
The royal club will be without long term absentees Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba. Eder Militao has rejoined training in recent days but is unexpected to start in a high profile match before playing some domestic minutes.
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As if Real Madrid’s long rest is not enough, Pep will have to do without Kyle Walker who could be the only right-back who was able to go head to head against Vinicius Jr. Nathan Ake is also sidelined due to injury and is not expected to travel with the squad. Josko Gvardiol is doubtful and will be assessed.
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Arsenal’s only missing player is not a key player (yet) for the club; Jurrien Timber will sit this one out due to injury but Arteta enjoys a squad with a clean bill of health ahead of Arsenal hosting Bayern Munich.
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Bayern Munich
Several players are out injured for the German club, but Dayot Upamecano returns after serving his one match suspension during the round of 16 2nd leg match against Lazio. The injury list includes Manuel Neuer, Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sane, Tarek Buchmann, Bouna Sarr, Sacha Boey, and Aseko Nkili. Noussair Mazraoui is doubtful. Neuer and Sane may be of most interest here, and the circulated injury reports suggest that Neuer has a groin injury which he could have already recovered from while Sane is reportedly suffering from “physical discomfort” which is usually code for “having trouble with the coach” so tread carefully when selecting both players.
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Antoine Griezmann is back in training after missing France’s international fixtures in March. Both Thomas Lemar and Mario Hermoso are sidelined. The latter is suffering from thigh muscle complains so an assessment ahead of the match may see him back in the starting lineup. On Saturday, Memphis Depay was not able to attend the team training due to a knock and he may not be called upon to start.
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Dortmund is surprisingly without many injuries as only Ramy Bensbaini is sidelined. Donyell Malen is doubtful for Terzic and could miss the start in Madrid. Nico Schlotterbeck is back in the mix after missing the R16 return leg against PSV Eindhoven.
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PSG
Several players have returned to the starting lineup for the Parisians, most notably Ousmane Dembele and Marquinhos. Achraf Hakimi is suspended after receiving his 3rd yellow in MD-8. The right-back spot will weaken further after Nordi Mukiele came out with a head injury on the weekend. In addition, Presnel Kimpembe and Layvin Kurzawa are out due to injury.
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Xavi will be without Gavi and Alejandro Balde against PSG. Three key players (Pedri, Andreas Christensen and Frankie de Jong) returned to training and are expected to feature.
Confirmed Lineups (Day-1)
Real Madrid: Lunin, Carvajal, Rudiger, Tchouameni, Mendy, Valverde, Camavinga, Kroos, Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr.
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Manchester City: Ortega, Dias, Stones, Kovacic, Gvardiol, Akanji, Rodri, Bernardo, Grealish, Foden, Haaland
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Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior, Odegaard, Jorginho, Rice, Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
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Bayern Munich: Neuer, Davies, De Ligt, Dier, Kmmich, Laimar, Goretzka, Musiala, Gnabry, Sane, Kane
Confirmed Lineups (Day-2)
Atletico Madrid:
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Dortmund:
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PSG:
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Barcelona:
If you need to take an early look at injury lists and predicted lineups for Leg-2, then follow the UEFA UCL link here. If you are interested, take a look at the booking lists ahead of MD-9 as well.
Keep an eye on the comments section for any late updates, and be aware that lineups for the Real Madrid vs Manchester City and Arsenal vs Bayern Munich will be released about at 19:00 GMT an hour before today’s fantasy transfer deadline. We’ll post those team sheets here in time for you to make transfers and substitutions, just like we will on every game day. Make sure you’re here for that!
Good luck everyone and I’ll see you in the comments!
How is your team holding up? Has your squad been hit by injuries or suspensions? Do you have any tactical questions? Which matches do you plan/wish to watch as a fan? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
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