UEFA Champions League Fantasy 2024/25: The best goalkeepers

The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League (UCL) begins next Tuesday – and with it the competition’s official fantasy game.

We'll be covering UCL Fantasy in depth over the next few days to prepare for the big kick-off, and will also be publishing articles throughout the season.

If you're new to the game or just need a refresher on the rules, check out our how-to guide here.

For everything else, bookmark our comprehensive guide to UCL Fantasy 2024/25 for content as it is added.

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Our series of preview articles begins with a look at the best UCL fantasy goalkeepers available.

READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 4 Team News: Live Injury Updates from Friday

Michele Di Gregorio (€4.5 million)

With Juventus yet to concede a single goal in Serie A, Di Gregorio is woefully undervalued and I expect him to be a very popular choice among UCL fantasy managers.

Juventus' schedule is also impressive: PSV Eindhoven, Lille and Stuttgart will be guests in the first four games.

The Old Lady's away opponent in Pot 1 is RB Leipzig, which is as cheap as you could wish for.

Below you can find out more about Di Gregorio in terms of a possible pairing with a premium goalkeeper.

Alisson Becker (€6.0 million)

Speaking of teams that have not conceded a goal yet, Liverpool have had a great start to the season under their new manager Arne Slot.

The Reds have kept three clean sheets in three matches so far, a record they needed to achieve in 10 league games last season.

The battle for the right number six was partly to blame in the 2023/24 season, but Ryan Gravenberch has proven surprisingly effective in that role under Slot so far.

Their run of games consists mainly of games against attacking teams like Leipzig and Leverkusen, but Alisson's fantasy form is hard to ignore at the moment.

Above: Premier League teams sorted by expected goals conceded (xGC) in the 2024/25 season

Gregor Kobel (€5.0 million)

Borussia Dortmund is one of the teams with the best starting series.

Although they will face Real Madrid on Matchday 3 in a rematch of the 2023/24 final, they will have already played most of their opponents from Pots 3 and 4 by the end of Matchday 5.

Kobel is, alongside Leipzig, the cheapest goalkeeper from Pot 1 Peter Gulacsiwhose starting line-up is significantly worse.

The Dortmund goalkeeper was able to shine with some excellent numbers last season:

Marc-Andre Ter Stegen (€6.0 million)

Ter Stegen got me thinking. At first glance he seems like a great premium pick, with Barcelona having made one of the best starts of the Pot 1 teams.

On the other hand, Barca defenders are available at cheaper prices.

But then I realized that I had overlooked how well ter Stegen harmonizes with another top pick like Di Gregorio.

Let me explain: In recent years, teams have played on Tuesday or Wednesday depending on their group, so managers already knew that in order to change goalkeepers, they needed a goalkeeper from both groups AD and EH.

This year, teams play on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays with no set schedule, meaning it's very difficult to find viable goalie pairs whose appearances don't overlap for more than three consecutive weeks.

The exception is ter Stegen and Di Gregorio, who do not play any games on the same day until matchday 6. If the budget allows, this pairing is worth a look.

Above: Barcelona had one of the best xGC numbers in the Champions League last season

Janis Blaswich (€4.5 million)

RB Salzburg is the only team outside the top two pots to have a goalkeeper on this list.

Despite being eliminated from the competition in the group stage last year, they managed to keep a clean sheet in difficult away games against Benfica and Real Sociedad.

This year it should be easier – at least initially. Blaswich are not only cheap, but also have a great first half of the group stage in terms of fixtures.

His Salzburg team will face teams like Stade Brest, Dinamo Zagreb and Sparta Prague.

After the fourth matchday, the difficulty level of his games increases dramatically, but this can be countered in various ways (e.g. through transfers or a wildcard).

Jan Oblak (€6.0 million)

Atletico Madrid and Diego Simeone are always a good and reliable option in defense.

While one could argue that Oblak is a little overpriced, the Spanish team's good record in all areas more than makes up for it.

Atletico got through last season's group stage without any problems, keeping a clean sheet in two of their three home games.

Oblak was on the right side of the “save percentage/average goals prevented” line in the 2023/24 Champions League (see graph in Kobel’s section above).

Simon Mignolet (€4.5 million)

Bruges' run is very average.

Dortmund, Villa and Milan could be difficult, but things could have been worse, especially from pots one and two.

Strum Graz and Celtic are definitely at the cheaper end of the scale.

With Juventus and Manchester City stuck at the bottom of the group stage, I believe investing in Mignolet early can bring good results if you want to be budget-conscious when it comes to goalkeepers.

Although the Champions League is a tier higher, the Belgian side embarked on a run to the semi-finals of the Conference League in 2023/24. This run included six clean sheets in 12 games.

Thibaut Courtois (€6.0 million)

It would be stupid of me to ignore the defending champion.

Despite a somewhat disappointing start to the season with two wins and two draws in four games, Real Madrid is an ace in European club competition.

They also have a pretty decent draw, as their home opponent in Pot 1 is Borussia Dortmund.

Before that, Stuttgart and Lille are in the running, which offers Courtois a great chance for a flying start.