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Fantasy Focus: Guirassy grabs a dozen
Serhou Guirassy ($9.0m) has the height, the agility and surely the power to make a fist of what he once said he would do if he wasn’t a footballer: be a fireman. On the pitch, it’s been defenders that have had to douse the flames the Guinea international has frequently left in his wake and that was certainly the case as he lit up the ‘Benz on Tuesday evening.
Two delightful first-half strikes – both teed up by Karim Adeyemi ($8.0m) – set Borussia Dortmund on their way to a 2-1 win over CF Monterrey and into the last eight at the FIFA Club World Cup™. Those goals, plus an additional point for registering three shots on target, set Guirassy up for a handy 12-point outing on a day where the returns were slightly more modest than they had been in the previous Round-of-16 ties.
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In the earlier match, new Real Madrid C.F. defender Trent Alexander-Arnold ($6.4m) continued his strong fantasy outings, bagging ten points to go with the seven that he had accrued in each of the club’s previous two fixtures.
That 1-0 win over Juventus FC also saw the return of a player in Kylian Mbappe ($11.0m) who was – prior to his pre-tournament illness – the most highly owned option in the game.
Owners then will have plenty to ponder as they prepare for the four free transfers that are able to be deployed prior to the start of the first quarter-final, between Fluminense FC and Al Hilal in Orlando on 4 July.
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Real Madrid C.F. 1-0 Juventus FC
Star players
DEF Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid, $6.4m) – 10 points
GK Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid, $6.0m) – 7 points
FWD Gonzalo Garcia (Real Madrid, $5.1m) – 7 points
Low returns
FWD Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid, $11.0m) – 1 point
FWD Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid, $5.4m) - 2 points
FWD Kenan Yildiz (Juventus, $7.3m) – 2 points
Borussia Dortmund 2-1 CF Monterrey
Star players
FWD Serhou Guirassy (Dortmund, $9.0m) – 12 points
MID Karim Adeyemi (Dortmund, $8.0m) – 9 points
FWD German Berterame (Monterrey, $6.0m) – 9 points
Low returns
DEF Sergio Ramos (Monterrey, $5.3m) - 1 point
MID Sergio Canales (Monterrey, $6.1m) - 2 points
DEF Daniel Svensson (Dortmund, $5.3m) - 2 points
Next up (Friday 4 July) - Quarter-finals
Fluminense FC v Al Hilal
Palmeiras v Chelsea FC
Highest owned players in action
DEF Marc Cucurella (Chelsea, $5.8m) – 20.8%
MID Pedro Neto (Chelsea, $6.5m) – 18.1%
MID Cole Palmer (Chelsea, $9.6m) – 17.3%
MID Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea, $6.2m) – 14.3%
GK Yassine Bounou (Al Hilal, $5.0m) – 10.4%
Differentials
With four free transfers available prior to the start of the quarter-finals as well as a range of Boosters for those that have them available, there are plenty of decisions to ponder over the next day or so for fantasy owners.
Given the departure of several heavyweight clubs there are now differentials galore, especially here on the first of two days of quarter-final action.
With five of the six highest-owned options all being Chelsea FC players, any successful investment elsewhere could really see a rise up the ranks.
Off the back off his superb match-winning display to sink Manchester City, Al Hilal’s rock-bottom priced forward Marcos Leonardo ($4.0m) is great value, as is midfielder Ruben Neves ($6.3m) who, despite playing in a deeper role, is likely on penalty duty.
Defensive investment in Fluminense FC assets is also a viable way to go and with three clean sheets in their first four outings it’s little surprise to see the likes of Juan Pablo Freytes ($4.1m) and Samuel Xavier ($4.2m) high up on the list of top-scoring defenders.
In the other clash, for those hedging against Chelsea, the second Brazilian club in action, Palmeiras, likewise has some sound options available. Defender Agustin Giay ($4.4m) and goalkeeper Weverton ($4.9m), in particular, have both really impressed through the first three weeks of action.
A wildcard choice could be that of game-changing substitute forward Paulinho ($6.2m) who, despite having his minutes managed due to injury, has still delivered 20 points in his past two outings.
