Soccer

Fantasy Focus: Reluctant star Hercules goes big

FIFA

5, Jul

Fantasy Focus: Reluctant star Hercules goes big

Renowned as being painfully shy, Fluminense FC’s Hercules ($5.4m) keeps giving himself reason to be drawn, however reluctantly, to the spotlight.

Replacing first-half goalscorer Matheus Martinelli ($5.5m) at the break in Orlando, the 24-year-old defensive midfielder went on to score Flu’s second in a 2-1 win against Al Hilal in the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup™. One of the club’s most expensive signings following his arrival from Fortaleza, Hercules started all three of the Brazilian club’s group outings before coming off the bench to devastating effect in the next two.

Following on from a game settler in a 2-0 win over FC Internazionale Milano in the Round of 16, he again netted from the bench against Al Hilal. That goal, along with the scouting bonus and additional points for tackles made, saw him end as the day’s top scorer, despite playing only 45 minutes.

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It also meant he was forced to front the planet’s media where he answered one question before departing to show he is just as efficient off the pitch as he is on it.

In the second of the day’s quarter-finals, Estevao ($5.5m) bade farewell to Palmeiras as he prepares to join the team that eliminated them from the Club World Cup. As Chelsea FC boss Enzo Maresca noted post-match: “it was a perfect match, we won and Estevao scored.”

That goal earned the starlet a game-high nine points, narrowly pipping both Blues midfielder Cole Palmer ($9.6m) and defender Trevoh Chalobah ($5.3m). With free transfers limited and a handful of heavyweight clubs already having departed, there would have been relief among a hefty number of owners that had backed Chelsea assets to remain alive in the tournament.

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Fluminense FC 2-1 Al Hilal

Star players

MID Hercules (Fluminense, $5.4m) – 10 points
MID Matheus Martinelli (Fluminense, $5.5m) – 8 points
FWD Marcos Leonardo (Al Hilal, $4.0m) – 7 points

Low returns

DEF Juan Pablo Freytes (Fluminense, $4.1m) – 1 point
GK Yassine Bounou (Al Hilal, $5.0m) – 1 point
MID Jhon Arias (Fluminense, $6.2m) - 2 points

SE Palmeiras 1-2 Chelsea FC

Star players

FWD Estevao (Palmeiras, $5.5m) – 9 points
MID Cole Palmer (Chelsea, $9.6m) – 8 points
DEF Trevoh Chalobah (Chelsea, $5.3m) – 7 points

Low returns

DEF Agustin Giay (Palmeiras, $4.4m) | -1 point
FWD Paulinho (Palmeiras, $6.2m) - 1 point
MID Pedro Neto (Chelsea, $6.5m) - 2 points

Next up (Saturday 5 July) - Semi-finals

Paris Saint-Germain v FC Bayern München
Real Madrid C.F. v Borussia Dortmund

Highest owned players in action

DEF Achraf Hakimi (PSG, $6.5m) – 65.7%
MID Michael Olise (Bayern, $9.4m) – 53.5%
FWD Harry Kane (Bayern, $11.0m) – 42.7%
MID Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG, $9.2m) – 40.0%
DEF Nuno Mendes (PSG, $6.2m) – 38.6%

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Differentials

There are some seriously high-owned players in action as the final two quarter-finals approach. For those looking to hedge against some of the popular purchases though there still remain options available, particularly in terms of captaincy differentials.

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Karim Adeyemi ($8.0m) showed his devastating pace and creativity in their Round of 16 win against CF Monterrey and, along with understated Real Madrid C.F. midfielder Arda Guler ($6.5m) both are comparatively lowly owned and thus real potential rank shifters.