FanDuel Soccer: Champions League DFS Helper for 3/9/21

The Champions League, the best soccer competition on the planet, is back, and FanDuel is offering plenty of contests for Tuesday's and Wednesday's knockout stage matches. This article will focus on the main Tuesday slate, which starts at 3 p.m. EST.

Per EPL odds, Juventus (-230) is the slate's biggest favorite, with Dortmund (+120) in second. Sevilla (+210) and Porto (+600) round out the two-game slate as underdogs. From an odds perspective, this slate centers on Juventus, who have an implied win probability of 69.7% and are playing at home.

Juventus enter Tuesday down by one goal on aggregate after they fell behind early in the reverse fixture before an 82nd-minute goal by Federico Chiesa ($16) pulled them back within one. A 1-0 victory would be enough for them to advance on away goals, but they can hardly be expected to play for that outcome. They should be on the front foot early and often in this one but will find a difficult opponent in Porto, who has lost just 1 of their last 12 fixtures.

Dortmund enters Tuesday with a one-goal lead on aggregate after an impressive victory on the road in the reverse fixture in February. After falling behind early, they scored three goals in 24 minutes, thanks to a brace from Erling Haaland ($22) , and held onto their lead. Sevilla enters Tuesday on a three-game losing streak, but two of those losses came against Barcelona. Sevilla will most likely need to win by two goals to advance, which should see them pressing early and often.

Here are some players to target at various salary ranges.

Forwards/Midfielders

Erling Haaland ($22) and Marco Reus ($17), Dortmund -- Haaland was forced to exit Saturday's Bundesliga match after just 60 minutes due to an ankle injury, but he is reportedly expected to play. If he is active, he's one of the best plays on the slate. Haaland has been on an absolute tear since joining Dortmund, and his recent play is no exception. He has at least 23 FanDuel points in each of his last six matches with a combined 7 goals, 2 assists, 16 shots, and 9 chances created over the span. Sevilla's defense has been a weak spot for them in the Champions League so far, conceding a combined 11 goals over their last five fixtures. Playing from behind and needing multiple goals, Sevilla should be forced to press, which could create plenty of opportunities for Haaland and Dortmund to capitalize.

Reus is in a bit of a scoring drought at the moment, with just 3 goals in 30 appearances this season. However, he could be asked to play a larger role in the final third on Tuesday after Jadon Sancho (thigh) was ruled out for the rest of the month. Reus will likely operate alongside Haaland and Thorgan Hazard ($15) at the front of Dortmund's attack and could be tasked with additional free-kick duties with Sancho ruled out.

Cristiano Ronaldo ($23) and Weston McKennie ($10), Juventus -- As is the case with Haaland, when Ronaldo is on a slate, he is in play. That is especially the case on Tuesday with Juventus playing at home and needing to make up a one-goal deficit to advance. That said, this will be a challenge for Ronaldo, Porto has conceded just four goals in the Champions League this season, and three of those came in their first match against Manchester City back in October. Since then, they have conceded just once in six matches. Even in a difficult matchup, Ronaldo is worth betting on. In his last three starts, he has FanDuel point totals of 35.6, 26.3, and 54.3, with 4 goals and a ridiculous 25 shots taken over the span. He was held completely in check in the first leg in February, but it's difficult to keep a legend down twice.

McKennie provides exposure to the largest favorite on the slate at an extremely affordable salary. His playing time has been a bit sporadic recently, but he has flashed upside in those appearances, with 20-plus FanDuel points in three of his six most recent starts. If Porto dedicates additional attention to locking down Ronaldo, it should free up opportunities for McKennie, Alvaro Morata ($19) , and Federico Chiesa ($16). For an even more affordable midfield option, Arthur ($7) is worth consideration after he returned to action for the first time since early February on Saturday. His upside is limited, but at his salary of just $7, he unlocks the potential to include multiple elite forwards alongside him.

Defenders

Juan Cuadrado ($15) and Alex Sandro ($14), Juventus -- Cuadrado and Sandro are two of the three highest-salaried defenders on Tuesday's slate, alongside Sevilla's Diego Carlos ($14), and should benefit from Juventus' need to come from behind. Cuadrado is working his way back from a thigh injury and should be good to go after starting and playing 70 minutes against Lazio on Saturday. He has played exceptionally well in the Champions League so far this season, with FanDuel outputs of 18.2, 38.5, 15.6, 5.6, and 15.6 -- notching 5 assists and 13 chances created in those fixtures. Sandro has produced doubt-digit FanDuel points in each of his last four starts and has also played some of his best soccer in the Champions League this season. If Juventus opts for a 3-5-2 formation, as they did in the Group Stages against Barcelona and Dynamo Kyiv, Sandro could slot in on the left side of the midfield, a role that saw him produce 26.6 and 25.8 FanDuel points in those matches.

Marcos Acuna, Sevilla ($10) -- Acuna returned to action on Saturday after a five-game absence due to a muscle injury. He played 33 minutes and produced an assist and could enter the starting lineup for Tuesday's crucial showdown with Dortmund. Acuna has played some of his best soccer this season in the Champions League, producing double-digit FanDuel points in both of his two starts in the group stages and recording an assist against Rennes. With Sevilla tasked with coming from behind, he should be busy on both ends of the pitch in this one, especially if the Spanish side opts for a three-at-the-back formation.

Goalie

Marwin Hitz, Dortmund ($11) -- Goalie selection on Tuesday should align with lineup decisions in your other roster spots. A case could be made for all four keepers, but if you're fading Juventus, you should be willing to select Porto's Agustin Marchesin ($8), and if you're fading Dortmund, whoever starts for Sevilla between Bono ($7) and Tomas Vaclik ($9) is well worth considering. Of the two favorites on Tuesday, Dortmund's Hitz should see the most save opportunities and is more affordable than Juventus' Wojciech Szczesny ($14). Hitz is coming off a difficult loss to Bayern Munich in which he conceded four goals, but before that, he recorded back-to-back clean sheets.