The 2018/19 Champions League at Superbru

The 2018/19 Champions League group stage begins in less than a fortnight and in case you haven't already noticed, we'll be running a predictor game and 5-a-side fantasy game for the tournament as we did last year. Though qualifying rounds have of course already taken place, the group stage is where the road to Madrid really begins and we're excited for things to get underway both on the pitch and at Superbru!

Here is the group stage draw that will see two teams from each group progress to the Last 16.

Predictor

Our UCL predictor will adopt the same format as in previous years with the only change being the inclusion of the new(ish) football scoring system that is being used in all of our other predictor games for the 2018/19 season such as the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A and La Liga.

The predictor tournament will include six rounds for the group stage meaning both the Tuesday and Wednesday fixtures in a given game-week will be included in one round and it's best to get your picks done for an entire round at once in order to avoid missing any matches (you can always edit your pick later if it's not locked)!

It's also worth keeping in mind the new kick-off times UEFA have introduced for this year's competition which mirror the format of the Europa League. On each night of group stage action there will be two earlier fixtures taking place at 17:55 UK time before the rest of the evening's games take place at 20:00 UK time rather than the 19:45 kick-off we are all more used to.

Click here to play Champions League Predictor at Superbru

Note: As with all of our games, you are able to transfer your pools from other tournaments directly to the Champions League predictor if you wish. By heading to the 'Create pool' page and selecting the 'transfer a pool' option, you can choose to make a copy of any pools you already captain and invite those playing in said pools to join you in the UCL predictor too.

5-a-side Fantasy

In addition to our predictor game, our 5-a-side fantasy provides you with a chance to select standout players rather than teams and make fresh picks for each and every day of the tournament. Though the structure will therefore be very familiar to those of you playing our Premier League 5-a-side fantasy, the bands of players you can select from will be far more streamlined in the Champions League.

Each day of group stage action will see 12 'superstars' banded for each position you will need to pick - Striker, Wide Midfielder, Midfielder, Defender and Goalkeeper. Though there are of course far more than 12 defenders playing on each night, it is only the 12 that are banded you will need to worry about when playing this game and once picks are open for a round there will not be fresh players added meaning it is fair for everyone regardless of how early you make your picks. Since every banded player is of very high quality, picking just one for each position is tough and it's definitely advisable to keep the opposition they'll be up against in mind!

The scoring system for this game will be the same as the system used in our Premier League equivalent meaning players will receive points for certain in-game achievements such as dribbles, shots on target and interceptions as well as goals and assists. You will be needing to select a substitute for each position as well as your starter but keep in mind your sub will not score you any points unless the selected starter does not appear during the match at all. Points are likely to be assigned to each player the morning after their game has taken place due to us not having access to a live feed for the Champions League.

Click here to play Champions League 5-a-side fantasy

We hope you all enjoy this year's tournament and the games we are running for it! Make sure you join each game nice and early to ensure others have time to join your pools and feel free to leave any questions you may have in the comments!