This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
Inter Milan had their way in the first leg and enter the second leg up two goals. Maybe the most important thing for them is that they don't play things safe and sit back from the start. Given that they're at home, though both teams play at San Siro, it's hard to see that happening.
In the same spot against Benfica last round, Inter scored in the 14th minute and then things really got out of hand in the second half. En route to a 3-3 final, Benfica had 65-percent possession in the second half, but Inter managed a higher .96 xG based off a ton of opportunities on the counter.
If you prefer Showdown content in video form, Jack Burkart previewed Tuesday's second leg in Milan.
3:00 pm: Inter Milan vs. AC Milan
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
DraftKings Showdown DFS Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday UCL Cheat Sheet
AC Milan didn't look right in the first half of the first leg and that continued in a 2-0 loss at Spezia over the weekend. While they rotated a bit, they still needed points from that match and had a few regulars in the squad. My question for Milan is if they can actually score. They had 1.03 xG in 90 minutes against Spezia and despite pushing and having eight shots in the second half of the first leg, still couldn't hit the back of the net.
Assuming Rafael Leao isn't 100 percent, I'm not sure a team that has scored more than two goals just once since early November will change that trend in this spot. That said, the one time they did came against Napoli a little more than a month ago.
CASH-GAME STRATEGY
Similar to the first leg, composing cash teams shouldn't be that difficult, as the prices aren't much different. Federico Dimarco ($9,200) should be the most popular captain even with a worry of minutes. He seems to get 10-plus points every match with as much upside as the more expensive Hakan Calhanoglu ($10,200).
Without Ismael Bennacer, things are slightly different, though not by much. All of Milan's set pieces should be between Sandro Tonali ($7,800) and Theo Hernandez ($6,200). Again, I'm not sure Hernandez is a must in cash games, but you have to assume his floor will be better in this match with hopefully more corners.
Unfortunately, prices aren't exactly the same as last week, so you can't fit both goalkeepers into this group for a simple cash build. I prefer Andre Onana ($7,000) because he should get save opportunities and as mentioned above, a clean sheet is still in play even though AC Milan have to push.
If you don't want your sixth piece to be a complete punt, Denzel Dumfries ($6,600) is fine for slightly cheaper than Onana. Of course, the only thing he gets you is Davide Calabria ($5,400) and Mike Maignan ($5,200).
In the low-end range, you could go anywhere in cash games. Brahim Diaz ($4,800) managed eight floor points last match with five fouls drawn. Henrikh Mkhitaryan ($4,000) found himself in a couple great spots early last match, but he doesn't really have a floor. If you don't want to punt at one spot, I'd fade Calhanoglu or Tonali, though I'm not sure who you'd be paying up for. Nicolo Barella ($8,200) doesn't have that different of a floor compared to Mkhitaryan.
TOURNAMENT STRATEGY
Onana wasn't that popular last week and the game-log watchers will be in full force after the two-save win and clean sheet. I thought that'd strategy would be too obvious last week and while I was a bit off, that may now be the case. Then again, I won't try to guess popularity, so if you want Onana in another 2-0 win, go for it.
I think there are a lot of ways to go for Inter at captain, as I think they'll try to put the match away in the first half. Lautaro Martinez ($11,000) may have been the biggest DFS disappointment in the first leg, as he finished with just one shot. He's the most expensive player on the slate and given that prior performance, he may be overlooked by the general public, especially with a cheaper Edin Dzeko ($8,800) waiting to be selected by the masses following his one-goal, three-shot performance. It's the same thing for Barella, as Mkhitaryan had a ceiling performance in the first leg and will probably be more popular because of it.
Leao has been out since May 6 with a muscle injury and only returned to light training Sunday. Maybe he's Milan's best player, but at less than 100 percent, you're getting roughly 65 minutes from him at a reduced level. A cheaper Olivier Giroud ($7,400) makes more sense at captain if you're on the Milan side, as he should be set for 90 and you figure they'll be crossing in plenty to find his head.
I think the Maignan captain may be overlooked with Milan a slight underdog and given last week's result. There's a chance neither team hits the back of the net in the first half and then Milan grab a goal in the final 20 or so minutes. At that point, Inter would likely sit back and hope to hang on and a 1-0 win for Milan will still see Inter advance. As always, build your lineup around a projected score and a 1-0 Milan win would lead to Maignan captain builds.
