League European Championship: Week 8 Predictions

Four games currently separate us from the regular season and playoffs. In the next two weeks, we will have multiple games that affect the final standings and will be a great preview to matchups we will see in the playoffs. As for our predictions standings, things are heating up. Here are our standings: Brandon (44-26), Ibriz (43-27), Major (43-27), and Manny (42-28).

Friday, March 8th

G2 Esports vs. Splyce:

G2 suffered a devastating loss to SK Gaming after accumulating an 8.8k gold lead. The sloppy play was a disappointing display from the best team in the league, but with an important week of potential playoff matchups, we look forward to seeing them bounce back. Splyce will want to secure a playoff spot and prove that they deserve to be in the running. G2 have their last four matches against playoff contenders which will be crucial matches for all.

Brandon: G2

Manny: G2

Major: G2

Ibriz: G2

Excel vs. Schalke 04:

Schalke 04 has been in a complete free fall for the past three weeks and are looking to finally stop the bleeding when they face Excel. This will be a rematch from week three. Schalke does have a good chance against an Excel team that might look to try some of their academy players. Excel is one of the two current teams that can't make it into playoffs but will be trying to bring some of the other contenders down with them.

Brandon: Excel

Manny: Schalke 04

Major: Schalke 04

Ibriz: Schalke 04

SK Gaming vs. Origen:

SK had lady luck on their side and will be hoping that the momentum gained will propel them to the top 6. SK will be facing Origen and can tie them for third place. They will be hoping to continue their winning ways, but Origen will be looking for an opportunity to reach a playoff bye as they are just one game away. This game has a lot riding on it with substantial playoff implications. Either team that loses could be placed in a bad spot if the rest of the games don't go in their favor.

Brandon: SK Gaming

Manny: Origen

Major: Origen

Ibriz: Origen

Rogue vs. Vitality:

Vitality will be looking forward to this match against Rogue, in which they should pick up an easy win. Rogue decided to bring back Profit and Wadid for the remainder of the split as Rogue have officially been eliminated from Playoff contention. This means that the original Rogue team that went winless will be back and will hopefully be playing better than when they handed out free wins. Vitality is the favorite to clinch the bye and will be hoping to do so by the end of the week.

Brandon: Vitality

Manny: Vitality

Major: Vitality

Ibriz: Vitality

Fnatic vs. Misfits:

The match of the week and arguably the most crucial match for these two teams, out of the remaining four. Fnatic is currently doing the unthinkable and will be playing against a middle of the pack Misfits. Now, both teams are tied in 5th with a (7-7) record. It does feel that Fnatic have a lot more on the line with this game as they lost the first game against Misfits. Fnatic also lost both games to SK, meaning that if they fail to win this one, they could face elimination from playoffs due to tiebreakers.

Brandon: Fnatic

Manny: Fnatic

Major: Fnatic

Ibriz: Fnatic

Saturday, March 9th

Misfits vs. Schalke

Misfits versus Schalke is another significant match that has tremendous ramifications in the playoff race. Both teams have struggled throughout the season and are in crunch time to lock in one of the five remaining playoff spots. It feels difficult to judge which of these teams is the favorite for this match. Our writers are sided towards the Misfits lineup, and it has to do with the horrendous form of Schalke.

Brandon: Schalke 04

Manny: Misfits

Major: Misfits

Ibriz: Misfits

SK Gaming vs. Splyce

Splyce is one game above the clump of teams fighting for the 5th and 6th playoff spots. They are in a comfortable position to win but can still be put in a precarious position if they drop two games. SK will be facing another team ahead of them in the standings and can bounce to the safety of 3rd if they can successfully go 2-0. Splyce is still favorite to pick up the W, as they did the first time these teams faced-off.

Brandon: Splyce

Manny: Splyce

Major: Splyce

Ibriz: Splyce

Origen vs. Rogue

Origen has its future entirely in their hands. They are facing the two lowest ranked teams, as well as two playoff contenders. If Origen wants to prove that they are a high-tier team, then they need to show it in their last four matches. Rogue will be in charge of gatekeeping duties as they face four playoff contenders. Rogue will also want to pick up a win with their initial “main” roster, however, it seems unlikely they will.

Brandon: Origen

Manny: Origen

Major: Origen

Ibriz: Origen

Excel vs. Fnatic

Fnatic is on a massive run of victories and wants to continue their run at the playoffs. They are yet to miss the playoffs but are on the verge of that being a reality if they are unable to win two or more games. Many fans expect Fnatic to dominate this game versus Excel. However, Excel was able to upset SK Gaming, so there has to be some caution from the Fnatic side not to get overconfident.

Brandon: Fnatic

Manny: Fnatic

Major: Fnatic

Ibriz: Fnatic

G2 Esports vs. Team Vitality

G2 concludes their eighth week against Team Vitality. Vitality will want to prove that they can potentially represent Europe in the Mid Seasonal Invitational. Vitality has been the clear second best team ever since the collapse of Schalke, and have been able to prove it against other of the top teams, like Splyce. This game is currently the most likely scenario for the playoffs and can be a great interlude for a full five-game series.

Brandon: G2

Manny: G2

Major: G2

Ibriz: G2

What are your thoughts on our predictions? Who do you think will make it into playoffs? Let us know via Twitter.