Week two has seen the LEC table start to take shape with just one side still unbeaten.
Week three sees us focus all our action on the Saturday matches as it features a few tasty matchups, including the always exciting Fnatic v G2 Esports. Elsewhere we have high-fliers Schalke 04 taking on Misfits Gaming and Sk Gaming and Excel Esports look to leap-frog each other as they try to climb into the playoff spots
Schalke 04 v Misfits Gaming
Schalke 04 has been the shock of the split so far, which is saying a lot when you consider Rogue is currently sitting unbeaten in first place. Schalke 04 had been expected to play out the Spring Split in a similar fashion to their football counterparts in Germany. However, what we’ve seen is a Schalke side find their form and coming into week three sitting in the third spot. On the Friday Schalke 04 will play top side Rogue, but the Saturday game against Misfits is the more winnable fixture and we have them at 20/27 to walk away victorious.
Misfits Gaming got off to a decent start in week one but it’s all fallen away in week two. A doubleheader of touch fixtures could see Misfits find themselves in some early trouble and Schalke might be looking to bounce back after a (presumed) loss to Rogue on Friday. That said, if we assume Rogue gets the better of Schalke, Misfits could use that information to their advantage and cause a major upset (11/10) against an in-form Schalke side.
SK Gaming v Excel Esports
SK Gaming finds themselves going into week three in joint fifth alongside Excel, with a game each on Friday this fixture could see one of these two sides leap-frog the other. So far SK Gaming has struggled against sides above them, so the match against Excel could be a good chance to gain some form. We have them at 7/5 to win the series, and depending on results on Friday, SK Gaming could be a nice outside pickup.
Excel Esports came into the Spring Split with something to prove, and thus far they’ve done a decent job of it. They find themselves joint with a number of other sides in fifth place currently, though they can easily get themselves up the table with a pair of big fixtures against Misfits and SK Gaming this weekend. We have Excel as 5/9 favourites for this one and the plucky British side could have a strong 2-0 weekend.
Fnatic v G2 Esports
Fnatic hasn’t had the best 2021 thus far, with the two changes to the roster struggling to find early form. A Friday match against ninth place Astralis should see Fnatic climb but the match against G2 Esports is the one everyone will be watching. Fnatic will find themselves as 9/5 outsiders against G2 Esports and they certainly won’t be looking forward to squaring off against two of their former star players in Caps and Rekkles. That said, this is a best-of-one match, and anything can happen and Fnatic will be well aware of that as they try to spring the upset.
G2 Esports has looked like exactly the side most people expected them to be this Split. With new ADC Rekkles bedding in instantly and proving to anyone that doubted him that he’s far from done at the top of LoL esports. While week two saw G2 lose their first match, week three should see them get another 2-0 as they look to maintain their pressure on first place Rogue. Despite the loss, G2 has already looked like a real threat this season, and at 5/12 for this series, they’ll be expected to do the same again.
*All odds correct at time of writing.