FC Schalke 04
2020-02-28 20:00:00
Origen

FC Schalke 04 vs Origen

2020-02-28 11:06:03Posted by Petar

For our first match of the day we have a rather fascinating clash between Origen and Schalke 04. Now, by all accounts, this isn't exactly the most competitive or sought-after match-up you could think of, but it should still be fairly entertaining, especially considering Schalke's recent resurgence.

First of all, let's talk about Origen. At the moment, they're definitely a Top 3 challenger, but their actual power level is still difficult to assess. On the one hand, they have so much going for them -- experience, mechanical prowess, insanely good drafts, a fantastic read of the meta, huge champion oceans, and a surprising amount of synergy. So on that front, they're pretty darn well-rounded. On the other hand, it just feels like something's missing. As it always does with Origen. Is it a hardcarry? Not in particular, as Alphari is having the season of his life at the moment. No one's quite sure what to think of them, or just how high to rank them. At the moment, however, it seems like they're much akin to the Origen of old: insanely competitive, always capable of going the extra mile, but simply not strong enough to compete at the absolute highest of levels -- against G2 Esports and Fnatic that is.

In many ways, that's the main thing anyone thinks of when Origen enter the discussion. They're always near the very top (most the time, at least), but they're just not good enough to win when it matters the most. In other words, they're perennially eclipsed by the "Kings of Europe". Still, they're one of the best, most seasoned and dangerous competitors the LEC has to offer and have shown quite a fair bit of potential in their most recent incarnation. Xerxe has been playing out of his mind and the same goes for Upset. These two additions alone made improved Origen considerably as they brought a ton of experience, consistency, and in-game impact.

Opposite them, we have Schalke 04. Where does one even begin with this one. Ever since the org parted ways with FORG1VEN, it's fair to say that they've looked much, much better. The team atmosphere is improved, everyone's trying harder, they finally have two wins on the board and all in all, they just look and play like an entirely different team. They're still far from a top-tier challenger, that's for sure, but they're slowly improving which is the only thing that matters. Odoamne and Innaxe have been playing some insanely good League of Legends lately, and that's somewhat of a surprise. Seeing a veteran like Odoamne pop off to such a degree isn't something you'd expect, given just how mediocre he was last year. By the same token, Innaxe certainly found a lot of success in the CIS with the Unicorns of Love, but playing in the LEC should be an entirely different beast. Still, they're doing the grunt of the work and it's paying off.

Schalke, as five-man unit, is now far more dangerous and should not be underestimated. They're more subdued, their execution is quite clean, and they're looking like a fairly dangerous mid-tier contender. They're not going to reach the playoffs, that's for sure, but they're bound to upset over the coming weeks.

In the end, however, we simply have to side with Origen. They're far too good at every stage of the game to lose at this point, and while it might not end up being a one-sided shellacking, they should still have the edge in every conceivable fashion. Getting wins over lower-ranked opponents is an absolute must if they want to retain their chances of finishing strong once the regular portion of the split concludes.

GamePickBookmakerOddsStakeResult
Origen 1xBet 1.27 4 Win

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