G2 Esports vs FC Schalke 04

Finally, to close out the day, we have a rather fascinating (and endlessly exciting) clash between the reigning, defending champions G2 Esports and Schalke 04. Now, when compared to Splyce vs. Fnatic, this one doesn't carry as much hype, nor does it resolve anything in the standings, but it should be an incredibly fun scrap regardless.

Now, predicting the outcome of this one specific game is a rather thankless endeavor. While G2 Esports definitely has all the right tools in order to dominate and blow Schalke out of the water, we're just not sure whether or not they're willing to work as hard in order to get the win.

They're currently in sole possession of first place and have shown no willingness to tryhard and it's hard to blame them, really. They want to keep their cards close to their chest and the less they show now the better. By having multiple hidden strats for playoffs, they're basically guaranteeing themselves an advantage every time they step foot on stage.

And Schalke are definitely a tough nut to crack, albeit a somewhat easy challenger to read seeing how they often telegraph what they want to do and how.

That said, they're entering this week's match with as little hype as humanly possible. Perhaps that's even an understatement. Their one-sided loss to Rogue last week was one of the most horrendous displays (when it comes to Schalke, at least) of professional League of Legends you could see in 2019. The fact that a fourth-ranked team could get only a single kill on the board against a challenger ranked seventh is as inexcusable as it gets. That should not be a possibility at this level of play -- not even close. We've seen their fantastic highs and we've also just seen how low they can get when they're unable to sync up and mount an offensive and one thing is for certain: they're definitely vulnerable.

While one could consider their monumental loss as a one-off occurrence, it is still a worrying sign, to say the least. They definitely have all the right tools in order to compete with the very best the LEC has to offer, but whether or not they'll muster the strength in order to do so is still a very large question mark.

One thing is for sure: the onus is on them to perform. Fortunately, their record is solid enough to warrant them a spot in the playoffs, but they desperately need some momentum before entering their quarterfinal clash. Right now, it feels like they occupy a rank of their own -- obviously worse than G2 Esports, Fnatic and Splyce, but also endlessly better and more dangerous than Origen or Team Vitality. Whether or not this will impact their chances once the playoffs come around still remains to be seen.

Either way, there's a mighty challenger in front of them, and they're not predicted to do much, if anything at all. They want redemption after their one-sided loss to Rogue last week but this time around they have a much tougher, infinitely more complex obstacle ahead. An obstacle they definitely shouldn't be able to overcome. That said, if they play to their strengths and if G2 Esports decides to fool around in the pick and ban phase, this could end up being a lot closer than most people expect.