by Saturday, September 7 – 5pm CEST
Fnatic and Schalke 04 will clash this Saturday in the semi-finals of the LEC Summer Split playoffs, with the winner to face G2 Esports in the grand finals.
Having narrowly lost to G2 in round two, Fnatic will be especially hungry for the win and a shot at revenge against their rivals.
But they cannot underestimate Schalke, who have been very solid throughout the LEC Summer season.
Let’s look at the latest League of Legends odds and the chances of each team in this semi-final bout.
Fnatic
-500 at BetOnline
Fnatic ended the regular season with a very strong 14-4 record, which earned them a second-place finish and a direct promotion into round two of playoffs.
There they met with their arch-rivals, G2 Esports, who produced a remarkable reverse sweep (3-2) to crush Fnatic, who now have to take the long road to the finals.
Looking back at their performance against G2, Fnatic showcased very oppressive approach in the early game, which proved to be the key for their strong results at the start of the series.
And it was not only their jungler Mads “Broxah” Brock-Pedersen, who was highly aggressive, but it would be safe to say each member of the team did their part to be a nuisance to G2 in the early game.
Unfortunately, Fnatic got outclassed by G2 in last three maps, when it was the French side who won due to sheer talent and overall better approach to the mid and late game.
Schalke 04
+333 at BetOnline
Schalke come into the semi-finals of LEC following two very strong results.
An impressive 3-1 win against Vitality in round one of playoffs, followed by yet another 3-1 win against Rogue earned them a spot in the semi-finals for the first time since last year’s summer split.
Entering their fixture against Fnatic, a lot of doubts have surrounded the quality of their bottom lane and questions have been asked whether Schalke duo can perform up to par against Martin “Rekkles” Larsson and Zdravets “Hylissang” Iliev Galabov.
It’s no secret Fnatic’s biggest strength comes from their bottom lane and should Rekkles get ahead early, Schalke will have a big problem on their hands.
That being said, Schalke will not have an easy time in other lanes either, especially in early game, considering Fnatic are known to push for an early lead, which they use to snowball off and win their games.
Fnatic vs Schalke betting predictions
The two sides met twice this split and it was Fnatic who won both meetings. While it’s fair to say Schalke have played very well throughout the playoffs, there is little to suggest they will be able to stand up against Fnatic here.
The biggest concern is not only their bottom lane, but top and mid as well. Both Andrei “Odoamne” Pascu and Felix “Abbedagge” Braun are known to be hit-or-miss in the early game, which fits perfectly with Fnatic’s game plan.
Their extremely aggressive approach in the early game, mixed with the incredible quality of individual players and hunger to reach the finals is enough to convince us Fnatic will take no prisoners on Saturday.
Fnatic are the superior side here, and while there is always room for an upset, Schalke will have to put up a performance of their lives to win here.
Fnatic -1.5 – -188.68 at BetOnline
