London Spitfire vs New York Excelsior

For our first match of the day we have an incredibly exciting clash between the New York Excelsior and the London Spitfire.

Now this should have been the match of the week for sure, however after London got annihilated 3-1 two days ago by the Houston Outlaws, we are once again at a confusing position of trying to realistically gauge their current power level. Their potential is incredible, no one can deny that. They have some of the best players in the world, the former GC Busan squad and the C9 KongDoo lineup and after weeks of experimenting they finally came to a starting roster that could compete at the highest level.

After they were upset in a five map brawler against the Boston Uprising in week 3, they rebounded quite nicely - demolishing Seoul Dynasty 4-0 and the Shanghai Dragons as well. However when they stepped foot on the stage and fought the Outlaws, they didn't have to do much - they just needed a couple of map wins to cement their playoffs spot. In short - they were completely outclassed on almost every front. Anything they wanted to do - the Outlaws had an answer. With LiNkzr back in the lineup, the Outlaws didn't have a lot of problems taking down Birdring, Rascal and Profit.

This is a must win for London if they hope to keep their playoff hopes alive, and every single map is important. They could, at worst be completely eliminated from the Top 3 so they need to play their best Overwatch yet. Unfortunately, New York are also fighting to keep their first place and they've shown far better cohesion, synergy and consistency over the five weeks of competitive play.

While they did have a couple of small hiccups a couple of days ago against Florida Mayhem, they wanted to start with Pine and run different team comps. The absence of Saebyeolbe was quite noticeable, however they're going into this match with their cards kept close to the chest. They didn't show anything and they're the favorites to win with good reason.

That said, London is surely highly motivated to stay in the run for playoffs so expect a serious brawl!