FaZe come into this match needing a response. Five consecutive defeats have increased the pressure on a team that continues to struggle for consistency, while Sangal have shown enough recently to make this a difficult best-of-three.

FaZe are searching for a response

FaZe have lost their last five matches, with defeats against Vitality, Alliance, magic, Nemiga and Astralis. Three of those series ended 0–2, showing how difficult it has been for the team to recover when matches begin badly.

Their latest event brought another early exit. FaZe lost 0–2 against Nemiga before falling 1–2 against Astralis, despite entering both matches as favourites.

There is still plenty of individual quality in the team. Frozen and Twistzz can take control of a map, while JBOEN has added more firepower to the roster. The problem has been producing that level across an entire series.

Nuke has been FaZe’s best map during the last three months, and it could give them a reliable route into this match. Their overall form makes a clean victory difficult to trust, but they should still be capable of winning at least one map.

Sangal cannot be underestimated

Sangal arrive with more confidence after a strong run of results. They have recently beaten ENCE, Sashi, JiJieHao and Inner Circle Academy, while they also took a map from both HEROIC and Astralis.

The gap between the teams is therefore smaller than their names might suggest. Sangal may lack FaZe’s experience at the highest level, but they have looked organised and are comfortable against stronger opposition.

Their recent results on Nuke have also been encouraging. Sangal have beaten Ninjas in Pyjamas, SAW and RBLS on the map, giving them another option if FaZe leave it available.

Sangal will still enter as the underdogs, but they have enough form and map depth to punish another poor performance from FaZe.

Verdict

Choosing a winner is difficult. FaZe have the better players and should eventually improve, but backing them during a five-match losing run carries obvious risk.

Sangal are in better form and have already shown that they can compete with stronger opposition. They should have a good chance of winning their own map pick, while FaZe still have enough individual quality to respond on another map.

A comfortable victory for either team would be surprising. This looks more likely to develop into a close series that requires a deciding third map.

Tip

Over 2.5 Maps