EU Pro League: Week 4 Preview

The intensity is rising, but no clear leader is in sight.

The stage is set for Week 4 of the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare European Pro League, as matches are matches ready to get underway tomorrow evening (UK time). Last week was an explosive affair, resulting in no single team managing to break away from the equally matched top 3 placements to secure a position as standalone leader. This week will be an important one for these three British outfits, as they will each face off against rosters that are lower down in the league tables in the hopes of putting on a flawless performance. 

In a direct repeat of Week 3, both Epsilon eSports and Vitality Storm are currently sitting pretty in joint 1st, unable to assert any tangible dominance over their rivals. Interestingly, Epsilon have just come back from a victory at a local UK based tournament, one which Vtiality Storm struggled with a meagre 7-8th place finish. Granted, they didn't have Tom "Tommey" Trewen leading the charge, but V will definitely require a victory this week to have any hope of saving face.

Let's take a peek at the standings so far. More in-depth information, including details on the concurrently running Championship Division, can be found here.

The only real movement from last week is localised in the centre of the standings, between the two French lineups (Millenium and HyperGames), and the Spanish Gamers2 team. HyperGames secured a convincing 4-2 triumph last week, besting OverGaming and resultingly boosting themselves from 6th straight to 4th place. They'll be up against Team Infused this week though, which will certainly prove a tumultuous trial.

There are 4 games scheduled in the Premiership Division for Week 4, as always, each taking place concurrently tomorrow, Wednesday 8th. Let's discuss the matchups individually in more depth.

Epsilon eSports vs VwS

VwS matched up against Vitality Storm in Week 3, losing 5-1 without any real opportunity to showcase their potential. Epsilon have performed equally as admirably as Vitality thus far in the European Pro League, matching them in both map and game wins, alongside outplacing them in a recent tournament. By focusing on the numbers alone, it seems clear that this Epsilon quartet should have a distinct advantage over VwS, as well as the capability to dispatch anything they have to offer with little difficulty. 

This is likely how the fixture will likely play out, too, as Mark "MarkyB" Bryceland and company showcase their confidence, resiliation and experience to viewers. The less establised VwS may be able to grab one or two maps, depending on how hot they come out of the gates, but there simply isn't enough fight to fell the Epsilon titans.

Millenium vs Gamers2

This is one of the more exciting fixtures of the week, pitting what are often considered the second and third most potent European countries in Call of Duty against one another. Millenium and Gamers2 are barely separated by a hair's breadth in the standings, in positions that will certainly not be deemed acceptable to them.

For both rosters, this will be a rare chance to avoid one of the 3 more dominant British teams, and score a dramatic victory over opposition to climb ever closer to those podium spots. Millenium have the larger names, the likes of Corentin "Gotaga" Houssein sporting their jerseys, but Gamers2 have performaned admirably for the most part thus far in the European Pro League. They could well cause a minor upset and secure victory tomorrow if the right plays are made and Millenium can be effectively shut down.

This will certainly be one of the "must watch" fixtures for the week in the Premiership Division, regardless of which team emerges victorious.

Vitality Storm vs OverGaming

This is almost certain to be the most clear cut match of the week, pitting the joint 1st place lineup in Vitality Storm against the 8th place team, OverGaming. It's a case of David vs. Goliath, as OverGaming have struggled to maintain even a single win in the League as of yet. In order to take down Vitality, it would be necessary to put on a show that is completely unheard of. Honestly, it feels like an impossibility right now. 

Storm will be happy to hear this, as well, due to facing off against a team on the opposite side of the leaderboard giving them a shot at trumping Epsilon eSports in total maps won. A 6 - 0 could be on the cards for this matchup.

HyperGames vs Team Infused

HyperGames have been afforded an opportunity to prove themselves this week, by scheduling a showdown with the bronze placing roster, Team Infused. If the French team steel themselves and successfully overcome the more established Brits, they'll be rewarded with their hard work by drawing with Infused in terms of wins and losses on the whole for the season. As a result, HyperGames will move into joint 3rd place.

Infused will be well aware of this, and seeking to stamp out any potential dissenters by knocking their opposition down a peg or three tomorrow night. Anything besides victory will be deemed unacceptable for the squad, considering the fact that their podium finish is in jeopardy.

This is a must watch fixture for the week, and could have long term implications for the overall landscape of the European Pro League.

You can view the full list of upcoming fixtures, including weeks following Week 4 here.

Championship Division

The current Championship Division placements can be found below. 

IGI eSports and Spirit Gaming seem to be unstoppable right now, drawing significant parallels to Epsilon eSports and Vitality Storm in the Championship Division. IGI has the upper hand by the tiniest of margins, and they'll be aiming to retain it going forward from Week 4. 

On the other hand, Team Nightmare and fabE Gaming have both found significant issue with taking home a single win thus far. It'll be good to see them put their heads down and make an impressive push, potentially evening the playing field a little.

Championship Division matches will take place concurrently to those in the Premiership Division, on Wednesday, July 8th.

Week 4's European Pro League fixtures should be exciting, and there's certain to be a solid number of surprises and upsets throughout the evening. Everything you need to know will be compiled into an article and published tomorrow on Gfinity.net, including match times, stream links for each game in various languages and more!