This season's LEC Summer Split finals are set to take place at the Malmo Arena in Sweden later this year and, with two match weeks down, it is already clear who could be in contention.
Excel Esports lead the way after five matches, with the likes of Misfits Gaming, SK Gaming and Team BDS struggling in the division's lower echelons ahead of another round of matches this weekend.
Vitality a cut above struggling SK
| What | Team Vitality v SK Gaming, LEC Summer |
| Where | Germany (Offline) |
| When | 18.00pm, Friday 1st July |
| How to watch | LEC Youtube & Twitch channels and Sports Live Streaming |
| Odds | Team Vitality 4/9, SK Gaming 13/8 |
SK Gaming started their LEC Summer campaign on the front foot with victory over Team BDS in week one, but it has been downhill since then and they are on a four-match losing sequence heading into Friday's game with Team Vitality.
Vitality took a risk coming into this Split by changing their jungler with Kang "Haru" Min-seung replacing Oskar "Selfmade" Boderek, but they are nonetheless a cut above SK and it is no surprise to see Vitality favoured to win this one.
Their 2-3 record is far from ideal, but week two was challenging with matches against a red-hot Excel Esports and the ever-impressive G2 Esports and they are worth siding with this time around.
Rogue can make experience count
| What | Rogue v Excel, LEC Summer |
| Where | Germany (Offline) |
| When | 19.00pm, Friday 1st July |
| How to watch | LEC Youtube & Twitch channels and Sports Live Streaming |
| Odds | Rogue 4/6, Excel 11/10 |
Arguably the standout match on Friday, LEC Spring Split table-toppers Rogue lock horns with current LEC Summer leaders Excel at the start of week three.
Excel may not boast the same individual firepower as teams like G2 Esports or Team Vitality but the roster has clicked this summer and they sit top of the standings with four wins from their five matches.
In week two they picked up victories over Vitality and MAD Lions but they could struggle to tame Rogue in their next encounter.
Rogue's Summer Split got off to a rocky start with defeats to Fnatic and G2 Esports but they have got back into the rhythm since with a three-game winning streak, making them the division's in-form side.
They finished the LEC Spring with a 14-4 record, having lost out to G2 Esports in the Grand Finals, and their knowhow in matches like this could prove to be the difference in this key clash.
Fnatic can get back on track with Astralis win
| What | Fnatic v Astralis, LEC Summer |
| Where | Germany (Offline) |
| When | 20.00pm, Friday 1st July |
| How to watch | LEC Youtube & Twitch channels and Sports Live Streaming |
| Odds | Fnatic 1/3, Astralis 9/4 |
Aside from top laner Martin "Wunder" Nordahl Hansen and bot laner Elias "Upset" Lipp, Fnatic's roster has not looked quite right recently but they have a chance to make amends against Astralis on Friday.
As one of the powerhouses of the LEC, a lot is expected of Fnatic and, given they have already suffered defeats to Excel and MAD Lions in this Split, they are falling short of expectation right now.
But they have an identical win-loss record of 3-2 with Astralis and are fresh from a victory over Team BDS at the end of week two, so should come into this contest with a bit more confidence under their belts.
They are heavily favoured to win the match, but a better bet could be to back them to come out fighting and claim the first blood of map one at 1/3.
MAD Lions may struggle to bounce back
| What | MAD Lions v G2 Esports, LEC Summer |
| Where | Germany (Offline) |
| When | 21.00pm, Friday 1st July |
| How to watch | LEC Youtube & Twitch channels and Sports Live Streaming |
| Odds | MAD Lions 6/4, G2 Esports 1/2 |
MAD Lions have to be happy with their off-season acquisition of mid laner Yasin "Nisqy" Dincer, who has settled in well and given the team immediate guidance and leadership, but even their new signing was unable to save them from a mauling by Excel Esports last time out.
MAD Lions were defeated by Excel in only 21 minutes in their final match of week two, recording only one kill in the process, and that leaves them on a 3-2 record in the LEC Summer Split.
Their overall position is not bad, but that performance against Excel cannot go unnoticed and they are worth opposing when they take on the accomplished G2 Esports, who have a 4-1 record and are targeting top spot in the LEC Summer.
