BBL Esports vs Acend: VCT 2022 Stage 1 EMEA Challengers Group B Week 5 prediction, head-to-head, livestream details, and more

The VCT 2022 Stage 1 EMEA Challengers tournament has entered Week 5 of the Group Stage, as several teams take on multiple opponents in the ongoing Super Week.

Turkish organization BBL Esports are set to face reigning Valorant Champions Acend in an engaging best-of-three combat that will be pivotal for both sides' playoffs qualification hopes.

After claiming two wins from four matches, Acend are currently fourth in Group B. BBL Esports trail behind in fifth place, having won only one of their four Group Stage ties.

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BBL Esports vs Acend: Which team can claim a last-minute qualification for VCT 2022 Stage 1 EMEA Challengers Playoffs?

The upcoming Week 5 matchup is BBL Esports's second match of the Super Week, after their defeat to G2 Esports on Friday. Similarly, Acend are also preparing for their second consecutive match after getting toppled by Fnatic on Saturday.

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Predictions

Both BBL and Acend will be desperate for a victory in this Week 5 matchup. Despite being ahead of BBL Esports on the leaderboard, Acend trails behind G2 Esports in terms of round differential, and is ready to fight for the crucial qualification spot.

Considering their recent form, Acend might be at a disadvantage. With cNed suffering from COVID-19 in the opening week of the tournament and zeek struggling with mental health issues, Acend could be in a tough spot.

However, considering the quality of each player, Acend have the ability to lift themselves back up and fight to retain their spot as the No. 1 Valorant team in the world. BBL Esports, on the other hand, carry the hopes of an entire nation of Valorant enthusiasts.

Despite their slow start, BBL Esports can still find themselves in contention for a playoff spot. They recently acquired Mehmet "Turko" Özen in the hopes of bolstering their squad for the upcoming stages of the tournament. The Turkish side have one final chance to showcase their efforts as they take on the world champions in their last match of the Group Stage.

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Head-to-head

Hailing from different regions within EMEA, Acend and BBL Esports are yet to face off in an official fixture.

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Recent results

BBL Esports had a successful run prior to the start of the VCT Stage 1 EMEA Challengers. However, since the tournament kicked off, BBL have only managed to accumulate a single victory in their last four Group Stage outings. That said, they have won two of their last five matches.

Recent results of BBL and Acend (Image via Sportskeeda)

Acend were in incredible form at the Valorant Champions 2021, becoming the first ever recipient of the title. However, the team faltered several times during the EMEA Challengers Group Stage, losing to Guild and Fnatic in the process. Acend have won three of their last five matches.

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Potential lineups

BBL Esports

• Melih "pAura" Karaduran
• Mehmet "Turko" Özen
• Ali "AsLanM4shadoW" Balta
• Hüseyin "aimDLL" Kabişteke
• Doğukan "QutionerX" Dural

Acend

• Aleksander "zeek" Zygmunt
• Patryk "starxo" Kopczynski
• Mehmet Yağız "cNed" İpek
• Vladyslav "Kiles" Shvets
• Santeri "BONECOLD" Sassi

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When and where to watch

VCT Stage 1 EMEA Challengers matches will be streamed live for viewers on Valorant's official handles across Twitch and YouTube. While Stream A will be on VCT's official channel, Stream B will take place on their alternate Twitch handle (@valorantesports4). BBL Esports will take on Acend on March 13 at 11.30 pm IST.