'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The much-awaited year-end tournament, VCT Champions 2022, kickstarted yesterday, with four of the sixteen teams participating in the opening matches. Day 1 of the tournament concluded with Leviatán and Paper Rex defeating Team Liquid and EDward Gaming in the Group A stage.
Today, teams belonging to Group B will clash against one another. The group stage follows a double-elimination format. Hence, every team is expected to give their best at this stage, preserving their chances as much as possible.
Japan's pride, ZETA DIVISION, and Brazil's iconic Valorant roster, LOUD, will face each other in today's first matchup for Group B. While ZETA DIVISION was formed long ago, LOUD's roster is only seven months old. That said, both teams are fully capable of giving each other a hard time.
This article will predict the outcome of today's much-anticipated matchup via head-to-head comparisons, recent results, and more.
ZETA DIVISION vs. LOUD: Who will win the first Group B match in VCT Champions Istanbul?
Both ZETA DIVISION and LOUD are popular names in the VCT circuit owing to their note-worthy performance this year. Moreover, every team participating in VCT Champions 2022 must have leveled up their strategies from earlier, which also applies to ZETA DIVISION and LOUD.
It's rather difficult to predict the odds for two of the best teams participating in the ultimate international tournament. However, certain aspects can shed some insight into what fans can expect from both these teams.
Predictions
As fans may know, ZETA DIVISION is missing one of its iconic players, TENN, due to his unfavorable medical state. Consequently, the Japanese organization signed Xdll on loan to compensate for TENN's absence.
Formerly a part of Northeption, TENN joined ZETA DIVISION, alongside SugarZ3ro, back in 2021. Since then, he has been an integral part of the team, showcasing a flexible role. With TENN missing, the team has to deal with synergy drawbacks.
Considering the state of ZETA DIVISION's roster, LOUD can undoubtedly capitalize on their opponent's weakness. After all, the Brazilian prodigy roster has performed exceptionally throughout VCT 2022, with the exception of the Masters Copenhagen stage.
LOUD has participated in both international Masters events this year and easily qualified for the Champions via circuit points. On the other hand, ZETA DIVISION's last international appearance was in Masters Reykjavík. The team managed to qualify for the Champions via circuit points after Northeption faced an early exit from Masters Copenhagen.
Head-to-head
LOUD and ZETA DIVISION have never encountered each other in Valorant tournaments before.
Recent results
As mentioned earlier, LOUD participated in both the Masters events, securing the second position in Masters Reykjavík and the twelfth position in Masters Copenhagen. They secured the top spot in both the Brazil Challengers stages.
Meanwhile, ZETA Division secured the top spot in Japan's VCT Challengers Stage 1, qualifying for Masters Reykjavík. They secured an impressive third place in the Masters Stage 1. However, they failed to qualify for the Masters Copenhagen after losing to Northeption in the finals of the Japan Challengers Stage 2.
Going by recent results, LOUD may hold a slight edge over ZETA DIVISION, having qualified for both Masters and placing first in Challengers stages.
Potential lineups
ZETA DIVISION:
- Yuma "Dep" Hashimoto
- Koji "Laz" Ushida
- Tomoaki "crow" Maruoka
- Shota "SugarZ3ro" Watanabe
- Yuto "Xdll" Mizomori [On loan from SCARZ]
- Tenta "TENNN" Asai [SUBSTITUTE / INACTIVE]
LOUD:
- Gustavo “Sacy” Rossi
- Bryan “pancada” Luna
- Matias “saadhak” Delipetro
- Felipe “Less” Basso
- Erick “aspas” Santos
Where to watch
Fans from all over the world can watch VCT Champions 2022 Istanbul's Group B matches, including that of ZETA DIVISION and LOUD, on YouTube, Twitch, and valorantesports.com. ZETA DIVISION takes on LOUD on Thursday, September 1 at 5 am PDT / 2 pm CEST / 5.30 pm IST.
