Western United’s esports stars Dylan Campbell and Negede Hunegnaw will enter the E-League Finals on Wednesday with aspirations of making it all the way to the top.
The pair set high expectations for themselves and each other heading into the competition and have done the early work in securing safe passage through the group stages.
Now the cut-throat nature of Finals action will put both players to the test, with eyes on the decider and the ultimate prize on Saturday May 28.
READ MORE: Western United heads into E-League Finals in strong position
Campbell came into the competition as the No.1 seed and with plenty of expectation, both externally and from himself.
While the group stages began slowly by his own admission, Campbell raced through Group A with little issue, with four wins and a draw in the five pool games seeing him top of the table.
That will see him come up against Melbourne Victory’s Mo in the first knockout match, where Campbell will be looking to replicate the result of the A-League Men side against Western United’s local rival.
READ MORE: Western United fan Dylan Campbell set to make his mark on the E-League
Hunegnaw had slightly more work to do to get out of Group B, with three wins a draw and a loss seeing him through in second place on goal difference.
Again admitting that he can play at a much higher level, Hunegnaw will face a tough opponent in Group D winner Mark11. The Newcastle Jets competitor breezed through his group with 13 points and a staggering goal difference of 17.
READ MORE: Negede Hunegnaw hunting E-League success with Western United
From there, the E-League Finals works in a standard tree bracket format with winners progressing to play winners of other matches, but the format offers a second chance to losers at any stage of the competition.
Both Campbell and Hunegnaw will be banking on not needing that second chance, though one of them will ultimately have to fall into that draw if they both wish to meet each other in the Grand Final.
All of the action in the E-League Finals will be streamed live on the E-League Twitch channel, allowing fans to follow along, interact with hosts and matches and track the progress of both Western United competitors as they seek E-League glory this week.
