Top 5 duos to watch in the 2022 ePremier League Finals

The 2022 ePremier League finals hold from March 26 to 27 and will be the first UK LAN event for FIFA players in over two years. All 40 players will compete for three FIFA Global Series Playoffs spots and the £100,000 prize pool. Unlike previous years, the 2022 ePremier League will be team-based as both players of each Premier League Club needs to win their games on the Xbox Series X|S or PlayStation 5. With only three days until the event begins, here are the top 5 teams heading into the ePremier League finals.

Hashtag's Alex "Shawrey" Shaw and Tom Stokes are among the teams to watch out for in ePremier League finals. The duo who will play for Watford attended past editions of the event with top 15 finishes. Moreover, Shawrey made it to the Xbox semifinals in 2020. Shawrey and Stokes have participated in the FIFA Global Series for more than three years. Their competitive experience includes FUT Champions Cups, Club World Cup and the FIFAe World Cup.

While Stokes prefers a 4-1-2-1-2 formation to quickly move up the pitch, Shawrey sticks to a traditional 4-4-2. Regardless of the formation difference, both players favour pace and a high tempo game.

Another duo to watch is City's Brandon Hughes and Ryan Pessoa. Even though this is Brandon's first ePL final, PS5 players must be wary of him. Brandon beat the defending champion, Shaun 'Shellzz' Springette in the club playoffs. The 17-year-old is an attack-minded player and switches between 4-1-2-1-2 and 4-2-3-1 formations.

Meanwhile, Ryan has been signed to ManCity since 2019 and represented the team in Club World Cups and ePremier League. He and Shellz placed first in the SAF UK Invitational, a tournament that featured UK's most competitive FIFA teams. Additionally, ManCity will be keen to defend their title and become the first to win the ePL for a second time.

Mitchell "Mitch" Hayward and Olle “Ollelito” Arbin are two players that came close to winning the ePL last year. Ollelito won the Xbox finals but missed out on lifting the ePL trophy after losing the penalty shootout in the Grand final. Meanwhile, Mitch finished third after losing the PS4 finals.

With both players almost attaining victory last time, they will be eager to get the job done now. Additionally, Ollielito is also a European Champion and FUT Champions Cup winner.

With star player, Thomas "Tom" Leese and 2017 FIFA World Champion Spencer "Gorilla" Ealing, Spurs are one of the favorites to win the ePremier League. The Excel duo are no strangers to the event as Tom won two years ago with his first attempt while Gorilla was a finalist.

Both Tom and Gorilla are attack-minded with the former preferring a 4-4-2 formation. Their synergy and overall experience make them a must-watch heading into the tournament.

The top team to watch is none other than Liverpool's Donovan "Tekkz" Hunt and Diogo Mendes. The two players are signed to Fnatic and placed second in the FGS 22 Masters Cup. They also faced each other in the first Xbox finals back in 2019.

Furthermore, when it comes to the ePremier League, there is no FIFA pro as consistent as Tekkz. The 20-year-old Fnatic player has been to all the finals since the competition began. He was also the first player to win the ePL title in 2019. Asides this, Tekkz is the highest-ranked English player on the Global Series Ranking. With 11 trophies in just 3 seasons, he remains among the most decorated player in FIFA esports.

Both Diogo and Tekkz play a balanced game in terms of tactics. While Diogo prefers a more attacking 4-1-2-1-2 formation, Tekkz sticks to Ralf Ragnick's 4-2-2-2.