Tonight, we get our second E-League campaign underway with a massive match-up against Adelaide United.
There are two new faces in Jets colours handling the controllers this season, with N8 Liz on the Xbox and Fweshest on the PS4.
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And as opponents go, there aren’t too many tougher than those they’ll face this weekend – in fact, both were semi-finalists in last year’s competition.
On the Xbox, N8 Liz’s opponent is Jamie ‘FUTWIZ’ O’Doherty and on the PS4, Fweshest was set to take on RickTran but will now face vDreaMz–Shooter.
N8 Liz
This Thursday night, N8 Liz’s opponent is a player with proven E-League quality and one who has recently secured qualification to another FUT Champions Cup.
As the first female competitor in the competition, Liz is a real underdog this season but is aiming to prove people wrong and get some good results.
“It’s a special feeling to be the first female to compete in the E-League, I definitely feel like I’ve got a lot to prove and hopefully I can do the other female players out there proud,” she said.
“I’m expecting a really tough competition. We saw how tough it was last season, and I feel like it’s only going to build this year, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Get to know the #ELeague's first EVER female competitor – @NewcastleJetsFC's @Xbox representative Liz Varley! pic.twitter.com/6E38LqVVcx
— E-League (@ELeagueAus) February 20, 2019
Not only is Liz the league’s first ever female to pick up the controller on the competitive stage, but she’s a long-time Jets supporter.
Having been a full-season Member for nearly ten years, the Maitland-based woman has been barracking for the Club since the league’s inception in 2005.
She attended both Grand Final’s, and only ever had eyes for one Club when the E-League came around.
“I was really surprised when I got the phone call, to be able to represent my hometown club and the Club I support is really special. I’m really excited to get started,” she said.
Fweshest
On the PS4, our very own 2018 quarter-finalist Fweshest is taking on RickTran, who fell short in the semi-finals with his Western Sydney Wanderers side last season.
With both competitors at new clubs this season, the pressure is on to impress in their first outing and get a season, for which they’ll each have high hopes, off to a good start.
And if confidence is a good barometer of future performance, then Fweshest could be set for a successful year in the E-League.
See you Thursday nights 😁👋🏼 https://t.co/bjqm3O1XO3
— Fweshest (@Fweshestt) January 31, 2019
“I’m excited to be back for another year in the E-League. Different club, different team, new players, new FIFA, I feel good, a lot better than last year at this point, and I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
“I learnt that I’ve got to back myself a bit more. I know I’m one of the best at what I do, so it’s all about just being a bit more confident, playing my game, and not letting the whole E-League thing get to me. At the end of the day, it’s a competition and I want to win it.
“I’ve already made an event, I have a decent backlog of pro points from playing FUT Champions online, so winning the E-League could push me into the top 64 which could get me to the FIFA World Cup. That’s a goal of mine, and we’ll see how it goes.”
The teams
E-League rules dictate that competitors must have at least three players from the Club which they’re representing.
Both N8 Liz and Fweshest have indicated they’re looking at fielding fullbacks from the Jets, which means Daniel Georgievski is one name who’s almost sure to feature in both sides.
Beyond that, it’s open slather, and each have similar ideas as to who they’ll pick from the best of world football.
“For my team, I’ll go with A-League fullbacks, chuck a midfielder in there, and go with the most common players – TOTY Ronaldo, Gullit, Viera-type players, to link it all together,” Liz said.
“Attacking wise, definitely Mbappe, Neymar, Ronaldo, those types of players. You’ve got to work with chemistry, so you’ve got to work out what works best in terms of that,” Fweshest said.
