Here's how I see it going down...

MAX'S PREDICTIONS: BIRMINGHAM SALVO (20) vs. CAROLINA CORE (21)

DOA-M

Birmingham Salvo is strong, but can they stand up to Carolina Core?

One of the key match-ups of the night will be the dominant Ryan "Offbeat Ninja" Ward against the resurgent Minghzi "Messy" Deng. Ward comes into this game with a run of five straight victories, the last three being 5-1 score lines. Messy, on the other hand comes into this game with mixed form recently. He came away from the UK Qualifier & Draft as the number one pick for DoA male with good reason -- he decimated the competition to win the tournament. Yet since then he hasn't lived up to the hype. A loss to arch rival Paddaman in the UK Final when the game was all but won was quickly followed by a second loss to Rudolph "THE_TACTICAL" Fischer. His franchise won both times, but something must have snapped into place between then and the start of the Worlds; he went into the match against El Divino as the huge underdog, yet managed to pull out a 5-2 win.

Based on recent form and previous results I think Ward should win this with ease. A 5-0 win is entirely possible, but if Deng can get the early momentum, he can keep it close and minimize the damage here.

FIFA 08

Michael "Bazza" Barrat has once again had a mixed run of form this season. In a huge upset he defeated ChrisyB in the UK Final before succumbing to both Manyna and Zerocero. Many saw the win against ChrisyB as a fluke result, and Anomaly should prove to be an equally tough opponent. FIFA is always close and I can't see this match resulting in any kind of huge point-margin win for either player. Anomaly's recent form has been superb and he should edge the match on raw talent alone. Bazza can make it tricky for him by playing for the draw, leading to a penalty shootout on a level playing field.

FM 2

Carolina Core have had one of the most successful Forza pairings of the 2008 season. Birmingham Salvo haven't been so hot. The new duo of Daveyskills and Picaso brought home their first win against Mexico City Furia, and have now discovered winning ways -- they have the speed required to beat Core. Whether or not the speed will translate is into a win is debatable, however. Core seem to be one of the smartest Forza teams in the league, carefully calculating every nudge to get that first place. I see this being a 4-3 result either way, with Core having the edge on sheer experience alone.

Counter-Strike: Source

The clash of the titans, this is set to be an incredible match. Mark Dolven has said, "Counter-Strike will probably decide the match." Birmingham Salvo's defeat to the Mexico City Furia needs to be ignored going into this lineup, as does the Core's 10-8 crawl past Wuhan Dragon; both teams only needed a handful of rounds to secure the win, lowering motivation and ultimately their desire to crush their opponents. Make no mistake, the desire will be burning strong during the Semi Final.

In order to defeat Core, Salvo will have to step it up into fifth gear. Carolina Core will be their toughest opponent of the 2008 season in franchise matches and to slide past them will require a top performance.

DOA F

It could be up to Mystik to overtake the powerful SarahLou.

Mark Dolven has called Sarah Lou the most underrated player in the league; how a player with three wins out of three can be underrated I'm not quite sure, but I am sure this will be an intense match. Mystik has been on great form recently, getting results against players considered far her superior. She'll have to do that again to hang with Sarah.

MAX'S PREDICTIONS: BERLIN ALLIANZ (18) vs. SAN FRANCISCO OPTX (24)

DOA F

If I had to nominate the most improved Dead or Alive female player from season to season it would have to be Livia "Liefje" Teernstra. A 2-1 record so far this seasons shows how far she's come against strong opponents, but Vanessa will be her toughest challenge yet. If I backed anyone but Vanessa here I'd be crazy, but I really feel Teernstra can fight well and get at least two rounds.

FIFA 08

FIFA is yet another clash of the titans of their respective regions. Rostyslav "Manyna" Nedoviz is still undefeated in franchise matches, and he'll be aiming to further that record against Alessandro "Stermy" Avallone, the European turned American. It will be really interesting here to see how the play styles compare. Has Avallone adjusted his play style toward that of the American players? I think Nedoviz will just edge this match, but if it turns to penalties, I'd be a fool not to back Stermy.

FM 2

Berlin's racing team have redeemed themselves for last season's failures with incredible Forza form this season -- on raw speed alone they seem untouchable. Forza has come up key for OPTX in the last three games with straights wins. Ultimately, I feel Berlin's form right now is just too good. They're fast, smart, and motivated. I think we'll be seeing Finpro first, followed by Miximup, with YggdrasiL getting the last point.

Counter-Strike: Source

Middle-of-the-pack in North America, but NinjaCW could still bring the win.

In many ways these teams are identical. At the respective drafts both teams swapped out two players for fresh blood. Both General Managers hoped their team would gel instantly, but this failed to happen. The difference here is that the OPTX have had far longer together as a team compared to the relatively new Swedish-Dutch hybrid; as a result of this time in the last few weeks, they've really come together. Berlin have failed to gel yet, and I can't see it happening overnight. De_nferno is a good map for them, so I'm expecting them to keep the point-margin close.

If Olander can step up, and players like Blaze can keep on performing then Berlin can upset one of the best teams in North America.

DOA M

Add Dead or Alive Male to the advantage for San Francisco OPTX. Rudolph "THE_TACTICAL" Fischer has performed very well so far, but I feel the skill gap between the European and North American field is big enough to warrant a win, even for a middle-of-the-pack player such as Chris "NinjaCW" Harris. If Fischer can ignite the passion that saw him 5-0 Sydney's Bezerk, he may be Berlin's best hope.