If Mashima has proved one thing, its that hes great at making epic looking set up chapters, and then failing miserably on delivery. Jura seriously needs to beat Laxus here. It can be incredibly close, but Jura better come out on top.
And even though I know it will, nakama powerup should not work here. Its annoying enough when its used on every mildly tough villain, but Jura's a different opponent, not in that hes strong but in that hes one of the most heroic characters not in Fairy Tail. He clearly cares about his guild and his friends. Hell, the dude sacrificed himself to save Natsu and company from an explosion during the Oracion Seis arc. If Laxus wins through the usual asspull, then the message changes from the already stupid "the power of friendship beats everything no matter what" to the selfish "the power of friendship only applies if you're part of the cool kids guild."
And I realize this hasn't actually happened yet, but you all know its coming. And 5 internet bucks says that Sting drops in during Laxus's victory celebration and takes him out when hes exhausted.