We return with more free eSports betting predictions and tips, focusing on the first two games of the 2021 League of Legends European Championship (LEC) Spring Split. Here is our betting preview of the games played on Friday, January 22 so you can bet against their League of Legends odds.
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G2 Esports Vs MAD Lions – Friday, January 22 – 18:00 CET
The most successful LoL team Europe has ever produced has made a massive roster change during the offseason, They parted ways with their star player Luka “Perkz” Perković and replaced him with Martin “Rekkles” Larsson, who has arrived from G2’s biggest rivals Fnatic.
It’s hard to say what this change means for the team, since they have acquired one of the best European players in history, but also lost THE best European player in history who was also their in-game leader. Parting ways with Perkz also means G2 lost a lot of their identity, which begs the question whether this was a side-grade or more of a downgrade for the reigning champions.
Regardless, G2 are still the most stacked roster in the league and by far the biggest favourites to win the trophy. If everything goes as planned they should win another domestic title, but we expect some growing pains in the early stages of the split.
MAD Lions have made a couple of notable roster changes as well, namely by replacing their top laner Andrei “Orome” Popa and jungler Zhiqiang “Shad0w” Zhao with İrfan Berk “Armut” Tükek and Javier “Elyoya” Prades. While it’s hard to rank those changes, we have to say they seem more of a positive rather than a negative.
MAD also boast with one of the best bottom laners in the league and it’s hard to ignore their aggressive and explosive playstyle, which we expect to continue into 2021even though MAD lost their head coach. Armut and Elyoya while unproven in the LEC are both far more versatile than their predecessors which gives us hope MAD will be a force to be reckoned with this season, and while the potential is there, now it’s on them to deliver.
MAD Lions are priced around 3.40 to defeat G2 Esports which is a good price for the first match of the season. G2, while a stacked lineup won’t reach their full potential until they adapt to their new squad, which will make them vulnerable to upsets. That said, MAD are not a weak team, so it would be hard to view them winning as a massive upset.
Prediction: MAD Lions +7.5 kills
Value: MAD Lions to win
Astralis Vs SK Gaming – Friday, January 22 – 19:00 CET
Astralis enter the 2021 season with a new lineup comprised of mostly rookie players, which makes them the weakest team on the paper, but also a squad that has the potential to develop and surprise many later in the LEC Summer. It’s hard to be too excited about the organisation’s decision to keep Erlend “nukeduck” Våtevik Holm since he was arguably the weakest player in Astralis’ (then OG) roster from last season, but he should at least serve as a veteran figure and help his new teammates develop,
On a more positive note, the new acquisitions seem serviceable at worst and in a way it’s hard to not be hopeful about nukeduck, who had a poor season, but we have to note that 2020 was his first bad season in his career, so it’s fair to say there is redemption story in the making. This team won’t win the championship, but they will be better than many people believe.
SK Gaming arguably had the worst offseason out of all LEC teams and we’re the least optimistic about their chances to shine. They have done some things right, but it’s hard to make sense with SK’s decision to part ways with their strongest player in Juš “Crownshot” Marušič and support Dino “LIMIT” Tot.
The bottom lane was SK’s biggest strength last year and without it, SK will likely be weaker in 2021. They have brought in a few solid prospects, but much like Astralis’s new signings, they are relatively unproven and will have huge shoes to fill.
This match will be much closer than what the betting odds suggest and it doesn’t feel right to see SK priced as such big favorites. Expect a close and a slightly longer affair, with plenty of kills on both sides.
Prediction: Over 25.5 kills
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