Everything is set for the second week League of Legends European Championship, where we will see a handful of teams duke it out in a bid to continue their perfect 2-0 record, and a fair sample of teams, who will look to bounce back following a poor start of the season, where they failed to secure a single win.
In this betting preview, we will look over the opening five fixtures of week two and give our thoughts on which team has what it takes to finish on top and head into day two with a win under their belt. So without further ado, here is our preview of the second week of 2020 LEC Spring Split.
Rogue vs Origen
Friday, January 31 – 18:00 CET
The second week of LEC Spring Split will kick off with a bang, featuring Rogue and Origen, who are entering this week with a perfect 2-0 score, which they earned with a phenomenal performance in week one. Despite being the first match of the week, the Rogue versus Origen is also the hardest one to predict, simply because both teams looked very strong in week one. That said, it’s Origen who are entering this bout as heavy favorites, which seems fair, considering they decimated Fnatic and Schalke, which are arguably stronger opponents compared to what Rogue played against last week (Misfits, Excel).
The question here is whether week one results show the real picture of which team is better prepared for this bout. The problem we have with this match is very high odds on Rogue, who are priced as high as 2.57 to win here, which in our eyes severely underestimates them. Emil “Larssen” Larsson was playing well last week although we can’t deny the brilliance of Erlend “Nukeduck” Våtevik Holm, which leads us to believe the mid lane here can go either way.
Other lanes, seem to slightly favor Origen here. Andrei “Xerxe” Dragomir ended week one with incredible numbers, including 9.00 KDA, making him the best jungler of the opening week. That said, Kacper “Inspired” Słoma was not too far behind with his 7.00 KDA. In the top lane, Origen are once more in an advantage, due to the phenomenal performance from Barney “Alphari” Morris, who played significantly better than Finn “Finn” Wiestål. Even in the bottom lane Origen tandem put up better numbers compared to Rogue, which makes the low odds on them slightly more understandable.
That said, we don’t feel like this match will be as one-sided as the odds suggest. Rogue have shown they can be a very solid team and while they might struggle to reach the top-three finish by the end of the split, Rogue are still a team that can cause trouble to any LEC team, including Origen. We don’t expect Larssen and company to win here, however, we believe they can push Origen to their limits and produce a bloody fight, which should see well over 20 kills in total.
Prediction: Over 24.5 kills – 2.07 Pinnacle
Misfits vs SK Gaming
Friday, January 31 – 19:00 CET
The battle between two of the weakest teams in the league will see Misfits looking to upset their adversaries and pocket their first win of the season.
In week one, Misfits lost to Rogue and Fnatic, which, to be fair, was an expected result, considering they played two of the strongest teams in the league. Now it’s time for Misfits to show their worth against SK who should be a much weaker opponent, at least on the paper.
The biggest roadblock for Misfits’ ambitions to win here, however, will be Juš “Crownshot” Marušič, who ended week one with phenomenal numbers, including third-highest KPAR (88.2%) in the league and the highest KS (70.6%), beating the likes of Rekkles and Upset. The problem here is that SK’s performance will heavily rely on Crownshot, meaning that if he fails to deliver, SK might struggle a bit against Misfits, who went toe-to-toe with Fnatic – at least at the start of the game.
With that in mind, Misfits versus SK Gaming seems like a coin-toss match, as we would not write off the underdogs just yet. Misfits had some positive moments in week one, while SK had their moments when they did not look as confident as we would like to bet on them here. Instead, we will side with under 24.5 kills for this match, as neither side showed enough aggression in week one to make us believe they can produce a match with 20+ kills.
Prediction: Under 24.5 kills – 1.90 Pinnacle
Vitality vs G2 Esports
Friday, January 31 – 20:00 CET
There is really not a lot to be said for this match, as it features the undisputed best LEC team going against what could become the weakest team in the league. Based on the individual quality of the players and performances of these two sides in week 1, we can not imagine Vitality having even the slightest of a chance to win here. They will be outmatched in every aspect of the game and the odds clearly reflect that.
We believe G2 should and will completely decimate Vitality and while the reigning LEC champions are known for taking matches like that far less seriously, we don’t expect them to slack off before they secure a substantial lead ahead of other LEC teams, which is why we will trust Luka “Perkz” Perković and co. to take this one seriously and defeat their adversaries with ease.
Prediction: Under 27.5 kills – 1.88 Pinnacle
MAD Lions vs Excel Esports
Friday, January 31 – 21:00 CET
MAD Lions versus Excel Gaming will be a must-watch fixture between two teams who impressed in week one and will look to extend their momentum into week two. Excel defeated Schalke but lost to Rogue, while MAD Lions lost to G2 Esports and defeated Vitality.
Based on what the teams showed in week one, MAD Lions look to be stronger, namely because of their strong start against G2 Esports and the odds fairly reflect that. Nonetheless, we can’t deny Excel are looking much more solid than they did in 2019 and even had their moments in week one where they seemed like a serious playoffs contenders.
Patrik “Patrik” Jírů proved to be a great ADC, finishing the week with fifth-highest KDA (6.25) and third-highest KPAR (83.3%), which makes us believe he can stand up against Matyáš “Crazzy” Orság who had an OK week, but nothing spectacular. Other lanes seem fairly equally matched.
As we see it this match will be decided in the mid-lane, where Son “Mickey” Young-min will clash with Marek “Humanoid” Brázda. Mickey had a very solid week one, where he earned a 3.00 KDA and 70% KPAR. Humanoid on the other side finished their week with the third-lowest KDA (1.27) and third-lowest KPAR (50%). That alone does not mean Mickey will dominate here, as he is known for his inconsistency, however, if he can find his stride and show what he is capable of, Excel should edge past MAD Lions.
Prediction: Excel Esports to win – 2.46 Pinnacle
Prediction: Over 25.5 kills – 1.85 Pinnacle
Schalke vs Fnatic
Friday, January 31 – 21:00 CET
Schalke versus Fnatic is a match every long-time LEC fan has been waiting for as we will get to see the clash between Martin “Rekkles” Larsson and Konstantinos “FORG1VEN” Tzortziou, who had quite a rivalry back in 2016 and we can be sure the fire between them has not died out just yet.
In terms of what these two teams showed in week 1, we can’t praise either for their results. Schalke fell flat with two defeats against Excel and Origen, while Fnatic lost to Origen and made a comeback with a win against Misfits. As we see it, Schalke have a lot more to show, as they have solid players in their ranks, however, there is no telling when will they break out of their shell and start performing up to par with the expectations. Fnatic on the other side started off 2020 LEC season slowly, yet are still clearly superior to Schalke in each lane.
If there won’t be any surprises, Fnatic should completely decimate their opponents and pocket a comfortable win. The bottom lane rivalry will make the match highly interesting to watch, however, when it comes to jungle, top and mid lane, Fnatic are miles ahead.
Prediction: Fnatic -8.5 kills – 2.13 Pinnacle
Best bet: Fnatic -8.5 kills – Pinnacle
