by Part two of the 2019 LCS Summer Split semi-finals will take place on Sunday, August 18, when top side Team Liquid take on Clutch Gaming.
While the CLG vs Cloud9 fixture on Saturday promises to be a close-fought one, the other semi is expected to be anything but.
Team Liquid have established themselves as the frontrunners of the NA League of Legends esports scene and are well backed to advance to the final.
But if there is one thing we have learned from Clutch Gaming this season, it is that anything is possible.
Team Liquid LCS semi-final odds
-1204.82 at BetOnline
Team Liquid entered the LCS Summer Split as favourites to go all the way for the fourth season in a row, and they have not disappointed.
The NA powerhouse secured a playoffs spot only seven weeks in when they achieved an 11-3 record, which they further improved to 14-4 by the time the regular season ended.
Despite finishing well above the rest of the competition, Team Liquid have not always looked on top of their game this split – a fact that underlines just how good this team is.
TL boast top-class players in each position, so it is hard to pinpoint exactly who is their star man.
Perhaps the most important cog in the machines in Jake “Xmithie” Puchero, who is the most experienced player in the league and a true backbone of the team.
All in all, it is hard to find any flaw in Team Liquid, and while they still have a lot of work left to be done to compete with EU and Korean teams, they remain the alpha dogs in NA.
Clutch Gaming LCS semi-final odds
+600 at BetOnline
CG are huge underdogs for their clash with Team Liquid, which should not come as a shock to anyone.
They have endured a mediocre campaign, but a 3-0 run in the last two weeks of the regular season was enough to push them into top six and playoffs.
Entering the quarter-finals with high ambitions and slim chances, CG sprung a massive upset as they took down Team SoloMid in a 3-1 bloodbath of a series.
The way CG managed to achieve that feat was by simply playing like themselves.
Their unorthodox, aggressive and sometimes questionable drafts are what define Clutch Gaming and consequently what wins them games, as it’s almost impossible to prepare for them.
But the question remains, will that approach be enough to derail Team Liquid on Sunday?
Team Liquid vs Clutch Gaming predictions
This series is Team Liquid’s to lose as they face what is arguably the easier opponent of the two who came out of the quarter-finals.
While we can praise Clutch Gaming for their improvement throughout the season, their fairytale will come to an end this Sunday when they find themselves outmatched in all lanes and in all positions.
Their unorthodox drafts and aggressive playstyle might win them one map, but even then Team Liquid will have to drop the ball for that to happen.
Expect TL to defeat CG for the third time this split as they look towards a fourth LCS title and a ticket to the LoL World Championships.
Team Liquid -1.5 – -357.14 at BetOnline
