Machi Esports vs. Team Liquid Pick – LoL Worlds, October 4, 2020

Team Liquid was one of the most impressive teams in the LoL Worlds 2020 Play-In and earned a spot in the Main Event of the tournament. It’s curious to see if the squad can compete with the big boys and the opening clash against Machi Esports can tell us a lot about that.

The top team from Taiwan is a bit of an enigma, but we saw what PSG Talon did in the Play-In. The region might be stronger than most people expected and I can’t wait for Sunday’s clash.

I share my thoughts on both sides in this Machi Esports vs. Team Liquid betting preview that also includes the latest odds, my prediction, and a free betting pick.

The Machi Esports vs. Team Liquid odds of the top LoL betting sites show that the North American comes into this match as the favorite, but the opponent has a shot at winning as well.

I don’t think that anyone expected wonders from Machi Esports last week, but the performance of PSG Talon might have changed that. The second-best PCS team dominated LGD Gaming and several other strong opponents to qualify for the LoL Worlds 2020 Main Event.

That speaks volumes about the overall quality of the region and changes the perception of Machi Esports a bit. The roster was assembled this year and struggled early on, but the performance in the PCS Summer Playoffs was exceptional.

If the guys can show the same composure, they will be dangerous to everyone in the group. The lack of pressure to perform at any cost is another reason why Machi Esports might be stronger than many people think.

We all expected to see Team Liquid in the Main Event and the squad didn’t disappoint. This was by far the best side in Group A of the Play-In and I would argue that the only defeat versus INTZ was the result of some complacency in the last round.

Liquid was dominant in every other clash and looked at least a level above everyone else, including the highly-rated MAD Lions. All of the players did their job and I would say that the main strength of the squad is the teamwork.

We saw Liquid aggressively push for objectives when the opportunity was there, but also patiently wait for a better moment when the risk wasn’t worth it. The squad has strong mechanics and excellent decision making, so it will be tough to beat.

We haven’t watched Machi Esports recently, but I believe that any team that could destroy this version of PSG Talon by 3-0 just a month ago deserves a ton of respect. The opening match against Team Liquid should be close, so the price of +128 for the Taiwanese squad looks like the best betting pick.