Team Liquid vs. MAD Lions – BLAST Premier: Showdown (November 26, 2020)

One of the most exciting matches in the opening round of the BLAST Premier: Fall 2020 Showdown is between Team Liquid and MAD Lions. It’s hard to know what to expect from either side right now, and the clash can tell us a lot about them.

The loser will have to go home early, though, because the competition doesn’t include a lower bracket, and every defeat is fatal.

I share my thoughts on both squads in this Team Liquid vs. MAD Lions betting preview that includes the latest odds, my prediction, and a free betting pick.

The Team Liquid vs. MAD Lions odds of the top-rated CS:GO sportsbooks online clearly show that the match should be close. The US squad is expected to have a slight advantage, but this one could go either way, as you will see in my analysis below.

I haven’t been too impressed with Team Liquid’s performance over the past two months or so. The squad registered plenty of wins against second-tier opponents but looked shaky when facing elite CS:GO sides.

That could be an issue in the BLAST Premier: Fall 2020 Showdown, and I believe that Liquid’s struggles might be related to the tough year on the North American CS:GO competitive scene as a whole.

Plenty of organizations have fallen apart, and several teams might follow them soon. The overall level and the prize pools can’t compare to Europe, so that has certainly affected the top sides in the region.

That’s why Liquid can’t compete with some of the best teams, and I’m afraid we might see more of the same in the BLAST Fall Showdown, where the squad will face some solid European opponents.

November has been decent so far for MAD Lions, and the team registered several good wins versus the likes of Fnatic, Dignitas, and HAVU. Most importantly, the Spanish organization has progressed to the playoffs of Flashpoint Season 2, which opens the door to some big prizes.

We take OT after 4 rounds and close out the series 2-1 to qualify for the @Flashpoint 2 playoffs!#goMAD #MADWIN #FlashPoint #RushFragRepeat pic.twitter.com/yp9URVPrFX

— MAD Lions CS:GO English (@MADLions_CSEN) November 14, 2020

The signs are good, and it seems like the roster of MAD Lions is improving all the time after refrezh and HooXi arrived.  The new boys have loads of potential, and the question is if the squad can tackle the big boys.

Team Liquid is certainly among them talent-wise, so the upcoming clash will be a good indication of where MAD Lions are right now.

I believe that Liquid is the team with more potential, but MAD Lions is the side with the better trajectory right now. The roster is new, the boys are improving, and you can tell that by their results. That’s enough for me to back the Europeans to win here, and the price of +113 is tasty.