With the completion of the group stage, the VCT EMEA playoffs are here. The stakes are getting higher as teams compete to qualify for VALORANT Masters London. One of the first sets of matches is between two juggernauts of esports: Team Vitality and Team Liquid.
Image Credits: Riot Games
During the group stage of VCT EMEA Stage 1, Team Liquid finished with a record of four wins with one loss as the second seed of Group Alpha. The team only lost to FUT Esports in a close match.
On the other hand, Team Vitality was the third seed from Group Omega with a record of two wins from five matches. The only reason that Team Vitality qualified for the playoffs was due to their map differential.
Alongside Team Vitality, teams like BBL Esports and GiantX finished with a 2-3 record. If we take a look at previous fixtures, Team Vitality defeated the likes of GiantX but lost to BBL Esports.
Due to having a positive map differential, Team Vitality finished above both teams and finished as the third seed. In the eyes of Team Liquid, they would have been happy to face off against any of those three teams due to them being comparatively weaker.
Seeing the current record of both teams, it wouldn’t be quite shocking that Team Liquid is the favorite to win this match. If we take a look at the VALORANT betting odds, they are in favor of Team Liquid. This tournament, Team Liquid has a 58% win rate on pistol rounds, whereas Team Vitality has struggled in them all throughout the year.
One map Team Vitality will be hoping to play is the map of Split. In the previous match against PCIFIC Esports, they won on that map with a scoreline of 13-0. This win has clearly built-up momentum for Team Vitality prior to this game.
If we take a look at the various rounds, Team Vitality is better than Team Liquid on win rate in Thrifty and Full Save rounds as well. Therefore, even on a round where Team Liquid have better weapons, they must not lose their focus against their opponents.
The one player that this match depends quite a bit on is Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev. In this competition, he has an ACS of 245 on agents like Jett and Phoenix. If he gets into form, it will look quite tough for the likes of Team Liquid.
We predict that Team Liquid will win this match 2-0. This looks to be quite a tough fixture for Team Vitality. Having just won two matches against teams that finished below them isn’t a good sign for the team’s current form.
Featured image source: Riot Games
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