League of Legends: LEC Week 9 Day 1 predictions
The final week of the LEC regular season has finally arrived. Everything is on the line as seven teams vie for a place amongst the top six League of Legends teams in Europe.
Team Vitality (7 – 9) vs. Misfits Gaming (4 – 12)
Misfits Gaming will be heading into Week 9 with yet another new roster iteration in what will be a final grandstand for one of European League of Legends’ most exciting rookie line-ups. Strong performances should be the hope for Misfits’ backroom staff throughout Week 9 as results won’t have an effect on the final standings.
More from League of Legends
- Bee’koz Vel’koz Skin: Splash Art, Price, Release, How to Get
- King Beegar Skin: Splash Art, Price, Release, How to Get
- EMENES retires following leave from Cloud9, cites military service
- EMENES Donezo Manifesto: Former Cloud9 Midlaner airs out grievances
- Team Heretics Perkz: European legend reportedly playing for TH
As for Team Vitality, they just need 1 more win to secure their place in the playoffs, so the sooner the better from their point of view.
Comparing the two teams on current form matches a lacklustre team with a few impressive individual performances alongside an inconsistent team with the occasional complete team performance. By no means do either of these teams represent the best that Europe has to offer, but somehow one of them has made it into the top six.
Ultimately the first game of the day is a mismatch. Misfits haven’t had the time or experience to develop strong team synergy in order to build leads and close out games, whereas Vitality have had the entirety of 2019. Therefore, expect Vitality to start strong, shut down LIDER, and close the game out cleanly.
Prediction: Team Vitality Win
Excel Esports (4 – 12) vs. SK Gaming (5 – 11)
The second game of Week 9 is a bottom of the table clash between two sides (almost) locked out of playoffs. Despite Excel’s excellent mid-season turnaround, they’ve fallen flat over the last two weeks and have narrowly missed out on the top six. On the other hand, SK Gaming aren’t out yet, but it’s no longer in their hands and it’s incredibly likely that they’ll finish 2019 in eighth place.
In terms of Friday’s match-up, Excel Esports probably have the edge due to their strong early game and intelligent shotcalling in the later stages. SK Gaming, despite picking up a win in Week 8, have underperformed in the second half of the Summer Split and are the worst team in the LEC on current form.
Prediction: Excel Esports Win