OG vs Team Liquid Prediction: Liquid will have a great time

The International 11 has reached its main stage. Twenty teams played over four days in the group, and now only sixteen of them will continue their way in the elimination matches to the long-awaited trophy. The playoffs will take place from October 20-23 and October 29-30 to determine the winner of the Singapore event. The elimination matches differ in intensity from the group stage battles. The favorites can fall after two series losses, while the underdogs can sweep the entire lower bracket and make it to the grand final. The history of The International tournaments knows plenty of examples of unexpected tournament denouements.

The third round of the lower bracket will have OG and Team Liquid meet. Who will be able to retain their right to make a mistake, and who will use it to continue their way through the tournament bracket? How will the series go? Let's find out.

OG has had a remarkable season. Winning the major in Stockholm, finishing fourth in Arlington, and making a solid entry into The International 11 by invitational. At the end of 2021, when most of the players on the gold roster were going inactive, no analysts could have imagined such a scenario. The new roster consisted of the unique captain Misha, the hardened Taiga, and to them they added three unknown players of their matchmaking. No one expected the teammates to find synergy so quickly and get into the race for the titles. True, at international tournaments Ceb played instead of Misha on the top five and solo boosted the team's results. Sebastian flew to Singapore as a coach, and during important matches he would have to leave the booth. However, he still gives motivational speeches during breaks and energizes the guys for new exploits.

The group stage ended on a positive note for the team. Before the fourth day OG could count on the playoffs only with a victory over Royal Never Give Up, as well as a series of random events in the group. But the Chinese fought against COVID-19 rather than a European team in the series, and Hokori lacked another feat against Team Liquid, so Ceb's wards were able to make it to the top net.

At The International 11, the playoffs are extremely difficult for OG. In the upper bracket, Tundra Esports won two maps in an hour of playing time, and in the blower, they managed to defeat the Gladiators in a sweaty encounter. These are shaky results for a team that seriously declared its ambitions in Singapore. ATF has the weakest tournament of the year – dies more often, performs less often, and takes more resources from the map. The individual play of Yuragi and Misha is creating more and more questions – the team's light line often makes mistakes in the laning and rarely goes into the mid-game with an advantage. And the young bzm seems to have lost the form in which he conquered the major in Stockholm.

On the whole the OG game doesn't look easy, all moments have to be fought out. Other European representatives (Team Secret, for example) spend little time on drafts, every action looks elegant and finely calibrated, and the advantage is gained methodically. OG's games are torn, with turnovers, mistakes by Ceb's players. In five playoff games, the team hasn't come back once, but they've already given up the lead twice on the map. There are concerns that the young European five players can't handle the pressure from the tag, from the status of the tournament. The two-time winners of TI probably couldn't find the right words. OG looks worse statistically, but history has already taught us never to bury an organization's chances of winning an individual series.

The Liquid have had a mixed season. On the one hand, like OG, they consistently qualified for the majors and overcame all the thorns of competition in the region. On the other hand, Team Liquid failed in both Stockholm and Arlington. The iNSaNiA squad barely played in the group stage, then crashed out in the first round of the lower bracket. Add to that a very poor performance at the commercial ESL One Malaysia 2022. The team confidently made it to Last Chance, where they had already slimly qualified for the main stage of The International.

MATUMBAMAN decided to shine with his individual skill before ending his career. He was the group stage leader in kills (12.2 per game) with an average KDA of 7.1. He plays both hard-core and active secondary heroes, but on all teams he was valued as a player with a pool of utility characters. The meta included Lone Druid, who is a signature Finnish carry, since the championship year of 2017 he has not forgotten how to play Death Prophet. The rest of the team's players aren't far behind, though. M1CKe also plays at the level of the best cyberplayers in Singapore, the supports are doing a better job relative to their vis-a-vis. Not to forget zai: his experience is so immense that even in his average form he is capable of doing things.

Unlike OG, Liquid's game looks more cohesive and interesting. First of all, Team Liquid has only lost to Chinese teams in the tournament. Second, the team actively picks Enigma and is almost guaranteed to win with it. The Swedish captain keeps a synergy between farming for m1CKe and MATUMBAMAN, so that the two bark out at the same timings in their form. More often than not, the mid-laner performs on casteries, and the carry on characters with peak power by 20-25 minutes. Just towards the end of mid-game, the Liquid gain a critical advantage, and if they don't run into a random match, they demolish the throne by the beginning of the main battle. Team Liquid beat Gaming in the lower braacket exactly at the expense of standard drafts and stable map action.

Being in the same regional zone as OG can play to both advantage and disadvantage. But in the course of The International 11 the iNSaNiA team performed better in the group, won 2-0 in the single match and advanced to the playoffs from the second place in Group A. If the departure of Ceb's squad to the lower bracket was a logical result, the Liquid fought back against Team Aster on both maps to the very last. The statistics says that Team Liquid is better at killing, gaining gold and experience on the map, and generally has a positive win rate on maps in the tournament. There will be no sensation in the battle for 5th-6th place at The International 11.

Team Liquid will win the series. You can bet on it for 1.845 at 1xbet & 1.65 at Betway.

There will be ultra kill in the series. You can bet on it for 2.75 at Bet365.