While South Korea's LCK has already crowned its spring champion and the dust is just settling on the LPL Spring 2023 in China, in Europe the LEC Spring campaign still has a little way to go.

Ahead of the 2023 campaign, the LEC decided to tweak its season format, meaning its teams now compete in three splits each year - the LEC Winter, the LEC Spring and the LEC Summer.

The LEC Winter concluded in February with G2 Esports taking the spoils and we are now in the midst of the LEC Spring, which is divided into three sections.

The split began with a regular season featuring 10 teams with the top eight progressing to the LEC Spring Groups, which began earlier this month.

In the group phase, the eight teams have been split across two groups of four in a double-elimination format and already two teams - Team Vitality and Team BDS - have secured their spots in the playoffs.

Only one other side in each group can progress to the playoffs and that will be determined by the winner of the qualification match.

But before that can happen, there are the losers' bracket matches taking place in both sections with the winners of those games on Saturday set to progress to the qualification matches and battle it out for playoff berths.

The two losers' bracket matches on Saturday are Fnatic v MAD Lions and SK Gaming v G2 Esports.

Expect a close encounter between Fnatic and MAD Lions

Fnatic and MAD Lions are two of the biggest names on the LEC circuit but it is fair to say both have had to contend with plenty of problems during the LEC Spring 2023.

MAD Lions started the year strongly with a run to the final of the LEC Winter but they were dismantled 3-0 by G2 Esports and they did not look quite the same heading into the LEC Spring.

With a 3-6 record in the regular season, MAD Lions only just avoided being eliminated before the LEC Spring Groups, managing to finish above Team Heretics and Excel.

That put them on the back foot heading into the playoffs in which they were defeated 2-0 by Team Vitality in their first match, knocking them down to the losers' bracket.

But Fnatic did not fare much better, posting a 4-5 win-loss record in the LEC Spring regular season, and they were then beaten 2-1 by Astralis last time out.

There should not be much between these sides and the best betting angle could be over 2.5 maps at -110.

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G2 Esports should ease to victory over SK Gaming

While the losers' bracket encounter in Group A looks an evenly poised match, the equivalent contest in Group B looks more one-sided.

LEC giants G2 Esports are -600 to get the better of SK Gaming, who are +350 to win, and it is easy to see why.

G2 Esports have been one of the biggest names in League of Legends in Europe, having qualified for the World Championship last year, albeit to crash out at the group stage with a 1-5 record.

But they then bounced back from that underwhelming campaign by taking the initiative at the LEC Winter, crushing MAD Lions 3-0 in the final to take the title.

They actually finished fourth in the regular season of that split, so fans should not be overly concerned by their third-placed finish in the LEC Spring 2023 and they look primed to go the distance.

They won six of their nine matches during the regular season, easing to victory over SK Gaming in week three, and they should repeat the feat when they face the same opponents in the LEC Groups.

G2 were only just edged 2-1 by KOI last time out and will be looking to make a statement, so back them to win this match 2-0 at -138.

Alternatively, G2's front-footed approach suggest a bet on them at -9.5 on the map one kill handicap could be worth a selection at -125.

bet365 News Team

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