MAD Lions vs. PSG Talon: MSI 2021 betting analysis

William Davis Published 04/05/2021

MAD Lions and PSG Talon will clash to conclude the first day of the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational.

Group B is looking like the closest at this year’s MSI and for good reason. With MAD Lions, PSG Talon, Istanbul Wildcats, and paiN Gaming fighting against each other, anything can happen. The pre-tournament favorites to advance from the group will likely be MAD Lions and PSG Talon, making this first match incredibly important for both squads.

MAD Lions entered the tournament after getting a big confidence boost from the 2021 LEC Spring Split. The Lions didn’t look like a potential champion after the regular split, but in the playoffs, MAD Lions turned up the heat. The young squad defeated Schalke 04, G2 Esports, and Rogue to win the trophy.

No one expected MAD Lions to be the European representatives at the MSI, making it very exciting to follow the team on the international stage. MAD Lions participated at its first international event during the 2020 World Championship but failed horribly during the play-in stage, becoming the first team from any major region to be eliminated prior to the main event.

This time, MAD Lions is looking for redemption and a better performance. With the current shape of the players and coordination built into the team, it looks like MAD Lions could be a serious dark horse at the event. Starting out with beating PSG Talon will be a big step in the right direction since much better teams will be waiting after the first group stage.

Just like MAD Lions, PSG Talon is a bit of an underdog at the tournament. Unfortunately, PSG Talon will be playing without its main bot laner Wong “Unified” Chun Kit. This will automatically give PSG Talon a bit of a disadvantage, even though it’s not the first time this has happened.

During the 2020 World Championship, PSG Talon also had to play with players on loan due to unfortunate circumstances. MSI will be no different as PSG Talon must play with Chiu “Doggo” Tzu-Chuan who is on loan from Beyond Gaming.

Despite a reworked roster, PSG Talon is expected to be a solid team at the tournament and to potentially produce upsets. The PCS region has previously proven to be stronger than expected and PSG Talon hasn’t slowed down that level of play in the recent spring split.

The game between MAD Lions and PSG Talon could potentially be a big brawl with a lot of kills. Both teams can be aggressive and are not shy of a fight. Expect blood all over the map and an entertaining match to close out the first day of the MSI 2021.

Maple

MAD Lions vs. PSG Talon rosters

MAD Lions roster:

Top – İrfan “Armut” Tükek
Jungle – Javier “Elyoya” Batalla
Mid – Marek “Humanoid” Brázda
Bot – Matyáš “Carzzy” Orság
Support – Norman “Kaiser” Kaiser

PSG Talon roster:

Top – Su “Hanabi” Chia-Hsiang
Jungle – Kim “River” Dong-woo
Mid – Huang “Maple” Yi-Tang
Bot – Chiu “Doggo” Tzu-Chuan
Support – Ling “Kaiwing” Wing

It could be close between MAD Lions and PSG Talon at MSI

All hype will be around MAD Lions going into the tournament after the team unexpectedly won the LEC title over Rogue. As the European champions, MAD Lions will also be the favorite in this match, but it might be closer than most think. PSG Talon has previously proven to be a scary team and can’t be underestimated. This is why the bookmakers are predicting a close match with a small edge to MAD Lions.

A win for MAD Lions gives a solid odds of 1.6 while a win for PSG Talon more than doubles your money at odds 2.2. This match could determine who will be favored in group B.