Match two of this evening’s LCO Stage 2, then, and finally we see Group A action on the Rift as The Chiefs take on Ground Zero.
The commencement of the group stage last night saw a long-awaited return of best-of-three League. Unfortunately, due to the removal of Peace from the LCO we missed out on a potential banger against Dire Wolves.
Team Bliss and Kanga were thus the only teams to grace the rift, and in expected fashion, Bliss ensured that this series was over swiftly.
This evening we return to expected programming with two matches taking place, with matches commencing at an earlier time than usual — 5pm AEDT.
Due to the new LCO play-offs structure the first group match is subject to being incredibly one sided, as without Peace, there is a sizable gap between the top four to the bottom three and as such, we should be in for an early evening.
However, in our second match up this evening, the standings would have suggested otherwise, as the 4-3 Chiefs take on the 3-4 Ground Zero.
Matthews’ Pick of the Week – The Chiefs vs Ground Zero
As many of us know, the standings this split have been subject to some… chaos… due to Peace being incapable of fielding a roster, only to return to beat The Chiefs after forfeiting their first five matches.
Scrubbing Peace from the scoreboard, the respective records are far better reflected by a 4-2 Chiefs and 2-4 Ground Zero. For The Chiefs, this record would be just as disappointing moving into the year as defending champions.
For Ground Zero though? This record is respectable and are by far the best performing team of the bottom half.
The Chiefs will be looking to come in and get this over and done early, looking to reaffirm themselves as an OCE contender, especially after the final match loss to Kanga to end the round robin.
This should be a relatively easy task, as while Ground Zero are the best of the bottom half, the gap between themselves and the next best is a canyon. This is not to speak ill of Ground Zero but more so speaks to the upgrade in quality of the top half of the league in 2023.
The Chiefs across the board will have the favour in this match, representing the best players Oceania has had in the past couple of years.
Ground Zero on the other hand represents many of the top newer found talents in Oceania. A win this evening would do well for their stocks, and would demonstrate that Oceania has further increased depth. Bodes well for the LCO in years to come, too.
But I have this match as a 2-0 for The Chiefs, in swift fashion.
However, expect to see Ground Zero have a few glimmers of hope sprinkled throughout, as The Chiefs look to finally return to their 2022 form.
Week 4 Day 2 Predictions
The LCO Split 1, Stage 2 resumes at 5pm AEDT tonight, with The Chiefs and Ground Zero going head-to-head in a best-of-three at 8pm AEDT in our second matchup of the night.
Keep up to date with the split details on our ultimate coverage hub.
Follow our prediction team @CDMLoL, @ImHarryTaylor, @NadetteOCE and @Ties_AU on Twitter.
