OpTic Gaming and Team Liquid will clash on Saturday, September 10, in the first round of the VALORANT Champions 2022 upper-bracket quarterfinals.

It’s been quite a turbulent ride for Team Liquid, who struggled to find their form in the group stage, but a clutch performance on Wednesday secured them a spot in the playoffs. Admittedly, Liquid’s series against Paper Rex could have easily ended in a 2-0 sweep for the Singaporean squad, but Liquid’s dominant showing on Ascent (13-8) earned them a ticket for the big stage.

OpTic Gaming’s run through the group stage was far smoother, but even they had some bumps on the road. Still, OpTic took care of business and reverse-swept BOOM Esports and LOUD to top Group B, proving why they’re one of the main candidates for the title.

Based on what we’ve seen from OpTic and Liquid during the group stage, it’s fair to view OpTic as the stronger team, but it’s not like OpTic have shown anything outstanding. This is the same team that dropped a map against BOOM Esports, and their only notable victory came against LOUD, who haven’t been playing nearly as well as many expected them to.

At even odds, we would prefer OpTic, but at the offered Valorant esports betting odds, it’s tough not to bet on Team Liquid. Alternatively, a bet on over 2.5 maps isn’t a bad choice, but we’re not counting out a possibility of a Team Liquid sweep.

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