It's time for day three of this year's Mid-Season Invitational, where four teams are due to take the stage in today's Upper Bracket Round 2 matches.
MSI 2023: Upper Bracket Round 2 Schedule, betting odds and predictions
As a refresher, a total of 13 teams will be competing in this month's tournament, which is running from May 2-21. We're currently working our way through the Play-In Stage, where eight teams are fighting for the right to make it through to the Playoffs, which will begin on May 9.
Only three teams will survive to make it that far, however, where they'll be joined by the five Bracket Stage teams, with whom they'll be competing for their share of the $250,000 prize pool.
But before all that, we have the Upper Bracket Round 2 matches to get through, the winners of which will qualify for the Playoffs. The action will begin at 13:00 GMT on May 4 with a match between Bilibili Gaming and Golden Guardians.
Bilibili Gaming (1.06) vs Golden Guardians (7.00)
Bilibili Gaming had a promising, though not entirely unexpected, start to this year's MSI. Their Upper Bracket Round 1 match against Rainbow7 was a short-lived affair, ending with a decisive score of 2-0. The odds had heavily favoured Bilibili Gaming ahead of their MSI 2023 debut, but it's nonetheless a strong start for the Chinese team. Things are looking hopeful for Bilibili in today's match too - but do we have a potential upset on the cards?
Golden Guardians, meanwhile, are fresh from their victory over GAM Esports in their Upper Bracket Round 1 match, which similarly ended with a score of 2-0. While the odds were also in Golden Guardians' favour, it's still a promising turnaround for the team, after a series of disappointing performances have left them in the lower rungs of the LCS for the past few years now. But is their luck about to run out, as they face off against Bilibili?
Bilibili Gaming are the favourites to win here, with odds of 1.06 vs Golden Guardian's 7.00.
Our second Upper Bracket Round 2 match of the day is due to take place at 16:00 GMT, when we'll be treated to a match between G2 Esports and PSG Talon.
G2 Esports (1.22) vs PSG Talon (3.80)
Expectations are running high for G2 Esports at this year's MSI, after their impressive run at the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational ended with them ranked in 3rd - 4th place. And if their Upper Bracket Round 1 victory over LOUD is anything to go by, they're on an excellent footing to repeat that performance. Of course, the odds were heavily against LOUD from the start, with their second game lasting just 20 minutes. And early impressions are indicating that G2 have another win in the bag - but can PSG Talon surprise them here?
PSG Talon's debut match against DetonatioN FocusMe similarly went as expected, with the Taiwanese claiming a decisive 2-0 victory. It was one of the longer matches of the day, with the second game running to 50 minutes, but DetonatioN were ultimately unable to defy the odds. As a regular face at MSIs, PSG will have some heavy expectations on their shoulders - but will they be able to hold their own against G2?
The odds are in G2 Esports' favour here, at 1.22 vs PSG Talon's 3.80.
You'll be able to watch each of these matches, as well as everything else at MSI 2023, right here on Luckbox. To bet on League of Legends, simply claim your free 100% bonus before checking out the MSI 2023 match schedule.
