Secret - Level UP predictions and free betting tips [30/08/2023]

The International 2023 — Western Europe Qualifiers. Lower bracket match-ups. On the fourth day of qualifiers, we find the Quarterfinals of the lower bracket. Western Europe is in full throttle, chasing South-East Asia to determine the final contenders for The International 2023. However, there's a major difference - Western Europe is playing for two slots instead of one. This means fewer games per day - instead of the usual four games, there will be just three. And the first one will pit Team Secret against Level UP.

Team Secret

After the first day of tournament play, many considered Clement Puppey Ivanov's team, Team Secret, a strong contender to claim one of those coveted International 2023 tickets. Especially after their impressive takedown of OG, advancing them to the next round. OG, despite being considered a favourite in these qualifiers, were dropped into the lower bracket with a 2:0 loss to Team Secret. However, in the next lower bracket round, Team Secret suffered a similar 2:0 defeat against Entity, setting them up for this decisive match against an equally eager opponent. Teams are now on thin ice, with their season ending immediately after a loss.

Level UP

Level UP, also familiar to Eastern Europe viewers as Nikita Daxak Kuzmin's team, has had quite the journey. Formed just before the third season of Western Europe's first division, they triumphed in both open and closed qualifiers and even the second division of Western Europe. So far, their only focus seems to be on winning - whether it's individual matches or The International 2023 itself. Aside from missing out on the BestBoom Dacha - Online Stage, they've won close to everything in which they've participated. After a 0:2 loss to Luna Galaxy in the first winner bracket round at this tournament, they survived the first loser bracket round without a game and managed a 2:0 victory against KZ TEAM in the second. However, they're yet to face a formidable opponent.

Head to Head

Team Secret and Level UP haven’t previously met in play.

Forecast

Betscity is offering 1.40 odds for a Team Secret victory. However, team Daxak fetches an odds of 3.00. Still, after watching both teams’ performances, I would shy away from picking the outright winner considering the relatively low odds being offered. Hence, I suggest the alternative of going for handicap1 (-1.5) for 2.53 in this game. Team Secret has performed quite impressively in these qualifiers and they could very well steamroll through Level UP, making their way to the losers' semifinals without breaking a sweat.