Eight teams remain in the ESL Pro League, as we head into the quarterfinals elimination matches. Late last night, Natus Vincere beat Heroic in super delayed match to secure the final spot into quarters.
We have four relatively equal matches coming up, yet we’ve identified some key predictors of success in each match and make our predictions with a high level of confidence. The odds in today’s selection are courtesy of Midnite.
MOUZ vs Liquid
It took them a while, but Liquid are finally back on winning tracks. In our opinion, they are looking better than ever. On the other hand, MOUZ looked solid in recent matches, but hard games against SINNERS and Eternal Fire are putting a lot of question marks in regards to their current form.
Map veto should be straightforward for this ESL Pro League quarterfinals match. Dust 2 is getting permabanned by MOUZ while Nuke will be Liquid’s first ban. frozen and his squad will opt-in for Mirage as they have not lost this map in the last 10 matches they played it.
Liquid enjoys playing Ancient and Vertigo and we strongly believe that they will pick one of these two maps. Overall, map pool for this match is heavily favoring Liquid in this one, and here is why. Even though MOUZ is unbeatable on Mirage, they could fall into the trap as Liquid is also solid on this map. Moreover, both Ancient and Vertigo are favoring Liquid and this is one of the best picks in regard to ESL Pro League playoffs.
Prediction: Liquid to win
Odds: 1.62
Cloud9 vs FaZe
We believe that this is going to be the most interesting match of the quarterfinals. Both teams are on fire right now and we are in for a banger.
Before losing to Liquid, Cloud9 was on a tear as they won four straight matches without losing a map. On the other hand, FaZe had a lot of ups and downs but they also won four out of the last five played.
Vertigo and Nuke are definitely out of the map pool for this match. In all likelihood, FaZe will pick Inferno as their map of choice while Overpass is the way to go for Cloud9. The fact is, both teams have deep enough map pools that they will be comfortable no matter what map is picked.
Let’s summarize this pick. Both teams are looking great right now. We will also see a hard-fought battle between these two teams. The fact is, we are clueless on who is going to win this one hence why we are turning our focus towards the smart bet, that being total maps played bet.
Prediction: Total Maps Played – Over 2.5
Odds: 1.99
Vitality vs Outsiders
For this match, we have found a very safe bet for you. Vitality is miles ahead of everyone in this event right now as they won five straight matches. Contrary to that, Outsiders barely qualified for the playoffs and they are making a lot of mistakes in their bouts.
Bans and picks should be easy to predict for this match. Outsiders will remove Nuke while Vitality will for sure permaban Ancient. As for the picks, Inferno is the only map Outsiders will have any chance while Vitality can go for either Dust 2, Overpass, or even Mirage.
The conclusion is simple for this one. ZywOo is hitting his shots like an absolute madman and his current run at ESL Pro League Season 16 is on a level above everyone else. Add a favorable map pool and you have yourself an excellent bet for this match. Even though Vitality is a big favorite, these odds still hold plenty of value.
Prediction: Vitality to win
Odds: 1.49
G2 vs NaVi
Is there much to say about this match? G2 cruised through a very hard group without even dropping a map. They have beaten every single team from their group starting with FaZe, Outsider, BIG, and all the way to MIBR and FTW.
The fact is, G2 is currently the best team that is competing in ESL Pro League Season 16 and they should come out on top in this match. We do not think that map pool will play a factor in this bout as G2 is currently firing on all cylinders and they are looking better than ever.
Prediction: G2 to win
Odds: 2.12
You are looking at x10.18 return on your investment if you go to Midnite and place the matches in an accumulator. Ten fold return on a four-way with this much certainty does not seem like a bad bargain.
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