by ESB returns with another set of esports betting predictions for Friday, focusing on the Huya Dota2 Winter Invitational, Perfect World Dota2 League Season 3, and two Counter-Strike: Global Offensive matches at European Development Championship Season 1.
European Development Championship Season 1
K23 vs SKADE CS:GO BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| CS:GO Betting Odds: | K23 -181.82 at BetOnline | SKADE +132 at BetOnline |
| When: | December 18, 2020 at 10:00 CET |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/edenesports) |
K23 enter this match with an 8-2 record in their last 10 outings. During that stretch, Sanzhar “neaLaN” Iskhakov and co. lost only to Apeks and Wisla Krakow, and they have since defeated Copenhagen Flames (twice), ALTERNATE aTTaX, AVEZ and ENDPOINT in a five-game winning streak.
SKADE hold a 2-3 record in their last five outings, which might not look too good, but their losses came against SJ Gaming, HellRaisers and Gambit Esports, who are all arguably stronger than K23. The Bulgarians have been fairly solid across the last month, so they are worth a shot at odds.
SKADE to win
SAW vs BUDAPEST FIVE CS:GO BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| CS:GO Betting Odds: | sAw -434.78 at BetOnline | BP5 +277 at BetOnline |
| When: | December 18, 2020 at 13:00 CET |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/edenesports) |
Saw are billed as heavy favourites against Budapest Five, which seems fair on form. Since last Thursday, the Portuguese have lost only to Virtus.pro (1-3) and had no issues when faced with Movistar Riders, Nemiga Gaming, forZe and most recently ESPADA.
Budapest Five hold a 3-3 record in December. That includes losses against ENDPOINT, MBAPPEEK and Team LDLC and wins against Illuminar Gaming, forZe and semi-pro Hungarian squad Békéscsabai E-Sport Egyesület.
Regardless of sAw’s form, we don’t believe this match will end in a 2-0 sweep. They consistently drop maps in their games, and even when they don’t, the score is usually very tight. Budapest Five to win one map and cover the line is a good bet in our book.
Budapest Five +1.5 maps
Huya Dota2 Winter Invitational
NEON ESPORTS vs IO DOTA 2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Dota 2 Betting Odds: | Neon -238.1 at BetOnline | IO +169 at BetOnline |
| When: | December 18, 2020 at 14:00 CST |
| Watch Live: | Weibo (https://weibo.com/7155917318) |
These teams last met in October, when Neon Esports took the series lead but were forced into a stalemate after IO’s comeback on the second map. It marked their second meeting of the year after Neon bested IO during the ESL One Thailand 2020 Asian open qualifiers with 1-0 in a 62-minute game.
IO have only one match on their record this month, and even that was against a semi-pro team in Oceanus Gaming. Neon, on the other side, appeared in 10 official games in the past week alone, facing some of the strongest squads from the region.
Neon might not be the most consistent team out there, but they seem ready to secure a clean sweep on Friday.
Neon Esports -1.5 maps
EXECRATION vs PHOENIX GAMING BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Dota 2 Betting Odds: | XctN -120.48 at BetOnline | Phoenix -111.11 at BetOnline |
| When: | December 18, 2020 at 17:00 CST |
| Watch Live: | Weibo (https://weibo.com/7155917318) |
Execration are still looking to claim their first win of the tournament after narrow losses against Neon Esports and Team MagMa, but doing so on Friday will be a tall order.
Phoenix lost their opening fixture against Invictus Gaming but have since beaten team void, Team MagMa (twice), Access and Team Sirius to extend their winning streak to five.
While it would be fair to say that Execration are equal to Phoenix quality-wise, we have to side with the form team in a tight betting market.
Phoenix Gaming to win
Perfect World Dota2 League Season 3 – Division A
TEAM MAGMA vs DALANJING GAMING BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Dota 2 Betting Odds: | MagMa +255 at BetOnline | Draw +110 | DLG +102 |
| When: | December 18, 2020 at 19:00 CST |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/pwrdesports1) |
After a forfeit win against Galaxy Racer and a 2-0 sweep of Ink Ice on Saturday, Dalanjing Gaming enter this match looking to claim their third victory of the tournament.
Team MagMa, on the other side, lost to Ink Ice (0-2) last Friday, but they were likely a bit fatigued since they had to play one more game that day. That theory was all but confirmed when MagMa swept Galaxy Racer in their next bout.
We are not saying Dalanjing are a bad team, but they should not be priced at such low odds against a squad that is competing in some of the toughest Chinese Dota 2 esports tournaments on the calendar. At this price, siding with MagMa is a no-brainer.
