by ESB’s free esports betting predictions for Wednesday focus on the continuation of KeSPA Cup 2020 and two Vulkan Fight Series Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fixtures.
Vulkan Fight Series
SG.PRO vs WINSTRIKE TEAM CS:GO BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| CS:GO Betting Odds: | SG.Pro +180 at BetOnline | Winstrike -256.41 at BetOnline |
| When: | December 23, 2020 at 9:50 CET |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/uccleague) |
SG.Pro enter this contest with a 0-2 record at the tournament. Despite their lack of success, the Russians deserve some respect for their close series with ESPADA and Budapest Five, who both seem stronger than Winstrike Team.
Like SG.Pro, Winstrike are still searching for their first points following two painful defeats against VP.Prodigy and Natus Vincere Junior. With those losses, Winstrike are 1-5 in their last six outings and hold a 33.3% win rate since late September.
Winstrike’s recent results are equally as uninspiring as SG.Pro’s, so they should not be priced at such short odds. Winstrike also field only three players on their active roster, so it makes more sense to side with SG.Pro to win at least one map.
SG.Pro +1.5 maps
LYNGBY VIKINGS vs PROJECT X CS:GO BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| CS:GO Betting Odds: | Vikings -142.86 at BetOnline | Project X +100 at BetOnline |
| When: | December 23, 2020 at 13:10 CET |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/uccleague) |
The latest Counter-Strike: Global Offensive betting odds suggest this should be a close bout. This might be true, but we don’t expect to see any high-level performances from either side.
Lyngby Vikings enter this match on a three-game losing streak, while Project X have managed two wins in their last three outings. However, two of Project X’s wins came against Team Unique and EC Kyiv, which is hardly better than Vikings’ three-map series against Illuminar and LDLC.
This match could go either way, so there might be some value in backing the outsiders, but over 2.5 maps is a safer bet at a good price.
Over 2.5 maps
KeSPA Cup 2020
AFREECA FREECS vs NONGSHIM REDFORCE LoL BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| LoL Betting Odds: | AF -188.68 at BetOnline | RedForce +137 at BetOnline |
| When: | December 23, 2020 at 18:00 KST |
| Watch Live: | YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/kespa) |
Nongshim RedForce (formerly Team Dynamics) enter this match as underdogs, which makes some sense given their lacklustre run through the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) 2020 Summer. Even so, they should be better prepared for this season with the addition of jungler Han “Peanut” Wang-ho and support Kim “Kellin” Hyeong-gyu.
On the other side, Afreeca Freecs seem to have downgraded their roster with the signing of Bae “Bang” Jun-sik as a replacement for Jin “Mystic” Seong-jun. They effectively lost their best player and replaced him with someone who has spent the last two years in the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS).
Afreeca Freecs don’t seem to have any significant advantages in this matchup. Their best player is support Son “Lehends” Si-woo, who should keep the bottom lane somewhat stable, but we are a bit concerned about how the team will deal with Kellin and Peanut. Nongshim RedForce are overpriced at these odds.
Nongshim RedForce to win
LIIV SANDBOX vs DRX LoL BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| LoL Betting Odds: | SB -175.44 at BetOnline | DRX +125 at BetOnline |
| When: | December 23, 2020 at 19:00 KST |
| Watch Live: | YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/kespa) |
Outside of replacing Kang “GorillA” Beom-hyun with Lee “Effort” Sang-ho in the support slot, Liiv SANDBOX (previously SANDBOX Gaming) have opted to keep their 2020 roster intact. We don’t see that as an issue since SANDBOX improved towards the end of last season, but a star signing wouldn’t hurt.
DRX endured quite a turbulent off-season and now field a completely new roster. Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon, Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon, Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu and Ryu “Keria” Min-seok all left the team in November, which forced DRX to rebuild their LoL squad with mostly academy players.
DRX might still do relatively well this season with the help of coach Kim “SSONG” Sang-soo, but until we see a bit more from them, we have to side with Liiv SANDBOX.
Liiv SANDBOX to win
NONGSHIM REDFORCE vs DRX LoL BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| LoL Betting Odds: | RedForce -175.44 at BetOnline | DRX +125 at BetOnline |
| When: | December 23, 2020 at 21:00 KST |
| Watch Live: | YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/kespa) |
Nongshim RedForce’s best player seems to be their new jungler, Peanut, who should do well against Hong “Pyosik” Chang-hyeon, the only remaining member of DRX’s old roster. Shutting down Pyosik would force DRX to rely on their bottom lane to deliver, and while Son “Becca” Min-woo and Jeong “BAO” Hyeon-woo boast a strong synergy, they’re not experienced enough for us to believe they can carry their team.
This match seems like Nongshim RedForce’s to lose. As long as Peanut and his crew continue playing with the same fire they have up to now, we don’t believe DRX can cause them any major issues.
