ESL Pro League Season 13 Playoffs Predictions and Betting Odds

CS:GO
March 31, 2021
Kristjan Schellenberg

ESL Pro League Season 13 has produced some great storylines along with an exciting group stage leading up to now. As we approach the Playoffs, eight teams are set to battle it out to for a larger slice of the $750,000 prize pool.

For us interested in CSGO betting, there are a couple of matches that should be the pillar of this weeks’ bet slips.

COL BlameF

ESL Pro League Playoffs Round 1

Four match-ups are scheduled for this weekend. Each series is best-of-three with the loser being eliminated from the competition. We are expecting CIS teams to still reign supreme, with Europe is losing their primal spot on the scene. Lets go through each match-up and set our expectations moving forward.

FURIA vs FunPlus Phoenix

Though FURIA had an easier bracket in the group stage, both of these teams entered the playoffs with the same record. A key point in this series will be if two key FURIA players (KSCERATO and Yuurih) can maintain their form. Against Na’Vi, they were both able to hold their own and come out with very good player ratings along with the series victory. FunPlus Phoenix will have to show the viewers something special if they hope to win this one.  

The betting odds favour the Brazilians as well. When taking a look at FunPlus Phoenix’s recent wins, most are over lower ranked teams. Though they seem favoured with their map pool, FunPlus Phoenix has yet to overtake a well performing top team in this tournament.

Our prediction is that FURIA wins this cleanly 2-0. Over at GG.BET, you can expect a x2.36 (+136) return on your investment if you bet on correct score.

Team Liquid vs G2 Esports

Having had more time to find his groove as an in-game leader, FalleN seems to have found form as a player again as well. With their only loss so far in this tournament being to Astralis, TL has looked very good as of late. G2 on the other hand has struggled to adapt to their roster changes, limping through the group stage with three wins and two losses. The lack of an established main AWPer may hurt G2 in this series. 

This is the series with the closest betting odds of the week, with Team Liquid being the favoured team. Expect the map picks to feature Mirage, Overpass and Nuke. Team Liquid should ultimately taking the third map to win 2-1.

The CSGO odds in this selection will net you a x3.29 (+229) for the correct score, or x1.59 (-169) for just selecting the outright winner.

Complexity vs Natus Vincere

Unfortunately, this matchup comes down to the same three question all Na’Vi’s games do:

  • Can S1mple get the help he needs?
  • Will electronic pop-off?
  • Will his teammates fall short again?

As we know, Na’Vi has looked unstoppable when everyone performs reasonably well. On the other hand, Complexity has the ability to beat the top teams in the world when they get their momentum going. With blameF and K0nfig, a little early round aggression and success can go a long way. Especially with the stability brought to the team since the return of poizon. 

Though a map could be taken by Complexity, Na’Vi is favored heavily. There is also a huge difference between NaVi in early stages of events and Playoffs. Furthermore, map pools of these teams line up in a way that Inferno and Dust 2 should be left in, with a potential Mirage to end it all. We expect to see Na’Vi take the series 2-1.

Odds-wise, this match will not net you much betting on Natus Vincere outright. However, going for a correct score will net you x3.17 (+217) return on your investment.

Virtus.pro vs ENCE

Finally, Virtus.pro and ENCE is probably the easiest match to predict. Yekindar and Jame have been playing their hands out lately. Though ENCE has had a recent resurgence, it is not expected that it continues this way, especially not against the likes of VP.

When taking into consideration the map pools of each team, VP seems to have ENCE’s number. If Mirage, Overpass or Dust 2 are among the first two maps played,  look for VP to take this series 2-0 over ENCE.

Out of all four Playoffs match-ups, this one is the least interesting to bet on. Expect a double-up at best with VP winning at x2.07 (+107), but we’d propose skipping it entirely.

Read next: SonicFox dominates at MK11, Soulcalibur VI next at WePlayUFL