SK Gaming vs Misfits
Saturday, February 29 – 17:00 CET
SK failed to impress anyone on Friday and it’s hard to expect they will look any better on Saturday, given that they are facing one of the top four teams in the league. There is nothing positive to say about SK Gaming, who have zero to no chance to win here.
The kills handicap is set at 8.5, which may seem a bit high, but at 1.98 on Pinnacle, backing Misfits to come out ahead with at least nine kills to spare seems like a very solid bet.
Prediction: Misfits -8.5 kills – 1.98 at Pinnacle
MAD Lions vs Excel
Saturday, February 29 – 18:00 CET
As mentioned in the previous preview, Excel can be a dangerous team and one that can easily upset stronger opponents, and while I still firmly believe that’s the case, their performance on Friday way just plain bad. There were no positives to take from it, which fails to inspire much hope for their success as they face the hot MAD Lions.
As far as MAD Lions’ fixture against Vitality is concerned, the match was much closer compared to what MAD Lions hoped, however, their superior macro play and overall better approach to the game in the mid-late game allowed them to pocket a comfortable win. Although MAD Lions made a handful of mistakes in their clash with the French squad, they’re still a stronger team compared to Excel.
Pinnacle are offering 1.99 on a -6.5 kills handicap on MAD Lions, which is a very appealing bet to take. Although MAD Lions lost their first meeting with Excel, they have significantly improved since and should have this one in the bag.
Prediction: MAD Lions -6.5 kills – 1.99 at Pinnacle
Fnatic vs Schalke 04
Saturday, February 29 – 19:00 CET
Although Schalke have been slowly improving and have shown some quality in their clash with Origen on Friday, they’re far less prepared for this bout compared to Fnatic.
The roster swaps seemingly improved Schalke 04’s chemistry, however, there are still too many issues in this team for us to trust them, namely their mid-late game strength, where it seems like Schalke have no idea what to do. Fnatic on the other side are a complete team, who might have their shaky moments, but when they play to the top of their ability, Fnatic can prove to be nearly unstoppable.
A bet on Over 24.5 kills (1.867) seems tempting, considering Schalke have shown they can be deadly in the early, game, but for this match we would completely avoid that, as Fnatic are more than capable of completely trashing Schalke in under 30 minutes. For that reason, it’s the -9.5 kills (1.925) on Pinnacle that seems like a better pick for this one. There is no doubt that Fnatic should come out ahead here, the only question is by how many kills and how quickly can they close out the match.
Prediction: Fnatic -9.5 kills – 1.925 at Pinnacle
Rogue vs Origen
Saturday, February 29 – 20:00 CET
Possibly the hardest fixture to predict out of all five as we have Origen take on Rogue, who seem like a team that is capable of much more than what they have shown. Although I could go on and talk about each teams’ strengths and weaknesses, the end assessment would be the same – this will be most likely the closest and most exciting fixtures of the week. Origen are objectively the stronger side, but Rogue have shown before they can stand their ground.
Due to Rogue’s strong laning they should get ahead early and fall off in mid-late game. While an upset win is entirely possible, the best bet for this match is the over 21.5 kills line. It’s hard to imagine either side will completely dominate the other, and due to the aggressive playstyle of both teams, it’s safe to expect plenty of kills on the scoreboard.
Prediction: Over 21.5 kills – 1.877 at Pinnacle
G2 Esports vs Vitality
Saturday, February 29 – 21:00 CET
Not a lot to be said here. G2 are the superior team in all aspects of the game and should have very easy time coming out ahead. The total kills line is set at 25.5 which is a bit too high, considering G2 should dominate from minute one and close out the match early before 30 min mark.
Prediction: Under 25.5 – 1.952 at Pinnacle
Best Bet: MAD Lions -6.5 kills – 1.99 at Pinnacle
