We're back to kick off a new week with our Esports betting tips for Monday, July 25th 2022.
WePlay Academy League Season 5 kicks off on tonight, and Michael Lee is with his top picks for the opening three games of the tournament. Today, he looks at Astralis Talent vs Natus Vincere Junior, Young Ninjas vs OG Academy, and Young Gods vs ENCE Academy.
Esports Betting Tips: Monday July 25th
Astralis Talent vs Natus Vincere Junior
WePlay Academy League Season 5
Group A of Astralis WePlay Academy League Season 5 kicks off with a clash between Astralis Talent and Natus Vincere Junior, who last met in June, when Astralis Talent came out on top with 16-14, 16-14. The teams have not made any roster changes since then, which explains why the Danes enter this affair as $1.50 favourites.
Still, Astralis Talent's form isn't great. Since their exit from WePlay Academy League Season 4, Astralis have played seven games and won four, albeit against weaker teams in Dust2.dk Ligaen Season 20: Regular Season. Astralis made the playoffs at the tournament but then crashed out against DREAM (0-2), which isn't too inspiring.
Natus Vincere Junior are in an even worse spot, as they've not only underperformed in the last iteration of the academy tournament, but they've also been out of action since June 27, when they lost against ONYX at Y-Games PRO Series 2022.
But regardless of how bleak NaVi Jr.'s situation looks like, they shouldn't be priced at $2.50 to win this match. This is still a clash in the academy league, where you can't expect teams to be consistent. I don't expect Astralis Talent to blow away NaVi, and I wouldn't be shocked to see the Ukrainian side come out on top.
NaVi Junior to win
$2.50 (1 unit)
Young Ninjas vs OG Academy
WePlay Academy League Season 5
Young Ninjas and OG Academy last met in WePlay Academy League Season 4 in June, when Young Ninjas eliminated OG Academy from the playoffs with 2-0. It was a fairly one-sided affair as Ninjas won with 16-14 and 16-5, but interestingly, the bookies expect OG Academy to get their revenge this week.
Priced at $1.40, OG Academy are heavy favourites to win this bout, and you can't argue with this logic seeing how OG Academy placed second at ESEA Cash Cup: Europe - Summer 2022 #1 with wins against Brugge, ARCRED; Akatsuki, and K1CK. Still, it's not like those are outstanding teams, so I wouldn't overreact to OG Academy's success.
Besides that, OG Academy won that tournament a month ago, and they've been out of action ever since. Young Ninjas are in a similar spot, as they played their last series on June 12, when they lost against Fnatic Rising. Moreover, Young Ninjas don't have a complete roster, which is just another concern you could have about this squad.
Still, Ninjas will now field a much different squad (however it might look) from the previous seasons, and they might be able to harness the surprise factor. This is still a BO1 match where anything can happen, so a bet on Young Ninjas at $2.75 isn't a bad choice. OG Academy might look stronger, but I'm not convinced.
Young Ninjas to win
$2.75 (1 unit)
Young Gods vs ENCE Academy
WePlay Academy League Season 5
Young Gods struggled to impress at WePlay Academy League Season 4, where they placed 9th-10th and have since not produced much. They placed 4th at BGS Esports 2022 Bomb B earlier this month, which isn't terrible, but it's not like it's a massive achievement to finish above three other teams in a C-Tier event.
On the other side, we have ENCE Academy, a newly formed team we know nothing about. They've yet to play an official match, making it tough to say how good ENCE Academy is, but by comparing the two rosters, I have no issues saying they're better than Young Gods.
With players like Youssef "juissi" Adam and Henri "HENU" Ylilehto on the team, I am ready to make a bold take and say that ENCE Academy is one of the teams that might impress and compete for a podium finish. But their road to the top must start somewhere.
ENCE Academy to win
$1.83 (1 unit)
