Another night of esports action coming up this Tuesday, the 31st of August and Michael Lee is back to preview the action and give his best bets. Tonight he focuses in on the ESL Pro League Season 14 for all three of his bests.
ESports Betting Tips: Tuesday, August 31st
Natus Vincere vs FaZe
ESL Pro League Season 14
Natus Vincere and FaZe Clan are both 3-1 in ESL Pro League. NaVi have managed to win (2-0) against fnatic, mousesports, and Evil Geniuses, while their only slip-up happened against BIG, who beat them with 0-2 largely thanks to NaVi's unrecognizable bad performance.
I don't rate FaZe's showings at the ESL Pro League very highly. They have managed to defeat mousesports (karrigan's previous team) with 2-1, they barely made it past EG (2-1), got destroyed by fnatic (0-2), and recently won against BIG, who lost their star player and are not as good as they once were.
The last time these two teams met was about a month and a half ago at IEM Cologne 2021, when Natus Vincere destroyed FaZe (2-0), with 16-7 on Inferno, and on Mirage. We can probably expect something similar today.
NaVi lost just one match at the ESL Pro League so far, and even that was more of a lucky win by BIG than a legit result. Apart from that, they are the tournament favourites, and beating the likes of FaZe is a must. Anything else than a clean 2-0 for NaVi would be quite an upset here!
Natus Vincere -1.50 Maps
$2.24
BIG vs mousesports
ESL Pro League 14
The last time these two teams played against each other was back in July during Gamers Without Borders 2021, when BIG won 2-1. Mouz took the first map (19-16) on Mirage, but the following two maps went to BIG, with 16-14 on Nuke, and 16-12 on Vertigo. It was an incredibly close match that could go either way, and I feel the same way about today's match.
None of these two teams are exactly at their peak; BIG just lost a star player and replaced him with a mediocre one, while mousesports are not precisely what you would call a consistent team.
Both teams are 2-2 at the tournament, and both are in need of a win, which should make this quite an interesting watch. This one feels like a complete coin toss; siding BIG has to be the best option here. Value bet on BIG to deliver!
Evil Geniuses vs fnatic
ESL Pro League 14
We have two teams going in very different directions here. Evil Geniuses have been on a steady decline since their peak in 2020 and have multiple roster changes incoming, with potentially some players losing motivation and moving over to Valorant.
On the other hand, fnatic have a new roster, and so far, it looks like they have struck gold with their new signing. Fnatic's current team features veterans, young stars, an experienced IGL; all they need now is some time and perhaps a new AWP player (nothing against Jackinho, but there are other better options available without any buyout), and you have a proper major contented.
The last time these two teams met was back in March during ESL Pro League Season 13 when fnatic won 2-1. They took the first map 16-11 on Train, EG struck back 16-7 on Inferno and fnatic closed the series with a 16-11 on Mirage. I would not take much from the said match, since it was played months ago, and both teams went through multiple roster changes.
Evil Geniuses have absolutely nothing to play for here. They have lost every single match so far, so the morale can't be good, and their motivation to perform will be questionable. Fnatic have been playing well for a new team, and beating the likes of EG is a must if they want to improve! Bet on fnatic to destroy Evil Geniuses!
