Our esports tipster Michael Lee returns with his betting previews for three opening matches of the VALORANT Champions 2023 group stage, set for Tuesday, August 8 and Wednesday, August 9. Today he takes a look at EDward Gaming vs Giants Gaming, NRG Esports vs Bilibili Gaming, and Fnatic vs ZETA DIVISION.
Check out our expert previews and betting tips below, and make sure to head over to Picklebet – Australia’s #1 esports betting site.
Esports Betting Tips: Tuesday & Wednesday, August 8-9
NRG Esports vs Bilibili Gaming
VALORANT Champions 2023
NRG Esports have produced solid results this season. They kicked off the year with a 5th-8th place finish at VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo, then made finals of Americas League and finished VCT Masters Tokoyo in fourth.
NRG esports have proven themselves as a very competitive team this season, yet they were always in the mix to compete for the top spots but never ended up on top.
VALORANT Champions 2023 will mark Biliibili Gaming’s first international Valorant event of the season after they failed to qualify for VCT Masters Tokyo. However, Bilibili Gaming found momentum in the latter stages of the season, with two runner-up finishes at FGC Valorant Invitational 2023: Act 2 and VALORANT Champions Tour 2023: China Qualifier.
In both Chinese tournaments, Bilibili Gaming proved to be no match for EDward Gaming, but they played relatively well, so even though Bilibili Gaming are the second best team from China, they’re not that much worse than EDward Gaming.
NRG have shown they can be very good, but this team also tends to be a bit unpredictable as they’ve produced a few very close games against weaker opponents. So even though NRG Esports should win, Bilibili Gaming should keep it close.
Bilibili Gaming 5.5 Rounds (Map 1 and Map 2)
$1.90 (1 Unit)
Fnatic vs ZETA DIVISION
VALORANT Champions 2023
Fnatic are the most successful team of the season and by many viewed as the undisputed favourite to win VALORANT Champions 2023. They’ve already won the LOCK//IN tournament and the VCT Masters Tokyo and looked unstoppable throughout the season.
ZETA DIVISION can’t compare to Fnatic in terms of their accomplishments this season. The Japanese squad started the year with a last-place finish at VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo, then placed 5th-6th at VCT 2023: Pacific League and barely made it to the world championship through the VCT 2023: Pacific Last Chance Qualifier.
ZETA DIVISION didn’t look good domestically, and their run at the only international ended in the first round. So naturally, they’re not expected to do well against Fnatic.
That said, the bookmakers have set the round handicap at 7.5, which is a very high number even for this match. So even though Fnatic should win, I prefer ZETA DIVISION with a seven-round advantage.
ZETA DIVISION +7.5 Rounds
$1.92 (1 Unit)
EDward Gaming vs Giants Gaming
VALORANT Champions 2023
EDward Gaming and Giants Gaming are set to face off in the opening match of Group A for the first time ever, and according to the esports betting sites, we shouldn’t expect to see any surprises. EDward Gaming are priced as 1.40 favourites to defeat Giants, who are 2.75 underdogs for their first match of the world championship.
Even though EDward Gaming was viewed as one of the weakest Valorant teams in the world just a few months ago, the Chinese squad has earned respect from the community with their remarkable performance at the VCT Masters Tokyo in June. EDward Gaming entered the tournament as outsiders but exceeded all expectations and made it to the second of the playoffs, where they lost against Paper Rex.
EDward Gaming didn’t produce a deep run at Masters Tokyo, but they looked very competitive against some of the strongest Valorant teams in the world.
Giants Gaming qualified for VALORANT Champions 2023 via the EMEA Last Chance Qualifier, where they defeated Karmine Corp, KOI, and Natus Vincere. It was an impressive accomplishment for the Spanish squad, which failed to produce much in the EMEA League (5th-6th) and didn’t look too sharp in the VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo (9th-16th).
But does their late resurgence suggest that Giants are ready to make a splash at the world championship?
Giants Gaming are not a very good team, and their strong showing in the LCQ doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re good enough to compete for top spots at VALORANT Champions 2023. Still, I wouldn’t underestimate their ability to cause EDward Gaming issues.
EDward Gaming will probably win, but I don’t expect it to be a one-sided game.
Over 2.5 Maps
$1.90 (1 Unit)
