eSports has become the focus of the sports betting world, and one of the most widely competitive video game leagues is the League of Legends Pro League (LPL), currently in its ninth year in China. We are in Group Stage (Week 5-7) of the Spring 2020 league, and 17 teams are squaring off in a ten-week season. The top eight teams will advance to the playoff tournament. Let’s take a look at the Saturday matches in Week 7. Let’s check the League of Legends Betting Odds.
eSports: League of Legends LPL Matches: April 18
Standings (as of April 16)
- Invictus Gaming 12-2
- FunPlus Phoenix 11-3
- eStar 11-5
- JD Gaming 10-4
- Top Esports 10-5
- EDward Gaming 9-5
- Royal Never Give Up 8-7
- OMG 7-8
- Team WE 6-7
- Bilibili Gaming 7-9
- Rogue Warriors 6-8
- Vici Gaming 6-9
- Suning 6-9
- Dominus Esports 6-9
- LGD Gaming 5-9
- LNG Esports 4-10
- Victory Five 0-15
Vici Gaming (1.08) vs Victory Five (6.6) (3:00 am ET)
Vici Gaming is in a logjam of six teams all within one match in the standings of the eighth and final playoff spot for the Spring 2020 LPL standings. Their next match comes against Victory Five, still looking for their first win in the campaign. Interestingly, Vici Gaming has never beaten Victory Five, who beat Vici Gaming in their Spring 2019 and Summer 2019 matchups in LPL play.
Vici Gaming lost their last match, falling to Suning Gaming on April 14. Before that, they upset FunPlus Phoenix, and they also have a win over eStar in April. However, when it comes to teams that are down the table like Vici Gaming, they don’t do as well, as they have lost to Rogue Warriors and OMG in April as well. Given the value that Victory Five offers and given Vici’s inconsistency, I’m willing to put down some money on a Victory Five upset.
Prediction: Victory Five wins, 2-1.
FunPlus Phoenix (1.13) vs Rogue Warriors (5.0) (6:00 am ET)
FunPlus Phoenix currently sits in second place in the LPL Spring 2020 standings, while Rogue Warriors is caught in a six-team scrum trying to move up into eighth place and qualify for a playoff spot. These two teams have met five times, with FunPlus Phoenix winning three and Rogue Warriors winning two. FunPlus Phoenix has won the last two matches, with Rogue Warriors’ last win in this series coming in LPL Summer 2018 play.
FunPlus Phoenix has a two-match winning streak going, as they took down EDward Gaming on April 12 and LGD Gaming on April 16, pulling away from the rest of the league and avoiding a slide out of that first-round bye in the playoffs. Rogue Warriors has continued their season-long inconsistency with their recent play, splitting their last four matches, sandwiching wins over Vici Gaming and Royal Never Give Up with losses to Top Esports and JD Gaming. Given FunPlus Phoenix’s recent consistency, I’m taking them here.
Prediction: FunPlus Phoenix wins, 2-0.
Suning (3.04) vs Royal Never Give Up (1.38) (8:00 am ET)
Suning and Royal Never Give Up have met four times, with Suning winning four times and Royal Never Give Up winning three. They have alternated 2-0 matches in their last four, with Royal Never Give Up winning the last matchup in LPL Summer 2019 Group Stage play.
Suning has gone 2-2 in their last four matches. They beat Victory Five before losing to OMG and Dominus Esports. They rebounded on April 14 with a 2-1 win over Vici Gaming. Royal Never Give Up has dropped three of their last four, losing to LGD Gaming and Rogue Warriors before beating LNG Esports and then losing to Dominus Esports on April 15. Given how close the teams are in the standings and the comparative value, I’m going with Suning to win here.
Prediction: Suning wins, 2-1.
