ECS Season 5 Finals are already in full flow with group stage being finished after 5 matches played in each group. With a total of 10 matches behind us, we are starting to understand which teams might make it all the way to the big W. NRG is looking strong, and with all that we've seen so far, them facing off against Astralis in the grand finals is the most probable outcome. However, we shouldn't write off Team Liquid and FaZe Clan too soon. We all know what they're capable of so these semifinals are still far from decided. Moving forward, the safest bet will be to first check out the group stage standings before kicking things off with eSports Championship Series Season 5 Finals playoffs betting predictions. Stick around, there are plenty of things to discuss, some of which are bound to help you make all the right choices on your eSports bookie of choice!
eSports Championship Series Season 5 Finals Group Stage Standings
In order to better understand what will happen during the first 2 playoffs matches, we need to know how exactly did these teams play in the group stage. For a more in-depth look at the group stage, make sure you visit our eSports Championship Series Season 5 Finals Betting Odds and Tournament Overview article.
| GROUP A | Standings |
||
| 1. |  Astralis |
2 – 0 |
| 2. |  Team Liquid |
2 – 1 |
| 3. |  Fnatic |
1 – 2 |
| 4. |  Cloud9 |
0 – 2 |
| GROUP B | Standings |
||
| 1. |  NRG eSports |
2 – 0 |
| 2. |  FaZe Clan |
2 – 1 |
| 3. |  G2 Esports |
1 – 2 |
| 4. |  Luminosity |
0 – 2 |
Match-winner Betting Odds for ECS Season 5 Finals | Semifinals
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Betting Odds presented by bet365. The listed odds are intended as a guide only and are subject to change. Please check current LoL odds on the bet365 website before placing any bets. Read more about esports betting at Bet365
eSports Championship Series Season 5 Finals Betting Predictions
Semifinals Match #1 | NRG vs Team Liquid
NRG vs FaZe Clan – Key Match Recap
NRG blazed through StarSeries & iLeague Season 5 tournament, almost going all the way but losing against NaVi in the grand final matchup. Some will say they got it easy in the playoffs, but at the end of the day, there's really no denying they got quality. As a matter of fact, they surprised us again by taking the first spot in Group B after defeating FaZe in almost an embarrassing manner. Even though nahtE was the best fragger with 28 kills, CeRq was the one with all the flair. He displayed an unbelievable game sense with smart plays and flanks, completely obliterating FaZe and not giving them a chance of victory in the winners' match.
Team Liquid vs Fnatic – Key Match Recap
After shortly filling up olofmeister's position in FaZe, Xizt has joined Fnatic and is looking to get some silverware right off the bat. However, it seems as though his integration within the team will take a bit longer as his initial display hasn't been off to a good start. His kill/death ratio in the opening match between these 2 teams was nothing short of terrible, standing shamefully at 12/23. Even though he played a bit better in their decider match, Team Liquid wasn't impressed and took the W in a quick 2-0 manner. Liquid is looking strong, there's no doubt about it, but going back to the StarSeries match against NRG, they were left without the spot in the semifinals. What will happen this time around – will they be able to go past NRG?
Prediction:
In-form CeRq and nahT will continue their path of high-quality matches and will be NRG's ticket to the grand final match in ECS Season 5 Finals. It won't be easy, but Team Liquid is known for dropping determination in crucial matches, as they've shown multiple times from the start of this year. So, my advice for all you CS:GO betting enthusiasts is to back NRG in this one. They have the upper hand and will most likely see it out to the grand final!
Semifinals Match #2 | Astralis vs FaZe Clan
Astralis vs Cloud9 – Key Match Recap
Cloud 9 was really close to beating Astralis in their opening match which would make the group A standings much different in the end. However, after taking a 12-3 lead in the half, they dropped a couple of crucial rounds and managed to secure just a single one before the match ended with 16-13. Magisk was, once again, the rolling stone in his team, gathering 26 kills and a couple of smart plays, crucial for the amazing comeback of his team in the second half. So, for everyone interested in eSports betting, or the upcoming semifinals match in particular, I'd say Astralis is a bit closer to the W.
FaZe vs G2 – Key Match Recap
KennyS is sort of like LeBron James in CS:GO. Even though he manages to rack up incredible numbers match in and match out, his teammates, to put it simply, just aren't at his level. Take his G2's matchup against FaZe – he brought in 32 kills and 18 deaths with SmithZz and Ex6TenZ having 12 and 15 kills respectively. On the other hand, FaZe Team showed their full might after a poor performance against NRG in the winners' match. karrigan and rain were showering clutches with 22 kills each, while NiKo remained at humble 18. All in all, FaZe seems to be getting back up and will go up against Astralis in full light. But, will that be enough to beat one of the most terrifying teams at the moment?
Prediction:
As far as this semifinal match is concerned, it's a much more difficult one to predict than the previous one. For starters, we are talking about 2 of the best teams in the world at the moment – Astralis and FaZe. However, if I had to guess, I would go with Astralis, just because of FaZe Clan's bleak performance against NRG which resulted in an almost embarrassing result.
eSports Championship Series Season 5 Finals | Betting Options
Now that you know everything there is to know about the teams competing in ECS Season 5 Finals playoffs matches, here's a couple of useful links to posts containing detailed information on some of the most popular eSports betting websites currently available.
