Menu

CS:GO ESL Pro League Season 17 Playoffs Betting Odds, Predictions & Winning Tips (March 21-26)

ESL Pro League Season S17 CS:GO Betting Tips & Predictions

The premium league of CS:GO has entered its last phase, and it’s time for the bettors to catch the momentum. However, selecting one from the remaining 16 teams is quite difficult. That’s why we present you with the best ESL Pro League Season 17 betting preview with all odds and predictions so you can make the best bet.

ESL Pro League 17: Key Information

Esports Tournament: ESL Pro League Season 17 Play-Offs, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Venue: InterContinental Malta, Saint Julian’s, Malta
Dates: March 21 – March 26, 2023

Catch the live stream of the event at ESL’s official YouTube and Twitch channels of CS:GO. You can check out the live bookmakers in Malta to bet on CS:GO S17 ESL Pro League offline or online. But first, let’s get on our betting preview.

ESL Pro League Season 17 Betting Odds: Event’s Favorites

With 16 competitors fighting for the title, you probably need some guidance to place your bets. So, below are the top 5 favorites according to CS:GO bookmakers.

  • G2 Esports to Win @ 3.0 (2/1)
  • Heroic to Win @ 5.5 (9/2)
  • FaZe Clan to Win @ 8.0 (7/1)
  • Team Vitality to Win @ 9.0 (8/1)
  • Natus Vincere to Win @ 9.0 (8/1)

With no surprise, HLTV’s top-1 team, G2 is the team to beat in Malta this spring. The team won two of the latest and most prestigious events with a $1 million prize pool each – Katowice 2023 and BLAST Global Finals 2022. However, the competition now is pretty high, and all the teams will be preparing for them with double attentiveness, so the results, like a tight but 2-0 loss to Cloud9 in the group, can be repeated with no surprise.

A quite similar story is with Heroic, who are looking consistent in the latest months but cannot grab a title. Backing them at 5.5 (9/2) is a dangerous pick, though. The rest of the pack are FaZe, Vitality, and NAVI, who are in some shaking form but always ready to deliver with plenty of experience in each squad.

100% up to €600
T&Cs Apply
check iconMany sports
check iconIn-play mode
check iconLive streaming
Up to 180% bonus on 1st deposit
T&Cs Apply
check iconWelcome offers
check iconLive streaming
check iconMany bonuses
Cash Rebate Bonus: Enjoy up to 25% Cash
T&Cs Apply
check icon25+ sports
check iconSuperb bonuses
check iconEasy to use
50% up to $250
T&Cs Apply
check iconVIP program
check iconLive games
check iconMany bonuses
100% up to $500
T&Cs Apply
check iconMany bonuses
check icon24/7 support
check iconMobile apps

Brief History of ESL Pro League

The first ESL Pro League event was held in 2015 when Fnatic were the champions and kept winning pretty regularly. But due to Covid-19 in 2020, the tournament was split into regional events. Fnatic and Astralis are the most successful teams in the tournament, with three titles for each. However, the former success doesn’t count much in Esports, as the changes can be lightning-fast in this comparatively new type of competition.

Previous 5 Champions

  • Season 16 – Team Vitality (MVP: ZywOo)
  • Season 15 – FaZe Clan (MVP: ropz⁠)
  • Season 14 – Natus Vincere (MVP: s1mple)
  • Season 13 – Heroic (MVP: Ax1Le)
  • Season 12 (NA) – Furia Esports (MVP: HEN1)
  • Season 12 (EU) – Astralis (MVP: s1mple)

ESL Pro League Season 17: Overview

Although you’ve learned about our top picks for the event, understanding the 17th season of ESL Pro League can significantly help your betting. So, below is a brief overview of the entire tournament, from its format and teams to different stages and prize pool.

ESL PRO League S17 Playoffs Participants

Place / Group Group A Group B Group C Group D
1 Cloud9 Heroic Team Vitality forZe
2 Outsiders MOUZ FaZe Clan ENCE
3 G2 Esports FURIA Esports paiN Gaming Natus Vincere
4 Fnatic Movistar Riders 00 Nation Team Liquid

Format & Structure

The event is structured into a few phases, with qualifications, Group Stage & the Playoffs. All event matches have been and will be in Bo3 format, with only the Grand Final will decide the winner by a best-of-5 game.

The recent Group Stage had four groups, each with eight participants. Winners of each group have gone to the quarterfinals, while the runner-ups will start from the Round of 12. The 3rd & 4th places should have the longest path to the final with the Round of 16 at first. The playoff draw with all potential matchups is presented below:

ESL PRO League Season 17 Playoffs Draw

Dates, Location & Prize Pool

The Group Stage of ESL Pro League Season 17 was started on February 22 till March 19. The Playoffs will start on March 21, while the final is scheduled for March 26. All matches will be played in the InterContinental Malta Hotel of Saint Julian’s. The prize pool for this edition is $850,000; the winner’s cut is $200,000, while the runner-up team will take $90,000.

CS:GO Teams to Watch at ESL Pro League Season 17

G2 Esports are the favorites to bookmakers with 3.0 (2/1) due to their devastating stats in recent events. Currently, they are the best team in CS:GO according to HLTV rankings. It is mainly because they grabbed a few top-tier events, including the predicted success at IEM Katowice 2023 in February and BLAST World Finals 2022 in December.

The key players to watch in this event will be the rifler, ‘NiKo,’ who has been in fantastic form lately. He was phenomenal in his last game against Fnatic, where he got 60 kills with an average damage of 93 per round. So, with ‘NiKo’ on the G2 side, they are probably the safest bet for this event. However, even if the Bosniac struggle, he’ll surely get assistance from the guys like ‘m0NESY’, ‘jks,’ or ‘huNter.’ All in all, under captaining of ‘HooXi,’ the team looks the most consistent for a few months in a row.

However, you may also want to consider other options for the outright winners that have better odds but equivalent potential. So, below are our top five 2023 ESL Pro League 17 contenders according to their recent performances and players’ forms.

FaZe Clan to Win @ 8.0 (7/1)

Our first pick is the FaZe Clan, as the squad has stability, team balance, power, potential, and the drive to go for the title. Considering their previous ten battles, FaZe Clan was victorious in seven fierce battles, which is no surprise with the riflers like ‘ropz’ and ‘Twistzz.’

However, the most danger now comes from their AWPer, ‘broky,’ who usually gives FaZe all the advantage that can be taken with a “big green.” Talking about this league’s stats so far, ‘broky’ has 70+ AWP kills with 70.7 average damage per round. So, if he keeps his current amazing form, we can see FaZe Clan as the winner with odds at 8.0 (7/1).

Team Vitality to Win @ 9.0 (8/1)

Next on our list is the defending champion, Team Vitality, with their odds of winning ESL Pro League 2023 at 9.0 (8/1). Team Vitality is also in its supreme form, with an 80% winning rate in their last 10 matches. Their squad’s combination is bearing fruit, and we’ve seen a lot of teamwork recently despite the stand-in of ‘JACKZ’ instead of ‘dupreeh.’ The latter, however, return for playoffs, according to confirmed news.

Vitality’s key player you may need to consider while CS:GO betting is ‘ZywOo.’ The French AWPer is currently in its divine form, with his headshot percentage nearing 50% and a K/D ratio above 2.0. He already had 150+ kills in the Group Stage and was the leading damage dealer. Briefly, if ZywOo keeps striking, he may single-handedly lead the team to victory.

Team Liquid to Win @ 11.0 (10/1)

Team Liquid is also giving tough competition to many great clans like FaZe, Vitality, and NAVI. Their journey in the tournament wasn’t great, with taking the last spot from Group D, but they are now warmed-up enough and ready to show their best coordination and aggression.

Their core strength will lie in the performance of ‘YEKINDAR,’ who is currently fighting with an impact score of 1.33. The rifler has an astonishing headshot percentage of 56%, reflecting his precision and control. That’s why he is also a spotlight for many bookmakers. If the guys like ‘EliGE,’ ‘NAF’ and ‘oSee’ won’t underperform, everyone should count Team Liquid as potential winners.

Cloud9 to Win @ 13.0 (12/1)

Cloud9 has been a phenomenal team in many CS:GO events so far. However, their ESL Pro League 17 odds are 13.0 (12/1) due to a not-so-great 2022. But don’t let the numbers fool you, as C9 has struck back with an undefeated Group Stage of the event. With their experience on grabbing top-tier events, they need just a bit of luck and consistency.

For the Playoffs, they are still among the strongest betting picks due to the rifler, ‘Ax1Le,’ who can single-handedly destroy any opponent, even from the anchor or opener position. Until now, he has impressive average ratings of 1.35 and an impact score of 1.39. In fact, he is a strong contender for the ESL Pro League MVP award if the team reaches a final. Still, even ‘Ax1Le’ will need a shine from the guys like ‘sh1ro’ and ‘HObbit’ in the playoffs, but betting on Cloud9 makes sense, especially at such high odds that will give a huge return.

FURIA Esports to Win @ 15.0 (14/1)

Lastly, our final CS:GO ESL S17 betting pick will be the Brazilian team FURIA Esports, which can be a decent pick. Considering their last 10 battles, they have won only 6 games, but Brazilian bookies will surely see the splash of bets on their strongest team. Moreover, after winning back-to-back in the previous group-stage games, the team morale should be pretty high.

Their key player for the Playoffs will be ‘KSCERATO.’ He is in great form lately, with a decent impact score of 1.26 and a 50.4 headshot percentage. One of FURIA’s core features is their aggressive playstyle, which can surprise even the top teams. So, if ‘KSCERATO’ receive the appropriate support from his teammates, the success of Brazilians at 15.0 (14/1) is attractive enough.

100% up to €600
New customers only! Make a deposit now and get a Boosted Deposit Bonus of up to €600. Get T&Cs apply
Up to 180% bonus on 1st deposit
New customers only! Get up to 180% bonus on your First Deposit! Full T&Cs apply
Cash Rebate Bonus: Enjoy up to 25% Cash
-

So, our final ESL Pro League Season 17 betting predictions are:

  • Team Vitality to Win @ 9.0 (8/1)
  • FaZe Clan to Win @ 8.0 (7/1)

We expect Team Vitality’s chances of winning the 17th Season of ESL Pro League are pretty high and worth the odds at 9.0 (8/1). Of course, both G2 and Heroic look more powerful and consistent in the last couple of months, but CS:GO events are likely to surprise bettors and bookies.

Another team we recommend reviewing in our Esports betting preview and potential ESL Pro League winner is FaZe Clan. Just a month ago, their odds of winning the event were as low as 5.5 (9/2), but they were eliminated before the playoffs. No doubt they are looking to fight back and revive their chances for Intel Grand Slam $1 million prize, and there is no time to delay if they really want their gold bars. So, giving another chance to a powerful team at the odds of 8.0 (7/1) makes real sense.

Tim Harrison
Author
Betting Guru

Tim is our betting guru. Every gaming site needs one, and Tim’s our guy. He has plenty of experience in betting online and is quite successful at it. Tim’s favorite sports are hockey, baseball, and Esports. Tim believes the latter to be the future of betting.

Related articles

Comments
(0)
No comment yet
No comment yet
ADD THE FIRST COMMENT
Thanks for subscribing!
We’ll send all the updates straight to your inbox. It’s the best way to learn news about sports betting.
You’ll also receive a newsletter with information on major sports betting updates, new betting site reviews, and the latest bonuses and promotions every few weeks.
We’re very happy to have you on board!
Cheers!