eSports Betting: Overwatch League Playoffs Opening Matches

MyBookie brings you free esports betting previews and predictions for the opening round of the 2021 Overwatch League (OWL)Playoffs.

Here are our best bets for Tuesday’s bouts in Philadelphia Fusion vs Los Angeles Gladiators and San Francisco Shock vs Shanghai Dragons, with all the information you’ll need to place bets on the Overwatch League odds.

Top 2021 Overwatch League Playoffs Matches to Wager on September 21

Philadelphia Fusion vs Los Angeles Gladiators

When: Tuesday, September 21 – 17:30 PDT

Los Angeles Gladiators are expected to win this bout, which makes sense, albeit we wouldn’t count out Philadelphia Fusion just yet. The Fusion have the talent to compete against anyone, and while they aren’t quite at the level of Shanghai Dragons, neither are the Gladiators.

The biggest issue with Los Angeles Gladiators is that they’re very one-dimensional and seem only to play one style. Although that has worked for them throughout the regular season, we would like to see more flexibility.

And it’s not like the Gladiators can’t play other team compositions; they simply choose not to, which could backfire in the playoffs, as they take on the Asian teams. Regardless of their weakness, the Gladiators still field one of the strongest rosters in the league and shouldn’t be losing games like that.

While Fusion are on the upward trend and have shown that they can compete against other heavyweights, they have not demonstrated enough for me to believe that Fusion can upset the Gladiators.

At the same time, I don’t believe the Fusion will just roll over and die. They have the tools needed to put up a fight – the question is how much of a fight.

Fusion should win at least one map, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they manage to force close series throughout, but unless they come out with a new strategy and surprise Gladiators, I don’t see Fusion reaching two maps on Tuesday. A 3-1 victory for the Gladiators seems the most likely outcome.

Prediction: Los Angeles Gladiators -1.5 maps

San Francisco Shock vs Shanghai Dragons

When: Tuesday, September 21 – 19:00 PDT

Shanghai Dragons picked San Francisco Shock as their 2021 OWL Playoffs round one opponent in a bid to avenge their defeat from last year, when San Francisco Shock eliminated the Dragons from the playoffs. A lot has changed since then, and the Dragons are now considered the better team; however, we have to remember that the Shock are still the reigning back-to-back OWL champions.

The Chinese team enter this bout as heavy betting favorites, while the Shock are priced as high as +250 to cause an upset and take one step closer to their third title.

Interestingly, Shanghai Dragons were expected to win the 2020 OWL Playoffs since they had the best record in the league, yet they finished in third. This year, they’re once against expected to win and have again produced the best record in the league – now the question is whether the history will repeat itself or will the Dragons finally live up to the expectations.

The Shock and Dragons haven’t met once this season, so it will be interesting to see how will they match up on Tuesday. You could favor Dragons since they hail from a stronger region; however, it’s not like the Shock have been playing poorly.

You might wonder why the Dragons picked San Francisco Shock as their round one opponents considering there were weaker teams to choose from. But the explanation is very simple.

The Dragons player the final tournament of the season (Countdown Cup) with their B roster, so the Shock have no film to analyze and prepare themselves for this bout. This effectively means that round one is Dragons’ best chance to defeat the Shock and eliminate one of their biggest competitors for the title.

Considering that the Dragons are stronger, to begin with, and will now enjoy an additional tactical advantage, it’s tough to make a case for Shock. They might steal a map, but we don’t expect much more from them.

Prediction: Shanghai Dragons -1.5 maps

Prediction: Shanghai Dragons to win 3-1 (correct score)