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Week 5 of Stage 3 of the Overwatch League is starting today, and there are just 12 more matches to be played before we know who qualifies for the Title Matches. As always, this week’s matches offer multiple betting opportunities, but before I start going through them, let’s take a look at what the teams have done so far.
Standings table
- 1st place: Boston Uprising (8 W – 0 L)
- 2nd place: New York Excelsior (7 W – 1 L)
- 3rd place: Los Angeles Valiant (6 W – 2 L)
- 4th place: Los Angeles Gladiators (5 W – 3 L)
- 5th place: Houston Outlaws (4 W – 4 L)
- 6th place: Philadelphia Fusion (4 W – 4 L)
- 7th place: Seoul Dynasty (4 W – 4 L)
- 8th place: San Francisco Shock (4 W – 4 L)
- 9th place: London Spitfire (3 W – 5 L)
- 10th place: Florida Mayhem (2 W – 6 L)
- 11th place: Dallas Fuel (1 W – 7 L)
- 12th place: Shanghai Dragons (0 W – 8 L)
Betting predictions
Philadelphia Fusion (4 W – 4 L) – Dallas Fuel (1 W – 7 L)
Match date: May 2nd
Philadelphia Fusion is sitting right in the middle of the standings table at the moment, but with 2 victories this week, they could climb significantly higher. The team has had an average Stage 3 so far, with 4 victories (against Florida Mayhem, Houston Outlaws, London Spitfire, and Shanghai Dragons) and 4 defeats (against Boston Uprising, New York Excelsior, San Francisco Shock, and Seoul Dynasty). The victories against the Houston Outlaws and London Spitfire were valuable and relevant, while the defeats against San Francisco Shock and Seoul Dynasty clearly signaled that Fusion still has a lot of improvement if they want to get top placements in the Overwatch League. In particular, Philadelphia Fusion’s latest victory against Shanghai Dragons was deeply worrying, for the simple fact that no other team had lost 2 maps to this opponent in Stage 3. Everyone else had crushed the Dragons without any problems.
Dallas Fuel is a complete disaster right now. Internal strife, the loss of some of its best players, and other similar problems have turned Fuel into one of the two weakest teams in the league. So far in Stage 3, Dallas Fuel has managed to win just one match, and the opponent was none other than Shanghai Dragons.
Regardless of what statistics you’re looking at, Philadelphia Fusion is much stronger than Dallas Fuel at the moment and should win this match without dropping more than a map. In the previous two direct matches, Fusion won with a score of 4 – 0.
Betway puts the odds for this match at 1.10 – 5.75 in favor of Philadelphia Fusion, and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this team will win in a dominant manner.
Betting prediction: Philadelphia Fusion to win.
Florida Mayhem (2 W – 6 L) – Los Angeles Gladiators (5 W – 3 L)
Match date: May 2nd
Much like Dallas Fuel, Florida Mayhem is barely staying afloat at the moment and is continuing its trend from Stage 1 and Stage 2. With only 2 victories so far in Stage 3 (against Dallas Fuel and Shanghai Dragons), Florida Mayhem is clearly the 3rd-weakest team in OWL and the type of opponent that other teams love playing against. And that’s because the victory is almost guaranteed.
The Los Angeles Gladiators could have been one of the sensations of Stage 3, but they, unfortunately, lost 2 critical matches in the 5th round, one against New York Excelsior and one against Los Angeles Valiant. The third loss came unexpectedly against San Francisco Shock, an opponent regarded as being much weaker than the Gladiators.
In terms of important victories, the Los Angeles Gladiators won 3 close matches (score 3 – 2) against Seoul Dynasty, London Spitfire, and the Houston Outlaws. Overall, the team has looked strong in Stage 3 and is easily one of the best sides in OWL right now.
LA Gladiators is lightyears ahead of Florida Mayhem, and all of the statistics point to an easy victory in their favor. The previous 2 head-to-head matches ended that way, and there is absolutely no doubt that this next encounter will not be any different.
Betway puts the odds for this match at 3.20 – 1.30 in favor of the Los Angeles Gladiators. At these odds, a bet on the Gladiators would be an excellent decision. Betting prediction: Los Angeles Gladiators to win.
Houston Outlaws (4 W – 4 L) – San Francisco Shock (4 W – 4 L)
Match date: May 2nd
The only team that completely destroyed the Houston Outlaws was Boston Uprising. Apart from this formidable opponent that’s currently sitting at number 1 in the standings table with 8 victories and 0 defeats, 3 other teams managed to beat the Outlaws in Stage 3, but only barely. These teams were Philadelphia Fusion, New York Excelsior, and the Los Angeles Gladiators. Each time, the score was 2 – 3, and the match could have easily gone either way.
As for their relevant victories, the Houston Outlaws defeated London Spitfire and Los Angeles Valiant, proving that they can still win even against tough opponents.
On the other side, San Francisco Shock began Stage 3 unusually well with 4 victories in their first 6 matches. This was a new personal best for Shock, who had ended Stage 1 and 2 with a record of 3 wins and 7 losses. However, last week, the team went on the decline and lost both matches, one against New York Excelsior and another one against London Spitfire. The way in which they lost and the fact that one of the losses came against a team whom the Outlaws had defeated in Stage 3 clearly proved that San Francisco Shock is significantly weaker than the Houston Outlaws at this point.
The head-to-head record between these teams is 1 – 1. Recent form statistics clearly favor the Houston Outlaws. Overall performance throughout the entire duration of the Overwatch League also favors the Outlaws to win this match.
Betway puts the odds at 1.60 – 2.20 in favor of the Outlaws, and these odds are actually huge on their side, considering this team’s high chance of winning. Betting prediction: Houston Outlaws to win.
