ESB brings you free Counter-Strike 2 betting predictions for the opening day of the BLAST Premier Fall Final 2023 group stage on Wednesday, November 22. Here are our selections for FaZe Clan vs Ninjas in Pyjamas, Cloud9 vs Natus Vincere, Team Vitality vs Heroic, and Complexity vs Astralis, with esports odds courtesy of GG.Bet.
FAZE CLAN vs NINJAS IN PYJAMAS CS2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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Best Odds: | FaZe -500 at BetOnline | NiP +333 at BetOnline |
When: | November 22, 2023 | 10:00 CET |
Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/BLASTPremier) |
FaZe Clan enter BLAST Premier Fall Final 2023 as the most in-form team on Counter-Strike 2. They’ve won three consecutive tournaments — Intel Extreme Masters Sydney 2023, Thunderpick World Championship 2023, and CS Asia Championships 2023 — and are on a 15-game winning streak.
In contrast, Ninjas in Pyjamas haven’t looked great on CS2, doing no better than a top-six finish at the CS Asia Championships. Moreover, NiP recently made roster changes and have not yet formed the needed synergy to compete at the top level.
NiP nearly defeated FaZe Clan (25-28) at the CS Asia Championships at the start of the month, suggesting they might do fine on Wednesday. But at the offered Counter-Strike betting odds, FaZe Clan to sweep makes the most sense.
FaZe Clan -1.5 maps
CLOUD9 vs NATUS VINCERE CS2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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Best Odds: | C9 -138.89 at BetOnline | NAVI +100 at BetOnline |
When: | November 22, 2023 | 14:00 CET |
Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/BLASTPremier) |
Cloud9 signed Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhaylov on November 2 and have since looked much improved; however, we’ve only seen them play two games with the new roster — against FaZe Clan (1-2) and BIG (2-0). Cloud9 still have a lot more to prove following a shaky run through the last couple of months, but things are looking up for the Russian squad.
At the end of October, Natus Vincere officially benched Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev and signed ex-Sprout AWP star Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov. But while we know w0nderful is an outstanding player, we’ve yet to see the new-look roster in action.
There are still a few question marks above Cloud9 and how they’ll do at the top level, but it’s easier to trust the Russian squad than NaVi, who’ve lost their star player and have no official games on the record in over a month.
Cloud9 to win
TEAM VITALITY vs HEROIC CS2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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Best Odds: | Vitality -250 at BetOnline | Heroic +175 at BetOnline |
When: | November 22, 2023 | 17:00 CET |
Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/BLASTPremier) |
Like many other Counter-Strike esports teams, Team Vitality have made some roster changes in recent times. While new signing William “mezii” Merriman is a solid addition, we don’t know the former Fnatic player can help this team find more traction.
In October, Team Vitality crashed out of More esports betting tips“>Intel Extreme Masters Sydney 2023 in 13th-16th place; however, they were eliminated by the eventual champions, FaZe Clan, so they deserve some slack for it. Still, the Bees have not played an official CS2 match since then.
Despite losing two key players, Jakob “jabbi” Nygaard and Martin “stavn” Lund, Heroic have managed to form a competitive lineup for BLAST Premier Fall Final 2023 by acquiring Rasmus “Zyphon” Nordfoss on loan and convincing Casper “cadiaN” Møller to play one last tournament with the team. And yet, they’re priced as +175 underdogs.
This doesn’t make much sense, considering Heroic’s current roster isn’t much weaker than their previous lineup. We must also consider that Vitality, as strong as they may seem, have not shown much on CS2.
Heroic to win
COMPLEXITY vs ASTRALIS CS2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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Best Odds: | Complexity -163.93 at BetOnline | Astralis +120 at BetOnline |
When: | November 22, 2023 | 20:00 CET |
Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/BLASTPremier) |
Complexity were one of the weakest tier-one teams in the latter stages of the CS:GO era, but since the transition to CS2, they’ve found momentum and made the finals of Intel Extreme Masters Sydney 2023. Unfortunately, Complexity didn’t manage to keep their wheels spinning and, a week later, exited Thunderpick World Championship 2023 in 9th-12th place.
Astralis have reportedly signed Jakob “jabbi” Nygaard and Martin “stavn” Lund, but due to the BLAST Premier rulebook, those two will not be allowed to join the team for this tournament. That might explain why Astralis are priced as underdogs.
Even though it’s fair to see Complexity priced as favourites, betting on over 2.5 maps makes more sense. This looks like a 50-50 match, and considering the teams don’t share map pools, there’s a good chance we will see a three-part series.