by ESB’s free Counter-Strike 2 betting predictions for Friday, December 15, focus on three group games from ESL Challenger at DreamHack Atlanta 2023. Here are our picks for Apeks vs GamerLegion, Monte vs BESTIA, and Virtus.pro vs M80, with esports odds courtesy of BetOnline.
APEKS vs GAMERLEGION CS2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | Apeks -250 at BetOnline | GL +175 at BetOnline |
| When: | December 15, 2023 | 11:25 EST |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ESLCS) |
GamerLegion will attend ESL Challenger Atlanta with Andreas “aNdu” Maasing as a stand-in for Sebastian “volt” Maloș. While this isn’t necessarily a big blow quality-wise, the last-minute change definitely won’t benefit them.
Apeks have their full roster ready for Atlanta, where they will chase their first tournament title since Elisa Invitational Spring 2023. While Apeks haven’t won any tournaments in six months, they placed second at Elisa Masters Espoo 2023 at the start of December.
With GamerLegion winning only one of their last five matches, Counter-Strike betting sites have Apeks priced as -250 favourites. However, Apeks have produced some stinkers recently, with defeats against 3DMAX and FORZE, making it though to trust them at the offered price.
GamerLegion to win
MONTE vs BESTIA CS2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | Monte -1000 at BetOnline | BESTIA +550 at BetOnline |
| When: | December 15, 2023 | 12:50 EST |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ESLCS) |
Monte having been making some noice in recent months. They ran top four in both ESL Pro League Season 18 and Thunderpick World Championship 2023, finished second at Roobet Cup 2023, and won ESL Challenger at DreamHack Winter 2023. The only concern heading to Atlanta is that Monte haven’t played a game in three weeks.
Since BESTIA came together in February, they have mainly competed in regional tournaments. They placed second at Copa BetBoom 2023 last month and then made the semifinals of the CBCS Invitational 2023. However, BESTIA have not beaten a team ranked in the top 10 this season, and they will have to play this event with two stand-ins — Roberto “reversive” Themtham and Nicolás “NikoM” Miozzi.
While the outsiders are bound to struggle, this is a best-of-one series and the round line is set at a 7.5, which is an absurd number. As weak as BESTIA might seem, they should be good for six rounds.
BESTIA +7.5 rounds
M80 vs VIRTUS.PRO CS2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | M80 +350 at BetOnline | VP -625 at BetOnline |
| When: | December 15, 2023 | 14:15 EST |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ESLCS) |
M80 have recently found momentum with four straight event victories, including ESEA Cash Cup North America Autumn 2023 #6 and ESL Challenger League Season 46 North America. While those weren’t big tournaments, M80 travel to Georgia World Congress Center in impressive form with just one defeat over their last 21 games.
Virtus.pro broke into the top 10 in the Counter-Strike world rankings following a stretch of impressive tournament runs. They placed second at Dunav Party LAN in August, added a gold medal from Roobet Cup 2023 at the start of November, and have since placed second at Thunderpick World Championship 2023 and BetBoom Dacha.
While Virtus.pro’s win percentage isn’t as high as M80’s, they have won nine of their last 13 series — mainly bouts against top-20 squads. VP rarely lose against weaker opponents, so backing them to cover the round line is a solid play.
