Stake Pulse Beat II continues on September 23 with 100 Thieves vs EA Copenhagen and Fnatic vs Phantom Esports in Group C.
Stake Pulse Beat II continues on Wednesday, September 23, with the first pair of fixtures in Group C, where 100 Thieves will face off against EA Copenhagen, followed by a clash between Fnatic and Phantom Esports.
Esportbet brings you free Counter-Strike 2 betting previews and expert picks for the two games, with odds from the top-rated bookmakers for CS2 punters.
After a short break, 100 Thieves return to the arena this Wednesday, when they will face off against Esports Academy Copenhagen in the first round of Group C at Stake Pulse Beat II.
Priced as -769.23 favourites on the top-rated CS2 bookmakers, 100 Thieves are expected to handle the Danish squad with ease.
While the two teams’ global ranking would suggest so, 100T’s past results raise some doubts about their chances to live up to the expectations.
100 Thieves are 2-3 from their last five games, which include defeats against Eternal Fire, BBL Esports, and HOTU, and wins against Acend and 3DMAX.
Those results suggest a lack of consistency, even when faced with weaker teams.
Esports Academy Copenhagen have not been great this season either.
They won one tournament in August, and are 3-6 from their last nine games, despite facing mainly lower-rated teams such as ex-Zero Tenacity, DINERO, Noir Verse, and UNiTY esports.
100 Thieves are anything but consistent, but they should never struggle against a world No.75 team like EA Copenhagen.
100 Thieves -1.5 maps
Fnatic are listed as -357.14 favourites to defeat Phantom on Wednesday and build on the momentum they have gained over the last month.
With a 7-3 record over the last 10, Fnatic have shown promise ahead of Stake Pulse Beat II, beating the likes of Virtus.pro, Nexus Gaming, and Ninjas in Pyjamas.
However, as good as their run looks on paper, Fnatic have also lost against ASTRAL and Drama Esports, and they have dropped maps against BBL Esports and Tltbs.
Phantom Esports have also been showing some signs of life of late, winning five of the last six games.
Over that stretch, they have not had to face many good teams, but they did take down Johnny Speeds and SINNERS Esports, and played a close game against BC.Game Esports.
Phantom appear weaker on paper, but they are in good shape.
Moreover, Phantom have a higher win rate on three maps in the rotation, including Nuke at 44% to 0%, Inferno at 86% to 75%, and Mirage at 40% to 25%, so it is not unlikely for them to leave a dent in Fnatic.
At -129.87, Phantom Esports to win a map against a team who have been dropping maps against lower-rated squads is a solid pick.
Phantom Esports +1.5 maps
Mark Prezelj
Esports Betting Analyst
Mark Prezelj is a Slovenian esports betting analyst with over 3,500 articles at EsportBet and the founder of Lines64.com — someone who has been reading odds longer than most readers have been watching esports.
