Thunderpick World Championship CS2 tips & predictions – October 17

The 2025 Thunderpick World Championship heats up this Friday with a pair of decider matches to determine who goes through to the semifinals in Malta.

The Mongolz will start as heavy favorites for their Group A clash with 9z Team, and it will be a similar story for Aurora Gaming when they take on Venom in Group B.

Read on to see eSportBet.com’s free Counter-Strike betting predictions for both matches on October 17, featuring odds from the best esports bookmakers on the planet.

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THE MONGOLZ v 9Z TEAM

Best Odds: MongolZ -1428.57 at BetOnline | 9z +650 at SportsBetting
When: October 17, 2025 | 15:00 CEST
Watch Live: Twitch

There is an obvious class divide here. The Mongolz sit second in the Counter-Strike global rankings, whereas 9z Team slipped to 59th with the latest update.

That gap was reflected in their opening clash at the 2025 Thunderpick World Championship, where 9z managed to win only eight rounds in total as The MongolZ romped to a 2-0 win.

It is hard to see this one going any different. With the total rounds line set at 42.5, the under looks a very safe play .

AURORA GAMING v TEAM VENOM

Best Odds: Aurora -1000 at BetOnline | Venom +500 at BetOnline
When: October 17, 2025 | 18:30 CEST
Watch Live: Twitch

Aurora Gaming will be fuming after their reserve-sweep loss to Natus Vincere. After dominating on Nuke (13-4) and dropping Mirage (6-13), the Turks were sitting pretty at 11-4 on Dust2 before NAVI reeled off nine rounds in a row to snatch an incredible comeback win.

Team Venom, meanwhile, came out on the right side of their back-and-forth contest with Imperial Esports, sealing it with 13-11 on Dust2. A clear highlight was the much-improved performance of Alan “flayy” Krupa, who posted a match-high 1.36 rating after struggling first up.

While Venom were competitive when these sides clashed on Wednesday, you can bet Aurora will be out to prove a point after the horror loss to NAVI. Back the favorites to get it done in straight sets.