by ESL Pro League Season 16 continues on Wednesday, September 21, with the opening fixtures of Group D, and eSportBet.com is here with our top picks for the day. Here are our selections for Cloud9 vs Evil Geniuses, Eternal Fire vs FURIA, and Team Liquid vs Movistar Riders.
CLOUD9 vs EVIL GENIUSES CS:GO BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | C9 -1000 at BetOnline | EG +550 at BetOnline |
| When: | September 21, 2022 | 11:00 CEST |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ESL_CSGO) |
Cloud9 boast one of the most stacked CS:GO teams in the world, but you wouldn’t be able to tell that based on their recent results. Since joining Cloud9 from Gambit, Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkov and his crew won Intel Extreme Masters Dallas in June, but the Russian squad have not achieved much elsewhere.
Notably, Cloud9 crashed out of PGL Major Antwerp in 12th-14th, and they were just as disappointing at IEM Cologne in July, where they placed ninth-12th. A lot of time has passed, so perhaps Cloud9 have improved, but C9 have been out of action for over two months, so it’s hard to say.
The public’s perception of Evil Geniuses is very low, and rightly so, seeing how they’ve gone from one of the world’s top teams to a squad that has not won a single S-tier event in over two years. Even their recent showings leave a lot to be desired, having exited ESL Challenger at DreamHack Rotterdam open qualifier in fifth-eighth place.
As the latest CS:GO betting odds suggest, this is Cloud9’s game to lose, and under normal circumstances, the Russian squad should stop Evil Geniuses. Yet we must consider that C9 are rusty and that we’re getting generous odds on the outsiders. We don’t expect EG to cause an upset, but +162 on over 2.5 maps is too good to ignore.
Over 2.5 total maps
ETERNAL FIRE vs FURIA CS:GO BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | EF +162 at BetOnline | FURIA -227.27 at BetOnline |
| When: | September 21, 2022 | 11:00 CEST |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ESL_CSGO) |
FURIA (#12) are much higher in the world rankings than Eternal Fire (#33), which makes sense since they’ve achieved a lot more than the Turkish squad. FURIA finished top eight at PGL Major Antwerp and added a semi-finals appearance at IEM Dallas in May and June, respectively.
However, the Brazilians have not shown much since, with a ninth-12th at Roobet Cup, and two seventh-eighth finishes at ESL Challenger at DreamHack Valencia 2022 and Intel Extreme Masters XVII Cologne. Eternal Fire might not have come even close to competing in those tournaments, but they’re in better form, with just one loss from their last nine outings.
Moreover, Eternal Fire have been active throughout August and September, whereas FURIA’s last official match came at IEM Cologne in July. Like Cloud9, FURIA might field a more talented roster than their opponents, but they are ring rusty and facing a capable team.
Eternal Fire have proven before that they can compete with the best, and at +162 with BetOnline, we’ll gladly take their side in this contest.
Eternal Fire to win
TEAM LIQUID vs MOVISTAR RIDERS CS:GO BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | TL -277.78 at BetOnline | Riders +200 at BetOnline |
| When: | September 21, 2022 | 11:00 CEST |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ESL_CSGO) |
Team Liquid had a rough start to the year, but they have started making noise since the addition of Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis as a stand-in player in July. With the Lithuanian AWPer, Team Liquid placed top six at IEM Cologne and won BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2022 with wins against G2 Esports, Complexity, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and Heroic.
Their next opponents, Movistar Riders have looked incredible earlier this season, with a top-four finish at Pinnacle Cup IV, Global Esports Tour Dubai 2022, and Intel Extreme Masters XVII Cologne in July. But success was hard to come by since the departure of their star AWPer Alvaro “SunPayus” Garcia, who left for ENCE.
Since SunPayus’s departure, Movistar Riders have played six official matches and won just one (1-5), including defeats against LDLC, B8, Sashi Esports, SC e-Sports, and Dynamo Eclot. Based on Movistar Riders’ recent showings, they shouldn’t come even close to beating Team Liquid. Expect a quick 2-0 sweep.
