After a shaky performance earlier in the Counter-Strike 2 tournament, FaZe’s recovery was driven by strong performances from H?vard “?rain?” Nygaard, David “?frozen?” ?erňansky, and Robin “?ropz?” Kool.

PLAYOFFS FOR @FaZeEsports

It's Ro16 in the #ESLProLeague S20 playoffs for the S17 champions pic.twitter.com/klZzxtnUkq

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 6, 2024

Their counter-terrorist side on Anubis laid the foundation for rain to shine in the offensive half, while Dust2 saw a dominant FaZe performance, with Finn “?karrigan?” Andersen rallying his team loudly throughout.

Sangal, after defeating FaZe in their opening matchup, couldn’t build on that momentum.

They suffered defeats to Eternal Fire and FaZe, falling to the Last Chance Stage, where they will face FlyQuest.

FaZe’s recent form marks a shift after early exits from BLAST Premier Fall Groups and IEM Cologne.

Now, with an impressive run at the BLAST Premier Fall Showdown and solid improvements at ESL Pro League, they are back in playoff contention.

Congratulations @Team__Spirit!

They've secured a spot in the Ro16 of the #ESLProLeague Season 20 Playoffs @chopperis @magixx772 @donk1337 @sh1rocsgo @zont1x977 pic.twitter.com/2D4xIi92kw

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 6, 2024

Meanwhile, Team Spirit also earned a playoff berth after reverse-sweeping 3DMAX.

Despite losing the first map on Anubis (6-13), Spirit bounced back with dominant wins on Ancient (13-6) and Nuke (13-2), powered by standout performances from Danil “?donk?” Kryshkovets and Myroslav “?zont1x?” Plakhotia.

In the Last Chance Stage, KOI and Lynn Vision were eliminated after losses to Wildcard and FlyQuest, respectively.

FlyQuest managed to stave off elimination in a hard-fought series against Lynn Vision, while Wildcard continues their tournament run after defeating KOI.

The MongolZ and 9z have also dropped into the Last Chance Stage following losses to Spirit and 3DMAX.

The MongolZ took Spirit to the brink but couldn’t close the series, while 9z’s defeat leaves them struggling to regain their early-season form after setbacks at IEM Cologne and BetBoom Dacha.

Spirit’s playoff berth was hard-fought, having earlier survived a scare from Wildcard and losing to MIBR.

Their recovery, alongside FaZe’s resurgence, adds intrigue as the tournament heads into the final stages.

Saturday’s ESL Pro League fixtures

• 9z Team ($2.25) vs The MongolZ ($1.57) @ 1:30pm CEST
• Sangal ($1.40) vs FlyQuest ($2.75) @ 1:30pm CEST
• Heroic ($1.57) vs Ninjas in Pyjamas ($2.25) @ 4:30pm CEST
• Wildcard ($3.40) vs 3DMAX ($1.30) @ 4:30pm CEST
• Eternal Fire ($2.62) vs Natus Vincere ($1.44) @ 7:30pm CEST

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Coming off a win against 9z, MIBR initially struggled, losing their Ancient pick 13-2.

However, they bounced back with a strong 6-0 start on the counter-terrorist side of the second map, comfortably tying the Counter-Strike series.

The decider, Anubis, went into overtime, where MIBR emerged victorious despite a fierce comeback from Spirit, led by Danil “donk” Kryshkovets.

.@MIBR ARE GOING TO THE #ESLProLeague XX PLAYOFFS pic.twitter.com/aXkewCGoAi

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 5, 2024

Spirit will drop into the lower bracket and will face The MongolZ, who decisively beat KOI 2-0 (13-1, 13-0) in just 81 minutes, where they only lost one round across the two maps.

The Mongolians dominated, with standout performances from Usukhbayar “910” Banzragch and Munkhbold “Senzu” Azbayar, both boasting over a 2.00 rating.

KOI now faces elimination in the Last Chance Stage against Wildcard, who were convincingly beaten by 9z Team 2-0 (13-6, 13-10) in the lower bracket of Group B.

Elsewhere, both Heroic and Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP) are in the Last Chance Stage after defeats in their lower bracket semi-finals.

Heroic let an 11-3 lead slip on Nuke against Sangal, losing the series despite a strong showing from Guy “NertZ” Iluz and Abdul “degster” Gasanov on Mirage.

NiP pushed FaZe Clan to the limit but eventually crumbled in the decider on Dust2, where H?vard “rain” Nygaard led FaZe to an 11-1 halftime advantage, before claiming the final map 13-1.

IT'S PLAYOFFS FOR @G2CSGO

They've guaranteed themselves a spot in the playoffs of #ESLProLeague Season 20! pic.twitter.com/Z19k1TtNpC

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 5, 2024

G2 Esports also secured a playoff spot after defeating 3DMAX 2-1 (10-13, 13-6, 13-7) and set up a clash with MIBR in the upper bracket final, with the winner set to earn a quarter-final spot in the playoffs.

Friday’s ESL Pro League fixtures

• 9z Team ($1.72) vs 3DMAX ($2.00) @ 1:30pm CEST
• The MongolZ ($3.75) vs Team Spirit ($1.25) @ 1:30pm CEST
• FlyQuest ($1.50) vs Lynn Vision ($2.50) @ 4:30pm CEST
• Sangal Esports ($3.40) vs FaZe Clan ($1.30) @ 4:30pm CEST
• KOI ($2.50) vs Wildcard ($1.50) @ 7:30pm CEST
• Winner of 9z/3DMAX vs Winner of Spirit/MongolZ @ 7:30pm CEST

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Team Heretics locked in a direct invite to the VALORANT Champions Tour 2024 EMEA upper-bracket semifinals by beating Gentle Mates last week. KOI, on the other side, still need one more win to have a shot at making the final six.

KOI surprised the unprepared FUT Esports in the first week and took a map, and they upset Natus Vincere. Despite winning their games, Heretics weren’t that impressive, and they dropped maps against GIANTX and Gentle Mates last week.

Those games don’t prove much in the bigger picture. But at the current prices, it’s hard to pass on KOI taking a map off the content Heretics.

Fnatic are through to the playoffs with a 6-3 record, whereas Team Liquid still need one more to guarantee a spot in the knockout stage. This scenario is not as unlikely as the current VCT betting odds suggest.

Fnatic have won all three of their VCT 2024 EMEA Stage 2 series against BBL Esports, Team Vitality, and Karmine Corp, yet they needed three maps in the first two. Liquid lost their first two in the opening weeks but swept Karmine Corp last Thursday as $3.29 underdogs with VALORANT betting sites.

Karmine Corp haven’t been the most reliable team this stage, but Team Liquid played well on that day, and if they show the same level of performance on Wednesday, they can upset Fnatic.

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KOI are still in the race for a top-six finish in the VALORANT Champions Tour 2024 EMEA season, but their chances are slim to none. While seeing KOI defeat Natus Vincere wouldn’t be the most shocking thing that has happened this season, they also have to make it past Team Heretics next week.

Natus Vincere can secure their playoff ticket on Thursday, yet their form heading into this match is anything but inspiring. They collected four wins in the first stage but have lost all three outings in VCT 2024 EMEA Stage 2, going down to Team Heretics, FUT Esports, and GIANTX.

As they showed last stage, NaVi are capable of great things; however, their potential is hardly a good reason to have them priced as $1.30 favourites with the best esports betting sites — especially against KOI, who seem to have found some traction.

Team Liquid are 0-2 this stage, with defeats against Team Vitality and BBL Esports without winning a map. Karmine Corp have produced a similar run, losing to Fnatic and BBL Esports in two maps.

Based on those results, finding a good reason to favour one team over the other is difficult, so it’s hard to explain the offered price — especially considering Karmine Corp haven’t shown anything since winning the VCT 2024 EMEA Kickoff.

Team Liquid are priced at $1.68 to take at least one map, which is an excellent offer. But, at this number, taking Liquid on the moneyline is hard to pass on.

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With a 0-4 record and -42 round differential, KOI have nothing left to fight for in VCT 2024 EMEA Stage 1, as they won’t be making the knockout stage. But despite having no chance of qualifying for the playoffs, KOI have produced a couple of good maps over the last two weeks.

In Week 3, they played a very competitive Bind against Fnatic, and last Friday, KOI forced Karmine Corp to overtime on the third map. While KOI have been improving, Team Vitality have hit a slump.

Following two dominant showings in the second and third week of the stage, Team Vitality stumbled in VCT 2024 EMEA Stage 1 Week 4, when they lost to Gentle Mates and barely made it past GIANTX with a reverse-sweep.

Even though it’s not fair to overreact to two shaky showings, Team Vitality haven’t looked very stable, so it’s hard to believe they’ll walk away from this match unharmed.

Fnatic and Natus Vincere need this win badly, as they’re both in danger of not qualifying for the playoffs. And as two of the league’s top squads, neither can afford to miss another Masters event.

With a 3-1 record, Natus Vincere looks to be in good form, but they struggled against BBL Esports last week when NaVi suffered their first loss of VCT 2024 EMEA Stage 1. On the other side, Fnatic saw their three-game winning streak get snapped in half by FUT Esports on Thursday.

Both teams failed to show much in their recent outings, and there’s not much to set them based on their showings throughout the entire stage.

Fnatic are priced as favourites, mainly because we know what this roster is capable of, yet that means very little as Fnatic haven’t looked any better than Natus Vincere this split. At plus money, Natus Vincere are a much better bet.

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Team Vitality looked phenomenal over the last two weeks when they defeated Team Heretics and FUT Esports. Yet their hot streak came to a screeching halt on Wednesday when Vitality suffered an embarrassing 0-2 defeat against Gentle Mates.

Vitality have never been known for their consistency, which explains how they lost against Gentle Mates. And as concerning as that defeat may seem, Vitality are still a force to be reckoned with.

GIANTX have been holding on relatively well. Despite being 0-3, they took maps from Fnatic in Week 2 and Team Liquid last round. While that doesn’t change the fact that GIANTX are 0-5 this season, they have something going for them.

Team Vitality’s recent loss suggests they can lose to GIANTX. But that defeat shouldn’t be a reason to doubt Team Vitality, who have enough talent to turn things around against an inferior opponent.

Based on the results over the first three weeks of VCT 2024 EMEA Stage 1, KOI are the worst-performing VALORANT team in the region. They’re 0-3 with a -40 round differential and three losses against Team Liquid, BBL Esports, and Fnatic.

Following a strong start to the season, Karmine Corp have slowed down a bit recently, with back-to-back defeats against Natus Vincere and FUT Esports. While it’s hard to criticise KC too much for losing against two strong opponents, the eye test proves something isn’t clicking.

Karmine Corp are not at 100%, and they need to find a way to fix their tendency to crumble after the first map. But even with all the flaws KC have, they should run over KOI without any issues.

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Team Liquid will be looking to bounce back following a tough 0-2 loss against FUT Esports on Friday. That defeat came after a strong display against KOI in the tournament’s opening round, although beating KOI in their current state is hardly a huge accomplishment.

Natus Vincere didn’t accomplish their goals in the VCT 2024 EMEA Kickoff, but they still performed well. After topping Group B with wins against BBL Esports and Team Liquid, NaVi stumbled against the improved Team Heretics.

Priced at $1.33 with esports betting sites, Natus Vincere are expected to have a field day. Team Liquid have yet to find much traction with their new international lineup, and they already lost to Natus Vincere in February.

BBL Esports and KOI will meet on Thursday in a clash between two VCT 2024 EMEA bottom feeders as both sides look to bounce back from rough showings in Week 1. KOI started the tournament with a 0-2 defeat against the unconvincing Team Liquid, whereas BBL suffered a 0-2 loss against the newly promoted Gentle Mates.

With that defeat, BBL Esports made it even simpler to tag them as one of the weaker sides in the region, as they already struggled in the VCT 2024 EMEA Kickoff. On the other side, KOI found some success in the season-opening event and made it to the play-in stage with wins against Team Liquid and BBL.

KOI defeated BBL Esports in February with 2-0 and a combined map record of 26-13. That makes it easier to justify a wager on them for this match, as not much has changed since then.

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Karmine Corp were expected to do well in Madrid but finished the first Masters event of the 2024 VALORANT Champions Tour in fifth-sixth place, with just one victory against FunPlus Phoenix. EMEA’s second seed, Team Heretics, ended the event in last place — so perhaps it’s not that Karmine Corp are weak, but that the whole region isn’t that good.

GIANTX didn’t come even close to qualifying for VCT 2024 Masters Madrid. They finished the Kickoff event in 10th-11th place, earning the tag as one of EMEA’s weakest squads.

These teams last met in February, when Karmine Corp won 2-1, and there’s a good chance they’ll win again. Despite their uninspiring performance in Madrid, Karmine Corp are still one of the region’s top teams, whereas GIANTX can hardly be in the conversation of potential title candidates.

At $1.57, Karmine Corp are priced quite generously on the moneyline market, but the map handicap is a more appealing option.

KOI and Team Liquid had a disappointing start to the season. Despite being viewed as one of EMEA’s top VALORANT squads, Team Liquid finished the VCT 2024 EMEA Kickoff in seventh-ninth place, while KOI placed a spot higher in sixth.

Both teams had a long break to figure out where things went wrong, yet neither made any roster changes, so we can’t expect any significant improvement.

These sides have met twice this season. Team Liquid won the first clash 2-0 but lost the rematch 1-2, yet they are priced as $1.53 to win this affair.

Liquid simply aren’t good enough to be viewed as such big favourites with esports betting sites. This looks like a 50-50 match at best, so we’ll gladly side with KOI at underdog odds.

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Cloud9 faced a tough challenge against SAW but managed to emerge victorious in a thrilling 2-0 (19-17, 13-9) match.

Cloud9 secures its spot in the elimination stage with a solid series win against SAW! SAW now holds a record of 2W and 1L at the Major. #PGLMAJOR pic.twitter.com/w4ggnW6Lj4

— PGL (@pglesports) March 18, 2024

Despite a rocky start, Cloud9 displayed remarkable determination, particularly on Nuke, where they clawed back from the brink of defeat in overtime.

Led by standout performances from players like Abay “HObbit” Khassenov and Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov, Cloud9 demonstrated their ability to thrive under pressure and secure crucial rounds when it mattered most.

Meanwhile, Heroic showcased their prowess against Eternal Fire, sealing their victory with a flawless 2-0 (16-14, 13-7) score line.

@heroicgg secures their spot into the Elimination Stage at the PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024 with a clean sweep series against @eternalfiregg #PGLMAJOR pic.twitter.com/mTNd6HFQYG

— PGL (@pglesports) March 18, 2024

Despite facing early setbacks, Heroic rallied back with impressive displays of teamwork and individual skill.

René “TeSeS” Madsen led the charge with confidence, highlighting the team’s seamless coordination and strategic prowess.

Both Cloud9 and Heroic’s performances underscore their status as formidable contenders in the tournament.

With their resilience, adaptability, and talent on full display, they have set the stage for thrilling matchups in the elimination stage of PGL Major Copenhagen.

At the other end of the standings, KOI and AMKAL were the first two teams to be eliminated from the Major after recording their third loss of the opening stage.

TheMongolz and AMKAL played out a tough three-map series, but it was the Mongolian squad that would record the 2-1 (13-2, 8-13, 13-10) victory.

FURIA returned to form with a dominant 2-0 (13-6, 13-9) over KOI, as the Brazilians took care of their lesser-ranked opponents in the second of the elimination matches on day two.

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Going off the first two matches that both Imperial and Apeks have played, Imperial look to be in better form after playing out two close maps on day one.

Although paiN Gaming surprised a few with an opening series win, ENCE come into this match as heavy favourites with the top Counter-Strike betting sites, and we expect to see them winning this match well.

Both GamerLegion and Legacy have proved to be no pushover during their opening two matches, and this clash could be one of the closest best-of-one series on day two.

Given the up-and-down form of both ECSTATIC and Lynn Vision, it is hard to back any team with confidence; therefore, we will take the overs in the total rounds market.

Best-of-three matches

With their Major future on the line, TheMongolz and AMKAL will clash in a do-or-die best-of-three series, with both teams seeking their first win of the opening stage. Although both teams have 0-2 records, this series will be close, and we expect to see all three maps.

Eternal Fire have been impressive in their opening two clashes, defeating TheMongolz and paiN Gaming easily, while Heroic struggled to beat Imperial in overtime. Due to their recent form, we will be siding with Eternal Fire in this contest.

Both FURIA and KOI have struggled in both of their matches, and they will have to win here to stay alive in the Major. FURIA are the higher-ranked team and clear favourite here, so we will be siding with Brazilian squad.

Cloud9 and SAW will seek to earn promotion to the PGL Major Copenhagen elimination stage after recording back-to-back wins on day one. Given that SAW defeated Cloud9 in a best-of-three series two weeks ago, we are going to side with the underdog in this series.

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