Counter Strike: Global Offensive has become one of the world’s most popular team-based video games for professional eSports competitions. This weekend, there are a variety of leagues in action, and for the online betting enthusiast, there are a number of matches that can bring you some money. Take a look at our thoughts about Saturday’s clashes and their Counter Strike Betting Odds.
eSports: Counter Strike Global Offensive – ESL Match Preview: May 9
ESL UK Premiership Grand Final
CeX EPS vs EndPoint (7:00 am ET)
The ESL UK Premiership Grand Final pits the top two teams from the regular season standings, as CeX EPS finished 6-1 to lead the league and EndPoint finished tied with two other teams with a 5-2 record but posted a +48 game differential to take the second seed into the playoffs. The top four teams qualified for the playoffs, with EndPoint getting a bye to the semifinal, where they knocked off Vexed, 2-0, to face CeX EPS. The two teams met in the regular season, with EndPoint eking out a 16-13 win over CeX EPS, giving the top seed their only loss on the schedule. I like CeX EPS to get revenge in the Grand Final.
Prediction: CeX EPS wins
ESL One: Road to Rio
forZe (1.55) vs Gambit Youngsters (2.36) (9:00 am ET)
forZe has beaten Gambit Youngsters in three of their four matchups to date, although Gambit Youngsters won the last one, prevailing 2-0 at LOOT.BET Season 6.
forZe has alternated wins and losses over their last five matches across all competitions, but they have won their last two ESL One: Road to Rio matches, beating Winstrike, 2-0, on May 5 and then taking down Unique two days later. They have gone 1-2 in their last three matches in Home Sweet Home Cup 3. Gambit Youngsters has gone 1-2 in their last three ESL One: Road to Rio matches, beating Unique and then losing to Nemiga and Winstrike. In LOOT.BET Season 6, they actually beat forZe on May 4 but lost to Espada and Nemiga. I like forZe to turn the tables here.
Prediction: forZe wins
Unique (3.61) vs Nemiga (1.25) (9:00 am ET)
Unique and Nemiga have met eight times, with Nemiga winning five overall — and the last four in a row. The last time Unique beat Nemiga was on July 18, 2019, at the KING OF BETSCSGO.GG tournament.
Unique has taken five straight losses without winning so much as a single game, falling to Ztayhome at Dell Gaming Cup 2 and then losing to Winstrike, Gambit Youngsters, Team Spirit and forZe at ESL One: Road to Rio. Nemiga has won two of their last five matches and two of their last four at ESL One: Road to Rio. Their victories came on April 30 over forZe and May 5 over Gambit Youngsters, but they have lost to Team Spirit and Winstrike. Given these trends, Nemiga is the smart pick.
Prediction: Nemiga wins
Winstrike (2.56) vs Team Spirit (1.47) (9:00 am ET)
These two teams have met five times overall. Team Spirit has three wins, Winstrike has one, while the teams drew at Legend Series #5 back in 2018. Winstrike won the most recent match at the BLAST Pro Series Moscow 2019 CIS Closed Qualifier.
Winstrike has won four of five across all competitions. They beat Gambit Youngsters on May 7 in ESL One: Road to Rio play, bouncing back from a loss to Winstrike two days before. Team Spirit has a five-match winning streak across all competitions, including four in a row in ESL One: Road to Rio. I like them to continue that momentum.
Prediction: Team Spirit wins
Fnatic (1.43) vs NiP (2.9) (12:30 pm ET)
Fnatic and NiP know each other well, having played 25 times. Fnatic has dominated the series with 20 wins against just five for NiP.
Fnatic beat Complexity Gaming on May 6 in ESL One: Road to Rio play, bouncing back from a loss to Vitality on May 2. They have won three of their last five, all part of this event. NiP has won four of their last five, beating Dignitas and ENCE before losing to Astralis. They bounced back to beat Complexity Gaming and Heretics. NiP seems to have a bit more going lately, and they offer more value.
Prediction: NiP wins
ENCE (5.23) vs Astralis (1.17) (12:30 pm ET)
Astralis has won three of their last five matchups against ENCE, although ENCE dominated action at the BLAST Pro Series Madrid 2019 tournament, beating Astralis twice. Astralis beat ENCE on March 20 in ESL Pro League Season 11 play.
ENCE rolls in on a five-match winning streak across all competitions, winning three in a row at the Elisa Invitational 2020 and then beating Dignitas and Vitality in ESL One: Road to Rio play. Astralis has won four of their last five matches, all in ESL One: Road to Rio. Their wins have come over Dignitas, Heretics, NiP and Vitality. ENCE offers a lot more value here and has been playing hot, so I’m siding with them here.
Prediction: ENCE wins
Vitality (1.49) vs Heretics (2.68) (12:30 pm ET)
These two teams have never met, so there’s no track record for these two gaming clubs.
Vitality has won three of five in ESL One: Road to Rio play, beating Complexity gaming, Dignitas and fnatic, while losing to ENCE and Astralis. Heretics has won two in a row — but in BLAST Rising 2020. They have dropped two straight matches in ESL One: Road to Rio, falling to NiP and Astralis. The smart pick here is Vitality.
Prediction: Vitality wins
Dignitas (2.12) vs Complexity Gaming (1.74) (12:30 pm ET)
Dignitas has never beaten Complexity Gaming in seven tries. However, they haven’t met since August 2018, in the MSI MGA North America Closed Qualifier.
Dignitas has won three of five across all competitions but has dropped two straight in ESL One: Road to Rio, falling to Astralis and ENCE. Their wins have come over teams at the Elisa Invitational 2020. Complexity Gaming beat ENCE before losing to NiP and fnatic at ESL One: Road to Rio. They also dropped two in a row at Home Sweet Home Cup 3. I don’t see Dignitas ending their futility here.
Prediction: Complexity Gaming wins
