Day Two of the IEM Road to Rio 2022 European RMR Qualifiers delivered a couple of significant upsets as expected. Most notably, BIG managed to outplay Team Vitality while Outsiders shocked many with their victory over Heroic. Another team that overcame the odds was Sprout with their win over Team Spirit on Mirage.
Looking at the very top of the IEM Road to Rio 2022 RMR Group A, we’ve got two matches to determine the first two teams that will qualify with the coveted Legend status. Sprout will have the tall task of going up against FaZe Clan. The second match will feature a showdown between the Ninjas in Pyjamas and Cloud 9. On the other side of the table, Eternal Fire has found itself in quite a predicament as the Turkish hopefuls will fight for their tournament lives against Aurora Gaming. forZe is another team that is in danger of elimination, but they are entering their matchup against ECSTATIC as the heavy favorites.
In the IEM Road to Rio 2022 RMR Group B, we’ve somewhat surprisingly got the duo of BIG and Outsiders in prime position for a spot at the main event. Outsiders will face off against Na’Vi in the classic CIS grudge match, while BIG will be looking to cash in their ticket to Rio against ENCE. Conversely, the Portuguese side of SAW will be looking to extend their tournament lives against HEET after a devastating loss to Monte yesterday. Illuminar Gaming is another team facing elimination with their matchup against FANTASY looking like any man’s game.
With the stakes exponentially rising as we head into the third day of the IEM Road to Rio 2022 European qualifiers, the level of Counter-Strike is guaranteed to increase. It remains to be seen which of the teams will buckle under the pressure, and which ones will prosper under some of the CS:GO scene’s brightest lights. It should be noted that all advancement and elimination matches will be played as best-of-threes, while the rest will still be best-of-ones. Let’s take a look at some of our top CS:GO betting tips and predictions for the third day.
Cloud 9 vs. Ninjas in Pyjamas
Cloud 9 is entering the series against NIP as the huge favorite and with good reason. The team has shown that they are not solely dependent on sh1ro, with Ax1Le stepping up with the rest of the squad when the AWPers shot was not connecting. Apart from the individual ability to frag the team possesses, Cloud 9’s teamwork so far has been a thing of beauty.
The Ninjas in Pyjamas have shown some signs of life after their poor showing at ESL Pro League 16. Aleksib’s addition has so far produced mixed results, as it’s evident that the team is still adapting to its new IGL. On a brighter note, the team’s duo of Rez and Brollan has looked dominant lately. While the Ninjas are not without their chances, they will have a tough time beating Cloud 9.
Looking at the map preferences, Cloud 9 will surely be looking to avoid playing Nuke against NIP, while the Swedes will most likely go for their usual Dust 2 ban. Cloud 9 is bound to go for their trusty Anicent, with NIP turning to Inferno. The third map of the series will most likely be Overpass, a map both teams are quite proficient at.
Taking into account the map picks and current form, Cloud 9 will most likely come out on top in this series. But whether it’s Nuke or Inferno that goes NIP’s way, the Swedes are going to have a huge advantage on either map. Simply put, we feel like this series is very likely to go to map three to decide the outcome.
Prediction: Total Maps | Over 2.5 |
Odds: 2.09
Bookmaker: GGBET
100% Bonus
+ Up To $/€200
forZe vs. ECSTATIC
forZe have found themselves starring down a barrel of elimination after opening the tournament with two razor-thin losses. The Russian squad will be looking to prolong their tournament IEM Road to Rio tournament life against the Danish squad of ECSTATIC. Truth be told, the difference in talent is quite massive between the two sides as forZe are entering the series as the absolute favorites. While we’re not counting ECSTATIC out entirely, they will have a tough time taking down one of the CIS region’s strongest teams.
When it comes to the possible map picks, forZe is guaranteed to insta-ban Vertigo, which is one of ECSTATIC’s favorite maps. ECSTATIC on the other hand will likely ban Mirage. The most likely maps to get picked up are Dust 2 and Overpass, which both heavily lean towards forZe. Finishing off the bans, forZe should opt for Ancient while ECSTATIC’s best choice could be Inferno, leaving Nuke as the kicker.
With both teams fighting for their tournament lives, forZe should be able to outmuscle the Danes. Looking at the map picks and difference in firepower, this should be forZe’s series.
Prediction: Correct Map Score | forZe 2:0 |
Odds: 2.19
Bookmaker: GGBET
100% Bonus
+ Up To $/€200
