?Astralis were one of the most dominant teams of the group stage. Even though they have played three relatively close series – against Movistar Riders (16-13), Heroic (16-14), and Complexity (16-14) – the Danes ended up with a perfect 5-0 record and a +24 round differential.

Team Fiend were far less convincing, but they have done enough to make it out of Group D with three wins. Their run was far from perfect but the Bulgarian squad have shown solid mental and bounced back from a 0-2 start to win the final three matches against Fnatic (16-12), Team Fiend (16-5), and FaZe Clan (16-6).

Astralis field far better players, so it makes sense for the top esports betting sites to price them as the favourites. However, with the form Team Fiend have been showing of late, there is a real possibility Kamen “bubble” Kostadinov and co. can surprise and steal at least one map.

?G2 Esports are a difficult team to figure out. They are talented enough to be considered one of the top teams in the scene, but G2 lack consistency, which makes it tough to justify a bet on them.

ENCE have exceeded expectations with their run through the round-robin stage. They have picked up a commanding win against Team Vitality (16-8) but have also produced a very close and underwhelming series against Dignitas (16-14).

The offered CS:GO betting odds seem fair. G2 Esports should win more times than not but are inconsistent enough to deserve the $1.52 price; meanwhile, ENCE can win, but only if G2 slip. We expect G2 to deliver, but they have yet to show enough for us to believe they can do it in straight maps. A bet on over 2.5 maps makes the most sense.

?Movistar Riders made it through Group B with a 3-2 record and a -1 round differential. Even though they have done well, it’s hard to be overly impressed with their performances. The 16-14 win against Complexity was a fluke, while beating Sinners Esports (16-14) and Endpoint (16-12) isn’t exactly a huge achievement.

On the other hand, Ninjas in Pyjamas won all five of their group stage matches, defeating Team Fiend (16-4), FaZe Clan (16-8), SKADE (16-14), Fnatic (16-7), and Double Poney (16-12). Although NiP’s opponents weren’t that much stronger than Riders’, we have to acknowledge how dominant the Swedes were in four of five outings. Movistar Riders deserve some respect for reaching the playoffs, but they should stand no chance against the current no.6 team in the world.

?Copenhagen Flames topped Group A with a perfect 5-0 record, which indicates excellent form, but we should take their success with a grain of salt. G2 Esports and BIG were the only two teams of note in that group, and both have been in poor form of late. While we have to acknowledge Copenhagen’s 19-16 win against G2 and 16-9 against BIG, the Danes also dropped 14 rounds against AURA and 12 against FunPlus Phoenix.

Team Vitality slipped once during their group stage run, against ENCE (8-16), but they still came out with a 4-1 record and +23 round differential. Like any team, Vitality can blunder a game, but this is still the no.3 CS:GO team in the world. A lot will have to go wrong for the French squad to lose even a map on Thursday.

?Many people will want to fade Complexity following their performance against FaZe Clan (14-16, 16-7, 0-16) on Sunday at BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2021. Still, this is a good team, more than capable of competing against elite rosters – with or without Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke.

Astralis have been more stable with their showings, but they’re not that much better than Benjamin “blameF” Bremer and his crew. It’s also important to consider that the core players of Astralis are reportedly leaving the organisation at the end of the season, so it’s fair to question their motivation.

This is a 50/50 match that can go both ways. We like Complexity at the offered CS:GO betting odds.

?Dignitas will have to overperform to qualify for the 2021 PGL Major Stockholm, and while it wouldn’t be the first time they would defy the odds, we wouldn’t count on it happening. That’s not necessarily because Dignitas are a bad team, but because they’re weaker than most teams in their group, including OG.

OG have flown under the radar for a while, but they are a dark horse team to win any premier CS:GO tournament. That was evident at ESL Pro League Season 14, where OG finished fourth, adding to their success from June when Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen and co. reached the finals of Intel Extreme Masters XVI Summer.

What’s more, OG’s only three losses since August (7-3) came against Vitality (world no.3), NaVi (no.1), and FaZe Clan (no.5). OG are much better than Dignitas and should win with at least five rounds to spare.

Team Vitality are not quite as good as they were at the end of 2020, but they’re slowly getting there. The French squad have made it to the finals of ESL Pro League Season 14 (2-3 against Natus Vincere) and won Group A at BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2021 earlier this month, which are excellent results.

They still have some things to work on, but Vitality have finally started playing like a proper team. ENCE have shown some life with a top-eight finish at the ESL Pro League; but their only wins came against two struggling teams in Astralis and Team Spirit and Bad News Bears.

ENCE can have their moments, but they are outclassed by Vitality in all aspects of the game. ENCE are not what they used to be, and unless Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut and co. underperform, the Finns will struggle to keep this match close.