While esports continues to wind down in 2020, CS:GO is still alive and kicking. This week we look at the CS:GO Intel Extreme Masters Group Stage which gets underway on December 15th. Below you’ll find our preview of the matches of the day, and CS:GO looks to end 2020 with a bang.
BIG v Vitality
BIG was not due to be a part of this latest Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) event, however, they’ve come in as last-minute replacements for Chaos Esports and will be looking to hit hard. BIG came into the series as the favourites against Team Vitality at 33/20 and we’d expect the German side to get off to a strong start.
Team Vitality would have been expecting a much easier first game, however, they’ll need to face off against the best at some point, it just might be earlier than expected. We have Team Vitality out at 4/9 to take the upset. One important thing to note is that BIG has only played on the 10th of December, meaning the turnaround for this series is much longer. That might give Vitality the upper hand.
Astralis v Complexity
Astralis, like BIG, is currently playing in the BLAST Premier Fall 2020 Finals, which gives Complexity some additional time to prepare for the series. Astralis are 4/23 favourites for the series, and regardless Astralis shouldn’t have any problems against Complexity, and given the odds we have them at, we’d be surprised to see it go any other way, even if Astralis ends up playing two days before in the BLAST Grand Final.
Complexity will face an uphill battle to take down Astralis. Who, despite maybe not being the powerhouse of the past are still regularly knocking down teams. Having not played since December 4th in a defeat to FURIA, Complexity will certainly be rested. Astralis will pose a tough challenge, and at 18/5 they’re the outsiders for us.
Natus Vincere v FURIA
Natus Vincere came into this as favourites at 8/13 with the pair meeting on the 11th of December at the BLAST Premier Fall 2020 Finals, which might give us an even better indication of what to expect. The loser of that series will find their next CS:GO match being against the other side in this series, so a lot is on the line. While the result on the 11th could change how things go, we expect Natus Vincere to take the series.
FURIA are outsiders for this series at 5/4 however, as we mentioned before, the pair play on the 11th so keep an eye on the odds after that series to get a better idea. FURIA has beaten one of the other sides in this event recently, so they’ll be in with a shot at the event, though Natus Vincere will certainly pose an early threat.
*All odds correct at time of writing.