CS:GO ESL ONE: Europe & CIS Playoffs Predictions & Odds [May 16-17]

• FaZe and G2 square off for a grand final appearance against Astralis.
• HARD LEGION and Winstrike collide for a shot at the CIS grand finals.
• Ninjas In Pyjamas hope to salvage their disappointing season with a fifth place finish.

Neither the FaZe Clan nor G2 were able to stop Astralis’ uncanny road to the grand finals, but they’ll have to go through each other for one more shot against the European juggernauts. With the European grand finals just days away, will the winner of this match have anything left in the tank for the grand finals?

Heretics hopes to ride the strength of their AWPer Maka to a fifth place finish. Opposing them are the floundering Ninjas in Pyjamas, who themselves are hoping to avoid further disappointment after going 6-1 before their playoff slump.

Finally, GODSENT and North face off in a match between two scrappy contenders that is sure to deliver. The stakes are high and the tension is building for a memorable conclusion, and you won’t want to miss the action as the Road to Rio turns the final corner.

CS:GO ESL ONE: European/CIS Playoffs Odds

May 16

May 17

Odds taken from Unibet Sportsbook. Check out our NJ sportsbook bonus guide for the latest promo codes and offers.

Though FaZe was outright dominated by Astralis in their last match, there won’t be any time to take in the loss as G2 has battled to the cusp of a grand finals berth by the skin of their teeth. Both Niko and olofmeister were non factors against Astralis, but they are facing off against the right team to regain their confidence.

G2 advanced with another narrow win against Team Vitality, a tremendous testament to their composure. neXa’s huge 72-54 game was enough to get them the win, and he’ll have to be on point to avoid his team finally biting the dust.

While FaZe has been the stronger team overall, G2’s grit and ability to stay cool under pressure could be enough to spring the upset.

HARD LEGION or Winstrike To Challenge For Title

This is another match up where no one will envy the winner. HARD LEGION and Winstrike will have a hard enough time getting past each other, and it won’t be any easier to face the undefeated Team Spirit in the CIS finals. Though sporting identical records, Winstrike’s tougher competition makes them slight favorites in this match.

HARD LEGION should be well rested for the challenge, and the clutch play of Forester can’t be denied. Winstrike was firing on all cylinders in their 2-0 win over Syman Gaming, with El1an and bondik both in double digit positives in regard to kill/death ratios.

On paper, HARD LEGION might have more on their hands than they can handle. If Winstrike fails to take them out early though, then they might see their finals shot go up in smoke.

Ninjas In Pyjamas Hope To End Freefall

Despite posting an impressive 6-1 record and heading into the playoffs with a head of steam, Ninja in Pyjamas now find themselves fighting for the fifth place spot after a series of disappointing performances in the playoffs. Team Heretics may not be an elite team, but they’re playing well enough to potentially send NiP further down the hole.

Maka was essentially shut down in Heretics loss to G2, but NiP gave up 79 kills to fellow AWPer Zywoo in their loss to Team Vitality. This makes Maka a prime pick for a captain spot in daily fantasy, and the player that NiP must absolutely work to contain if they hope to pull this off.

REZ and Lekr0 must have another big game to stop their team from total collapse. Though both of these teams are playing for pride at this point, it’s still going to come down to who wants it more.

Our Pick

We like FaZe and Winstrike to challenge for the title in their respective divisions, and also see Team Heretics and GODSENT come out with wins.

Fantasy players would be advised to head to DraftKings and have Maka as captain with REZ, El1an, NiKo, Plopski and Forester as flex picks.