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The second big seasonal tournament in the BLAST Premier circuit returns to Copenhagen, as eight teams are set to battle it out inside the Royal Arena for the $200,000 main prize and a spot at the upcoming BLAST World Finals in Abu Dhabi. Let’s take a closer look at the event’s opening matchups in this BLAST Fall Finals Opening Day betting preview!
Bet on BLAST Fall Finals
FaZe vs NIP (10:00 CET, Nov. 22)
Alejandro “alex” Masanet’s debut match as NIP’s in-game leader couldn’t have been more difficult, as the Ninjas face the world’s best CS2 team, in FaZe, in the tournament’s opening game.
FaZe are the overwhelming favourites coming into the match, which is completely understandable, considering they are currently on a 15-game win streak and they’ve won the past three tournaments they attended (two LAN, one online).
Taking into account all the circumstances, if NIP manage to trouble FaZe at any point in the game, I would consider that a success for the Swedish organization.
- Prediction: FaZe (2-0) NIP
- Odds: FaZe Win (-589), NIP Win (+393)
- CS2 Gambling Site: GG.Bet
Cloud9 vs NAVI (13:00 CET, Nov. 22)
The two powerhouses meet for the first time, since Denis “electroNic” Sharipov’s and Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy’s blockbuster move from NAVI to Cloud9 earlier this year.
In fact, C9’s current roster consists of three players from the legendary 2021 NAVI lineup, which dominated the competitive scene at the time, winning the PGL Stockholm Major in the process – making them esports betting favourites.
With this match being Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov’s debut game with NAVI, and Cloud9 playing without a dedicated AWPer since the sudden departure of Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov a few weeks ago, it’s very hard to call who’ll come out on top in this matchup.
- Prediction: Cloud9 (1-2) NAVI
- Odds: Cloud9 Win (-145), NAVI Win (+114)
- CS2 Gambling Site: GG.Bet
Vitality vs Heroic (16:00 CET, Nov. 22)
Despite both teams having undergone changes before this tournament, Vitality should have the upperhand in this matchup against an in-flux Heroic team that has just lost their two best riflers in Martin “stavn” Lund and Jakob “jabbi” Nygaard.
The Danish organization called upon their former AWPer and IGL, Casper “cadiaN” Moller, to lead the team in his last ever tournament under the Heroic banner. However, beating a Vitality squad with Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut and Lotan “Spinx” Giladi in the opening day matchup will be a tough order.
Nevertheless, Vitality will also be fielding a new addition to the team in the form of William “mezii” Merriman, who has been acquired by the Bees a couple weeks ago from fnatic.
After spending years in middle-of-the-pack level teams, the Brit will finally get the chance to prove himself on championship-contending roster against the esports odds.
- Prediction: Vitality (2-0) Heroic
- Odds: Vitality Win (-286), Heroic Win (+216)
- CS2 Gambling Site: GG.Bet
Complexity vs Astralis (19:00 CET, Nov. 22)
Complexity and Astralis will close out the opening day competition in probably the closest matchup yet. Both teams are in a similar position in the scene, where they are capable of beating the top teams, but not on a consistent basis.
However, the American-majority squad has been in greater form recently, reaching the Grand Final of the first ever CS2 event in IEM Sydney. Astralis on the other hand did quite well at the CS Asia Championships, where they bowed out at the semi-final stage.
CS2 odds have Complexity as favourites in this matchup, but I think both teams have what it takes to advance to the next stage of the tournament.
- Prediction: Complexity (2-1) Astralis
- Odds: Complexity Win (-125), Astralis Win (-102)
- CS2 Gambling Site: GG.Bet
