The BLAST Premier World Final is the pinnacle of the Counter Strike: Global Offensive season and it is edging closer to its conclusion.
Taking place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, the S-Tier event began on Wednesday and runs through to Sunday with eight teams in contention.
The teams involved qualified for the end-of-season event through performances in Majors or the ESL Pro League or through their positions on the BLAST Premier Global Leaderboard.
With a $1million prize pool up for grabs - $500,000 of which goes to the winners - the event began with a double-elimination format group stage.
The eight teams were initially split into Groups A and B with the top three in each section making the playoffs and the bottom side in each group automatically eliminated.
The playoffs are in a single-elimination bracket and are now at the semi-final stage.
Team Liquid overpowered Natus Vincere in their quarter-final and have been rewarded for their efforts with a semi-final clash with OG, who progressed directly to the last four as a result of topping Group B.
FaZe Clan, meanwhile, won Group A and moved on directly to the semi-final phase of the playoffs in which they will face G2 Esports.
The winners of each semi-final tie will progress to the Grand Final and battle it out for the greatest honour on the CS:GO BLAST Premier circuit.
What: FaZe Clan vs G2 Esports, CS:GO BLAST Premier World Final
Where: Abu Dhabi
When: 15.00, Saturday 17th December 2022
How to watch: DAZN & bet365 Live Streaming
Odds: FaZe Clan 8/13, G2 Esports 6/5
Tumultuous season could finish on a high note for FaZe Clan FaZe Clan's season has had an intriguing narrative.
It started so well for the European side, who placed in the top three in the BLAST Premier Spring Groups before winning the IEM Katowice in February.
They followed that triumph up by winning season 15 of the ESL Pro League and then going on to take the PGL Major Antwerp title in May.
They were not done there, though, as FaZe Clan also managed to come out on top in the IEM Cologne and the SteelSeries Nova Invitational in the summer season and there was an aura of invincibility about the team.
Along with Natus Vincere, they became the team to beat on the CS:GO circuit with Finn "karrigan" Andersen setting the example as in-game leader.
However, after the summer, things changed and the team appeared to run out of steam. They suffered a quarter-final exit in season 16 of the ESL Pro League, having failed to top their group initially, and that was followed by an underwhelming showing at the IEM Rio Major in Brazil in which they finished rock bottom of the Legends Stage with a 0-3 record.
But a second-placed finish at the BLAST Premier Fall Finals suggested FaZe could be on the up again and they will be determined to finish 2022 on a positive note.
FaZe Clan are getting back to their best
Indeed FaZe Clan have made their mark at the BLAST Premier World Final, topping Group A with two wins from two games and also racking up the best round differential in the tournament (+24) in the process.
Their opening win came against their upcoming semi-final opponents G2 Esports before they also got the better of Team Liquid, winning the last two maps 16-5 (Inferno) and 16-9 (Anubis) in that contest.
Form is on FaZe's side once again and they could represent great value at 8/13 to come out on top in this one and book their place in the Grand Final.
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G2 Esports should not be written off entirely
Although the pedigree and renewed confidence of FaZe Clan is hard to ignore, G2 Esports are not exactly minnows on the CS:GO circuit and could put up a fight.
They were one of two sides to take a map off FaZe Clan in the group stage, prevailing on the opening map in their encounter, and G2's quarter-final against Team Vitality was also settled by a 2-1 scoreline.
With that in mind, another way to bet on this match could be to back FaZe Clan to win 2-1, which is available at 9/4.
Punters may also want to look at over 2.5 maps at 5/6 if wanting to avoid a bet on the outcome of the match.
