The 2023 Forward Cup round four lower match action continues with four teams battling to better their final positioning heading into round five of this event.
Friday's matches saw a number of teams secure themselves into the postseason. The four teams in action on Saturday don't have that same fate as each of them have a record below .500. FTW Esports will try to secure a win against los kogutos. While Nexus Gaming faces-off against Team Atlantic.
Each of these teams find themselves at 1-2 respectively coming into Saturday's matches. A win gives any of them one last chance of sneaking into the final playoff spot. It's all about victories if any of these teams want to keep playing at this event.
Let's dive into Saturday's slate of matches.
Nexus Gaming outright is a smart move
| What | Team Atlantic vs Nexus Gaming, CS:GO Forward Cup |
| Where | Europe |
| When | 12:00, Saturday 7th January 2023 |
| Odds | Atlantic 11/8, Nexus 8/15 |
Team Atlantic has a big task ahead of them as they head into their round four match with Nexus Gaming. Neither team has been able to build any confidence coming in as both share the same record at 1-2.
Team Atlantic reached this point with a 2-0 loss against FTW Esports in their first match, before knocking off The Chosen Few 2-0. Their most recent outcome was a 2-1 loss at the hands of Ungentium who qualified for the playoffs.
As for Nexus Gaming, they have plenty of work to do with losses in two of their last three matches.
Their one win came against ROYALS, who are the first team just outside of a playoff berth. That win looks good on Nexus' resume, but it isn't enough for the team not to be playing in the bottom of the table.
Their losses were rough as well as they gave Ungentium a tough match losing in three maps. They failed to score a map win when they faced-off with Iron Branch and they weren't able to put up any firepower in that match either.
This is a big change for Nexus Gaming, as they had won six straight tournaments coming into this event. They have a longshot of still rallying to win the Forward Cup and they could get on the right track with a win against Team Atlantic.
They haven't faced this team before, but that shouldn't be that much of an obstacle. Nexus Gaming is a smart play at 8/15 to win outright.
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FTW has experience edge against los kogutos
| What | los kogutos vs. FTW, CS:GO Forward Cup |
| Where | Europe |
| When | 15:00, Saturday 7th January 2023 |
| Odds | los kogutos 11/10, FTW 4/6 |
FTW Esports looks to be a clear favourite for this match, but that doesn't mean they can take their opponent lightly. The team will have to be on top of their game, or this is the end of the road for FTW. Both teams are 1-2, and a third loss ends any hope for a playoff berth. Plus, there are only four playoff spots remaining.
FTW sits tied with los kogutos but has been much closer to their competition thus far. FTW started off this event with a strong win beating Team Atlantic 2-0, but they have since failed to win matches against ENCE Academy and LeoGaming, two teams who look well on their way to the playoffs. The points margins in rounds is 76-84 for FTW, while it is a big gap for los kogutos at 51-73.
In addition, los kogutos’ only win thus far was by forfeit as JANO Esports hasn't played any of their three matches to this point. The team also failed to win maps in their other two matches. They lost to Monte, and IKLA.
For the Win has been known for their top finishes in CS:GO, with either a championship or a runner-up finish in each of their last 10 events. They even partook in the ESL Challenger League in Europe but failed to win a match.
This team could easily be playing at the A-Tier level, and if they can make a late push in this event, that could help them get 2023 off to a strong start. DDias has to use his leadership to get FTW back in the hunt in this event.
Keeping an eye on him and los kogutos captain maaryy will be a key factor in this match-up. Neither team has momentum, but For the Win Esports looks to be in a much better situation. Taking them for the win at 4/6 appears the best choice.
