Counter Strike: Global Offensive's BLAST Premier Fall Finals are just over a month away and there are two more spaces up for grabs for the high-profile event in Copenhagen.
Six teams have already qualified for the event through the BLAST Premier Fall Groups - OG, Natus Vincere, Team Liquid, FaZe Clan, G2 Esports and Ninjas In Pyjamas - and the last two to join them will be determined by the European and American showdowns.
The two tournaments will run at the same time this week and are both straight knockout competitions featuring eight teams in each.
The quarter-finals get underway on Wednesday with two matches in the European showdown - Team Vitality vs TYLOO and Astralis vs Eternal Fire - and one match in the American showdown - Complexity Gaming vs Sharks.
At the end of the showdown events, one team will qualify from the European competition and one will qualify from the North American event.
These sides will then complete the lineup for the BLAST Premier Fall Finals, which feature a prize pool of $425,000, with the winner of that event progressing to the end-of-year BLAST World Finals.
Vitality should not have many issues against underdogs TYLOO
| What | Team Vitality vs TYLOO, BLAST Premier Fall |
| Where | Europe |
| When | 15.30pm, Wednesday 19th October 2022 |
| How to watch | BLAST Premier Twitch & Youtube channels |
| Odds | Team Vitality 1/50, TYLOO 10/1 |
Currently number one in the HLTV world CS:GO rankings, Team Vitality are expected to storm through the European Showdown and reach next month's BLAST Premier Fall Finals with ease.
And it is no surprise to see them rated 1/50 to win their quarter-final contest with TYLOO, who are down in 191st spot in the same world ranking system.
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Team Vitality were exceptional at the recent ESL Pro League season 16, winning all five of their group contests and not dropping a map in the playoffs until the final, in which they overpowered Team Liquid 3-2.
They are in great shape right now and punters should expect a fast start from the favourites, so backing Team Vitality at -6.5 on the rounds handicap on map one at 5/6 could be the best way to play it.
Neither Astralis nor Eternal Fire make appeal in quarter-final tussle
| What | Astralis vs Eternal Fire, BLAST Premier Fall |
| Where | Europe |
| When | 18.30pm, Wednesday 19th October 2022 |
| How to watch | BLAST Premier Twitch & Youtube channels |
| Odds | Astralis 8/15, Eternal Fire 11/8 |
After having failed to qualify for the upcoming Rio Major - the next big event in the world of CS:GO - the pressure is on Danish side Astralis, who punters should not rush to back against Eternal Fire.
Astralis have also had to play with Academy stand-in Mikkel "MistR" Thomsen recently and are set to do so again, so are not at full strength going into this event.
Fortunately for Astralis, their opening opponents in the European Showdown are an Eternal Fire side who have lost three of their last five matches and will also not feature at the Rio Major.
Neither side make much appeal in the result markets and neither are expected to make the final of the European Showdown either with the winner of the contest likely to face red-hot Team Vitality in the last four.
But there is not a massive amount between the sides and punters should look to back over 2.5 maps at 5/6.
Complexity expected to have too much for Sharks
| What | Complexity Gaming vs Sharks, BLAST Premier Fall |
| Where | North America |
| When | 21.30pm, Wednesday 19th October 2022 |
| How to watch | BLAST Premier Twitch & Youtube channels |
| Odds | Complexity Gaming 1/10, Sharks 11/2 |
The first match in the BLAST Premier Fall American Showdown pits North America's Complexity Gaming against Brazilian underdogs Sharks.
Complexity are still some way off the big guns in CS:GO in their region but they are a respectable 18th in the HLTV world CS:GO rankings and enjoyed a decent run at season 16 of the ESL Pro League.
They managed to squeeze through the group stage of the ESL Pro League, finishing above Astralis with a 3-2 record, before crashing out in the round of 12. They managed to pick up two 2-0 victories in that event against ENCE and HEET and look a solid bet at 4/7 to win by that scoreline against Sharks.
Another way to play it could be to back Complexity at -10.5 on the rounds handicap in map one.
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