Things are hotting up in the Counter Strike: Global Offensive IEM Rio in Brazil with the second batch of quarter-finals taking place on Friday.
The first two quarter-finals were played out on Thursday with MOUZ, who scraped into the Champions Stage with a 3-2 record in the Legends Stage, stunning in-form Cloud9.
In the other, Outsiders made light work of Fnatic with a 2-0 victory.
The winning pair will now lock horns in the first IEM Rio semi-final.
On Friday, meanwhile, plucky Danes Heroic are set to take on Team Spirit and juggernauts Natus Vincere face home talents FURIA in the other two quarter-finals.
The winners of each of those clashes will also progress to the last four of the IEM Rio Champions stage as we edge closer to the tournament's conclusion.
The overall winners of the IEM Rio are set to scoop $500,000 in prize money and will automatically qualify for the IEM Katowice 2023 and the BLAST Premier Final 2022.
What | Heroic vs Team Spirit, CS:GO IEM Rio |
Where | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
When | 12.00 ET, Friday November 11th |
How to watch | ESL CS:GO Twitch & Youtube channel, bet365 live streaming |
Odds | Heroic -225, Team Spirit +162 |
Heroic looked sharp coming into the CS:GO IEM Rio, having come out on top in the BLAST Premier Fall Showdown Europe only last month, and they have carried that form into the tournament in Brazil.
The Danes entered the tournament at the Legends Stage and immediately showed their class with three wins from four matches and a round differential of +9.
Only Cloud9 and FURIA finished above them in the standings as they cruised through to the Champions Stage, in which they will lock horns with Team Spirit.
And it is no surprise to see Heroic favoured in this one at -225 with Team Spirit priced at +162 to come out on top.
Spirit also made it through directly to the Legends Stage of the IEM Rio but their campaign went down to the wire and they only just secured a quarter-final berth with a 3-2 win-loss record.
But they posted a round differential of +23 in the process and, even though Heroic look the better match pick, Spirit are unlikely to be completely rolled over.
Earlier in the summer, Spirit showed their class by making the last four of the PGL Major Antwerp and only last month they won the FiReLEAGUE Global Finals.
With that in mind, a bet on Heroic to win 2-1 looks the wisest approach at a decent price of +220.
What | FURIA vs Natus Vincere, CS:GO IEM Rio |
Where | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
When | 15.30pm, Friday November 11th |
How to watch | ESL CS:GO Twitch & Youtube channel, bet365 live streaming |
Odds | FURIA +137, Natus Vincere -188 |
Natus Vincere are regarded as one of the biggest teams in the world of CS:GO but punters should not be misguided by the team's reputation when picking a bet in their quarter-final with FURIA.
The former world number ones enjoyed a terrific summer, winning the BLAST Premier Spring Final and finishing as runners-up at the IEM Cologne.
Much of the year has been about their rivalry with FaZe Clan, but it is fair to say both sides have fallen away a bit recently and Natus Vincere, otherwise known as NAVI, have not exactly lit up the IEM Rio.
They qualified directly for the Legends Stage but left it until the last game day to qualify with three wins and two defeats from five matches.
And they could be up against it when they face the last Brazilian team remaining in the IEM Rio - FURIA Esports.
FURIA have made the most of home crowds in Tio de Janeiro, finishing the Challengers Stage with a 3-1 record and becoming the only side from their nation to make the Legends Stage.
And in the Legends Stage they took things up another year, posting a 3-0 record and a round differential of +30, finishing second behind Cloud9.
They looked untouchable in wins over ENCE, Team Spirit and BIG and although Natus Vincere represent a step-up in quality, FURIA are still worth chancing to cause an upset at +137 on their own patch.
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