by The 2019 CS:GO Europe Minor Championship will take place from July 17-21, when eight EU teams will fight it out for a ticket to the StarLadder Berlin Major. The group stage will commence on Wednesday, July 17, while the playoffs will kick off on Saturday, July 20 and conclude the following day.
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The tournament will feature two double-elimination GSL groups of four teams each, with Bo1 matches in the opening fixtures and Bo3 matches for all the following fixtures. The top two teams from each group will then advance into playoffs, where all matches will be Bo3.
There are no grand finals, but instead a winner’s final and a loser’s final. The winner of each final will earn a direct invite to the StarLadder Major, while the loser of the lower final will have another chance to qualify through the Minors’ Third-Place Play-In.
The groups for the 2019 CS:GO Europe Minor are as follows:
Group A – CR4ZY, mousesports, NoChance, Sprout
Group B – BIG, Fnatic, North, Team Ancient
Mousesports are +163 favourites in the CS:GO Europe Minor outright betting at BetOnline. They are ranked no.11 in the world and enter the tournament following a seventh-eighth finish at ESL One Cologne. CR4ZY (+750) are the next best team in Group A, with Sprout back at +1400 and NoChance living up to their name at +3300.
While mousesports are odds-on to reach the final four, they will need to bring their A-game. CR4ZY beat them 2-1 at the ESL One New York 2019 Europe Closed Qualifier at the start of July, so the potential for an upset is there – especially in Bo1. However, one suspects the favourites will lift with a spot in the Berlin Major on the line.
Group B is a little tighter, but not by much. North (no.10 in the world), Fnatic (no.13), Ancient (no.23) and BIG (no.27) will battle it out for the top two places, and their respective world rankings make it clear where the line will be drawn.
Ancient and BIG most certainly belong in the top 30, but there is a huge difference between a top-30 team and a top-15 team. Furthermore, the gap between Ancient and BIG compared to mouz is as wide on paper as it is on the battlefield.
BIG have their moments of greatness, which means they can challenge for a playoff spot if the stars align; however, their unpredictable form makes them difficult to trust when there is money on line.
CS:GO Europe Minor 2019 betting tips
CR4ZY, mousesports, Fnatic and North are the most likely teams to end up in the playoffs, but how do they compare against each other?
Right off the bat, CR4ZY will not outperform mousesports in a Bo3, despite the fact they did just that in NYC on July 9. This is the last chance for mouz to reach the StarLadder Major, and with the pressure on, we can expect them to raise their standard and avenge their defeat should the two sides happen to meet in playoffs once more.
North have struggled against mousesports in the past, and the same can be said for Fnatic, who lost against mouz in their most recent fixture in March. While there is no denying both are good teams, neither have impressed in recent times.
While North are capable of putting up a good fight, like they did at the ESL Pro League Season 9 Finals, that won’t be quite enough to stop mousesports on this occasion.
Prediction: mousesports to win the tournament – Best odds at BetOnline
2019 CS:GO Europe Minor outright odds
+163 – mousesports
+333 – North
+450 – Fnatic
+750 – CR4ZY
+1200 – Ancient
+1400 – Sprout
+1600 – BIG
+3300 – NoChance
See more CS:GO odds at BetOnline
