by ESB’s free Counter-Strike 2 betting tips for Wednesday, January 31, focus on four Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2024 Play-In matches. Here are our selections for Eternal Fire vs BetBoom Team, ENCE vs BIG, Heroic vs Astralis, and Team Spirit vs Apeks.
ETERNAL FIRE vs BETBOOM TEAM CS2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | EF -138.89 at BetOnline | BB +100 at BetOnline |
| When: | January 31, 2024 | 15:30 CET |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ESLCS) |
This will mark the first meeting between Eternal Fire and BetBoom Team, and according to the betting odds, the Turkish side is expected to start their Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2024 campaign with a win.
Eternal Fire are higher rated on the global Counter-Strike standings, albeit by just one position, and both teams are 3-1 since the turn of the year. Over that stretch, Eternal Fire beat Pera, IKLA, and MOUZ, while BetBoom Team defeated Zero Tenacity, BIG, and OG, which was a slightly tougher schedule.
There’s very little to separate the teams, and it’s tough to justify why EF is priced at -138.89. As a best-of-one series, this one can go either way, making it easy to pick a side.
BetBoom Team to win
HEROIC vs ASTRALIS CS2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | Heroic +162 at BetOnline | Astralis -227.27 at BetOnline |
| When: | January 31, 2024 | 15:30 CET |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ESLCS) |
Astralis had an explosive start to their BLAST Premier: Spring Groups 2024 campaign last week when they defeated Team Vitality and Team Falcons en route to a fifth-sixth-place finish. With those wins, Astralis are 6-2 since the turn of the year, albeit with just two notable wins.
Heroic haven’t looked great since the recent roster rebuild and recently lost to Cloud9 and BIG at Spring Groups. Before that, they defeated IKLA and SYnck, which is hardly something to celebrate.
Astralis have looked much better recently and field better players, but this is a regional derby between two rivals who know each other well. So, as much as this is Astralis’ game to lose, it’s fair to expect a close match.
Heroic +2.5 rounds
ENCE vs BIG CS2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | ENCE +120 at BetOnline | Liquid -163.93 at BetOnline |
| When: | January 31, 2024 | 16:30 CET |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ESLCS) |
BIG left a strong statement at BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2024, where they defeated Heroic and Cloud9 and played close series’ against Virtus.pro and Astralis. It was a much-needed bounceback for the German side, who went 0-3 in PGL Major Copenhagen 2024: European Qualifier A earlier this month.
BIG’s strong showing at Spring Groups is a big reason why they’re priced as favourites against ENCE. The other is that ENCE lost most of its top players to Team Falcons at the end of 2023 and has since played just one official match.
It’s tough to say how good ENCE will be with the new-look roster, but this is a competitive lineup that deserves some respect. The lack of official matches is concerning, but +120 is a very generous offer for a best-of-one series against a team that has produced only a few good games over the last month.
ENCE to win
TEAM SPIRIT vs APEKS CS2 BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | Spirit -277.78 at BetOnline | Apeks +200 at BetOnline |
| When: | January 31, 2024 | 17:30 CET |
| Watch Live: | Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ESLCS) |
Team Spirit finished BLAST Premier: Spring Groups 2024 in 13th-16th place with defeats against Team Liquid and FaZe Clan. In their defence, Spirit were without Boris “magixx” Vorobyev and Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, so those results don’t hold much weight.
Prior to BLAST Premier, Team Spirit held a 6-1 record and produced a near-perfect run through the European PGL Major Copenhagen qualifiers.
Apeks used to be very competitive at the top level, but the departure of top players left the squad scrambling to find traction. This year, Apeks have played just two official matches, a 13-5 win against EC BANGA and a rough 3-13 defeat against For The Win Esports.
Apeks are not in a good spot and haven’t shown anything memorable since early December. On the other hand, Team Spirit has been on an upswing over the last month and is rightly priced as a favourite to win on Wednesday.
