Michael Lee brings you his esports betting previews for three Counter-Strike: Global Offensive ESL Challenger League EU matches on Tuesday, November 22. Today, he looks at 1WIN vs Sprout, 9INE vs Falcons, and SINNERS vs K23.
Esports Betting Tips: Tuesday, November 22nd
1WIN vs Sprout
ESL Challenger League Europe Season 43
Sprout started their ESL Challenger League Europe Season 43 campaign in the Upper Bracket Round 1 on October 25, when they defeated Ungentium (16-8, 16-5) to book a spot in the second round. Unlike Sprout, 1WIN received a direct bye into the second round for their performance in ESL Challenger League S42, finishing in third place.
Since their victory against Ungentium, Sprout have played 12 matches and won all but six, with a 6-1-5 record. That doesn't look too good, but four of those fixtures came in the IEM Rio Major Legends Stage, where Sprout defeated Ninjas in Pyjamas but lost against BIG, Team Spirit, and Team Liquid.
Those are four of the world's strongest CS:GO teams, so I wouldn't worry too much about them, especially since Sprout's next opponents are a second-tier team at best.
1WIN did well to finish the 42nd ESL Challenger League in third place, but they've since attended just one more tournament - CCT North Europe Series #1 – where they finished second. Again, a solid result on paper, but the said tournament didn't field a robust lineup.
I wouldn't undervalue 1WIN's achievements, but we have to realise that 1WIN, compared to Sprout, have had a much easier schedule over the last few weeks and yet they've won just half of their previous ten games.
1WIN have shown some promise, but they haven't done enough for me to believe they can defeat Sprout. The German squad is very efficient in beating weaker teams, and they should do more than fine on Tuesday.
Sprout to win
$1.85 (1 Unit)
9INE vs Falcons
ESL Challenger League Europe Season 43
9INE re-entered the CS:GO scene in August but have since not achieved much. They've attended nine qualifiers and have won just two, ESL Mistrzostwa Polski Autumn 2022: Open Qualifier #2 and CCT Central Europe Series #2: Open Qualifier, which is not too exciting. But while 9INE needed a while to find traction, they finally claimed their first trophy on October 23, when the Polish squad won ESL Challenger League Season 42: Europe.
That was quite an impressive feat for a team that didn't come even close to winning a single CS:GO tournament over the previous two months. Still, 9INE soon returned to their old ways, with a 9th-16th place finish at CCT Central Europe Series #3 last week.
Record-wise, 9INE have played four games in November and have won just one, against HONORIS (2-0). The remaining three, against forZe (1-2), Copenhagen Flames (1-2), and Illuminar (0-2), all resulted in a loss.
Team Falcons are in a similar spot, as they've been struggling to achieve anything remarkable this season. They won ESL Challenger League Season 41: Europe in June but have since failed to add another trophy.
The French squad did come close to claiming it at the end of October with a runner-up finish at ESL Championnat National: Autumn 2022, but that, besides a top-four finish at CCT Central Europe Series #1 in September, remains their most notable achievement.
This month, Falcons signed KennyS to its lineup in hopes that the veteran AWPer can help stabilise the situation. I've yet to see that happen, but the Falcons have played just two games with their new player, so it's too early to judge.
9INE have shown some glimpses of greatness, but their recent form is concerning. Team Falcons are in a similar spot, but the addition of a veteran player gives them an upside. As a match between two struggling teams, this one has no clear favourite, so I don't mind taking the Falcons at 2.25.
Team Falcons to win
$2.25 (1 Unit)
SINNERS Esports vs K23
ESL Challenger League Europe Season 43
SINNERS Esports and K23 will meet in the first round of the lower bracket after losing their opening series of the tournament. K23 slipped against HEET (0-2), while SINNERS Esports lost against Movistar Riders (1-2) after beating Sangal Esports (2-1).
SINNERS Esports are 8-5 since the start of the month but 2-3 across their last five. On the other side, K23 are 5-3 since the turn of the month and 3-2 across their most recent five matches.
The teams have faced squads of similar quality lately. For example, SINNERS played against Movistar Riders (1-2), 00 Prospects (2-0), ex-Finest (0-2), BLUEJAYS (2-0), and Copenhagen Flames (0-2). Meanwhile, K23 have faced Ungentium (2-0), Copenhagen Flames (0-2), forZe (0-2), Illiminar (2-0) and again Copenhagen Flames (0-2).
Since the teams have a similar record, it's no surprise that they're priced at the same odds for this match, and I don't have a reason to argue with it. It's a match that can end either way, but while I can't call out a winner, the teams' map pool and inconsistency leads me to believe that we're in for a three-map series.
Over 2.5 maps
$1.85 (1 Unit)
