ESL Pro League Season 16 has wrapped up the Group stage, and now the eight remaining squads are preparing for the Quarters. All of the favorites from the four respective groups have qualified for the Playoff stage. However, some of the real upsets were Natus Vincere advancing to the round of 12 and Team Spirit falling short from Group A.
Commencing on September 28, we will see C9, FaZe, MOUZ, Liquid, G2, Outsiders, NaVi, and Vitality battling out at the Salini Resort in Malta for the prize pool of $823,000. For everyone interested in betting on the EPL Playoffs, GG.BET platform offers a special T Side Tournament, with prizes granted for the top 5 players on the leaderboard. So, check out the https://gg204.bet/en-ca/ page to fight with the strongest and win lucrative rewards. Meanwhile, on this paper, you will find all the information about the quarterfinals matchups of the tournament, including our picks and predictions.
Quarterfinal Matchups
After the Group games, it’s time for the ESL Pro League Season 16 Playoffs to begin. This way, the matches will start on September 28 and run until Sunday, October 2. Below are our predictions for the first gaming day.
The Rising Cloud9
The first quarterfinal matchup of the Playoff stage is set to be between Cloud9 and FaZe Clan and will determine which squad will go up against MOUZ or Team Liquid in the Semifinals. Even though FaZe has finished second in Group B and C9 has taken the first spot in Group D, it’s still FaZe who’s the favorite at -130 odds to end up on the winning side of things.
However, the underdogs of the matchup have been on the rise in the CS: GO scene after a long period of silence and the acquisition of Gambit’s previous roster list. More recently, they became champions of IEM 2022 in Dallas. Since then, it has been ten weeks of break from the competitive scene. Cloud9’s players have been preparing for this event for a long time and have already wrapped up the first division as the strongest squad in Group D.
MOUZ or Liquid
The American team, which underwent a restructuring at the beginning of 2022, has managed to recover its staggering progress after signing Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis in recent months. With this change, the desired results have been finally achieved, and Liquid has taken a third spot in the Group D.
On the other hand, the recent state of Liquid has not been very stable, especially after losing to Eternal Fire and FURIA, two teams that are less than them on paper. Considering these factors, it is very likely that Liquid could start the Playoffs with a victory against MOUZ.
The Winner of Group B
G2 Esports dominated their group and left no doubt that the European organization was a force to be reckoned with. Their next opponent will be Natus Vincere. The Ukrainians didn’t perform consistently at the Group stage after taking a third spot with a 2-3 ratio in the rankings.
That said, it is almost certain that Natus Vincere will give G2 a difficult time in the Quarterfinals. However, their opponent is a few levels above them in terms of power. At the moment, G2 Esports has everything to beat Natus Vincere and go up against Vitality or Outsiders in Semifinals.
The Winner of Group A
The fourth match in the Quarters is between Team Vitality and Outsiders. Following the results of the Group stage, the Russian organization scored 3-2 in the rankings and had to face off FURIA in the Round of 12 before their upcoming confrontation with Team Vitality.
On the other hand, things are different for the French team, which has played games at the highest level and has won all the matches from the first division of EPL, this matchup will not be too difficult to overcome. To defeat the opponent, the bees should take their best performance to the stage with the highest level of focus and power.
Longshot Wagers
According to the EPL 16 odds, four teams have a shot at winning – Vitality, G2, FaZe, and Cloud9. Of those squads, the latter poses an interesting wager. The NA organization has conceivably looked like the third most powerful team at the event so far, finishing first in their respective group with 4-1 on the rankings.
That said, they come with -103 for the next matchup because of the bracket. C9’s first Quarter game is against FaZe Clan, who got off to a strong start in the first stage, losing only to G2 Esports from their group. If Cloud9 were to beat FaZe, chances are they would face MOUZ in the Semifinals.
The last time C9 and Mousesports met off was in the DreamHack Masters Winter 2020 Europe, where the Germans won 2-0. However, after the acquisition of Gambit’s roster and a long period of silence, C9’s team would more likely take the win this time. So, if you are looking for a longshot bet, we’d actually recommend Cloud9 as they have performed more consistently at the ESL Pro League Season 16 so far.
