by ESL One New York 2019 will kick off this Thursday with two fixtures in Group A, where we will see Team Liquid vs eUnited and G2 Esports vs ENCE.
Once those matches are done, the spotlight will move to Group B for a David and Goliath fixture between Astralis and OpTic Gaming as well as an exciting clash between FaZe Clan and NRG Esports.
Both fixtures are scheduled to commence at 2:30pm EDT on Thursday, September 26 at the Barclays Center, New York City.
Without further ado, let’s look at the latest CS:GO odds and the best bets for the afternoon matches.
Astralis vs OpTic Gaming
Astralis – -1250 at BetOnline
Astralis impressed everyone in Berlin, where they cruised through all opponents to claim their fourth CS:GO Major title and their third in a row.
The Danes are starting to look like their old selves after an early-year slump, which might suggest another ‘Astralis era’ is upon us.
There is, however, still a lot catching up to do, and they can start by winning in New York.
OpTic Gaming – +581 at BetOnline
There is close to no chance OpTic can get anything from this match.
Besides the obvious issues that come with facing a team like Astralis, the decision to let go of Ismail “refrezh” Ali might be the biggest mistake OpTic have made in their CS:GO history.
They are huge underdogs for their opener and, taking into the account their inability to form a proper team, should be considered long shots for all their matches in NYC.
Prediction: Astralis -1.5 at -322.58 with BetOnline
While it would be foolish to dismiss the possibility of an upset, it is hard to see that happening in this case.
Astralis are clearly the superior team here and should have no issues claiming a W.
Expect the Berlin Major champions to end this one in two swift rounds, leaving OpTic no chance of walking away with anything.
FaZe Clan vs NRG Esports
FaZe Clan – +174 at BetOnline
FaZe enter ESL One: New York as the fourth-favourites to win the title, but they are dealing with too many issues to compete with the top dogs right now.
The recent departure of Filip “NEO” Kubski and Ladislav “Guardian” Kovács has robbed FaZe of a lot of firepower and overall quality, which makes us believe they will struggle to perform in New York.
Their only realistic shot at entering the playoffs is to defeat NRG, which is no easy task.
NRG Esports – -238.1 at BetOnline
It’s hard not to be impressed with how NRG performed in Berlin.
They crushed everyone that stood in their way in the New Legends stage and even went on to defeat NaVi 2-0 in the quarter-finals.
Although they lost to eventual champions Astralis in the semis, NRG showed enough quality in Germany to suggest they can compete for a finals spot in New York.
Prediction: NRG to win – -238.1 at BetOnline
If recent results are any indicator, NRG are a far better team than FaZe.
While NRG cruised through the New Legends stage in Berlin, FaZe struggled and finished with a 1-3 record, with their only win coming against mousesports.
Do not count on FaZe to produce any miracles here. Back NRG to continue their superb form and go one step closer to the finals.
