At long last, the IEM Katowice Group Stage kicks off today with six matches on the schedule. Out of the lot, three matches stand out as extreme CSGO betting opportunities, as team performances are heavily lopsided.

I’ve even identified some mistakes in how teams are rated and incredible odds on several of my selections. Let’s dig in.

Gambit vs NIP

After barely going through the Play-in stage, NIP does not have an easy task moving forward. Gambit is on the hot streak right now with 4 straight victories to their name. NIP defeated Wisla Krakow in the opener, and the fact is, they did not look that good. They looked even worse against Copenhagen Flames, and they were battered in this match, especially on Nuke. But still, solid showing against Movistar Riders got them through to the main event.

Gambit has been on a tear recently and they looked great. Map pool is going to favor the CIS team and here is why. After removing Vertigo and Nuke, Gambit will for sure go for Dust 2 as their map pick. NIP, however, only thrives on Nuke and they will not be able to pick this map against Gambit hence why Ancient is the most likely pick for them.

All in all, we believe that this is going to be a straightforward match. Device not playing is a big factor for the Swedes and we are not expecting much from them in this match. Gambit should win this match without dropping a map.

Prediction: Gambit to win 2-0
Odds: 2.04

Liquid vs FaZe

A newly formed Liquid roster does look okay on the paper, but on the server, there are a lot of flaws in their strategy and preparation. We can clearly see that the cohesion is not on the level just yet. Contrary to that, FaZe is firing on all cylinders with 5 straight victories to their name.

We still do not know much about the map pool Liquid prepared for IEM Katowice 2022, but we know one thing, they played Inferno three times out of the five total maps played with this squad. It is also important to mention that FaZe defeated them twice on this map.

To conclude this IEM Katowice pick. We did not see much of Liquid lately and what we have seen so far is not good, especially if they bring it to the big stage. Karrigan calls seem on point and we believe that his calling will allow FaZe to win this best of 3 series.

Prediction: FaZe to win
Odds: 1.57

FURIA vs Astralis

Our last pick for the opening day is an interesting one, especially if you like higher odds. FURIA is a solid CSGO team that recently made changes to their roster. The same can be said about Astralis.

The fact is, no one expected much from Astralis in the Play-in stage, but they delivered against BIG and MIBR. There is no denying that saffee is going to be a key factor in this match, and if they can create space for him on the server, we believe that FURIA can beat Astralis.

The odds on FURIA are too good to pass on. There is a lot of pressure on Astralis’ players right now and this could see them struggle. At the time of writing, odds on FURIA to beat Astralis are moving from 2.30 – 2.50 and this is an excellent opportunity to cash in on the underdog bet.

Prediction: FURIA to win
Odds: 2.50

The odds in today’s selection are courtesy of GG.BET.