NRG vs NiP: IEM Katowice 2019 Prediction 20/02
How they got here
Both NiP and NRG made their way into the Legends Stage by battling through Challengers this past week. This is a great opportunity for both teams to secure their first win in the Swiss format. I say this because, after their first win, they will most likely face off against a Legends team that qualified before the event. On paper, this would stack up as a tougher match for both.
NRG
NRG was one of two teams in Challengers to finish with a 3-0 record. They also didn’t drop a single map during this stage. They won their first two games comfortably against ViCi and Winstrike. They then faced off against Tyloo in their qualifying match. They took the tightly contested series 2-0 and secured their spot in Legends.
Ninjas in Pyjamas
NiP, on the other hand, didn’t have as comfortable a run through Challengers Stage. They started strong against Furia with a 16-6 win. However, reality soon hit following loses to both Renegades and Winstrike. This left them in the Elimination stages of the tournament. They come out on top in two very closely contested series against Vega Squadron and Vici Gaming.
Alternative betting options
Looking at betting options for map one winner and the total rounds played could work out lovely. NRG didn’t drop a single map through Challengers while NiP started slowly in multiple matches. You can get NRG to win map 1 with over 26.5 rounds played at 2.75 odds.
A tasty option is for NRG to win both pistol rounds and the map for 3.80 odds. In the past month, NRG has won 59% of their pistol rounds. Meanwhile, NiP has only managed 45%. So NRG could very well take both pistol rounds.
My Prediction
I think NRG is going to come out on top in this game. With it only being a Best of 1, I think they’ll come out firing on all cylinders and take NiP by surprise. They both played against the same teams a couple of times during Challengers and NRG appear to have performed better across the board in those series.
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