One of the heavy hitters is bound to bow out and head home after today’s set of games at the StarLadder Budapest Major.
In the game of the day, Aurora will take on Astralis in a 1-2 elimination match, with both teams hoping to remain in the competition.
Let’s see who’ll be fighting to survive and what might take place on the server today in Budapest.
ruggah’s not looking too confident. Credit: © StarLadder
It’s safe to say Aurora are not having a good time at the Major thus far. The PGL Bucharest Masters Champions are facing elimination following losses to FaZe, who looked lackluster in Stage 1, and a team full of Major rookies in PARIVISION.
The Turks’ biggest hitter, Ismailcan “XANTARES” Dortkardes, is yet to arrive in Budapest, with his performances dragging down his teammates instead of elevating his team to the next level.
While Astralis had a dire first day of their Major campaign, they did bounce back yesterday, convincingly beating out FlyQuest in their 0-3 matchup and sending the Aussies packing. However, Aurora will definitely pose a much tougher challenge.
In their most recent meeting, Aurora came out on top in a tight three-map affair. A similar result could come to fruition in today’s game. The only hope for Astralis is that XANTARES keeps underperforming, because if he starts popping heads, it’s game over for the Danes.
Score prediction:
Odds:
Odds courtesy of Stake. Odds are subject to change.
JamYoung could be the difference maker for TYLOO. Credit: © StarLadder
In the two remaining elimination games, we will see fnatic take on Passion UA, and Liquid face off against TYLOO. With the latter being much more interesting, let’s quickly go over the fnatic vs Passion UA game.
Both teams were touted to struggle in Stage 2, and that has been the case. Although fnatic have looked decent in this stage, beating out 3DMAX, and narrowly losing out against B8 and, more worryingly, Imperial. Passion UA’s only victory came against probably the weakest team in the competition, MIBR.
With those results and performances in mind, fnatic should have what it takes to take care of business against Passion UA and book themselves a spot in the 2-2 games.
On the other hand, Liquid vs. TYLOO is a much more interesting and difficult-to-call matchup. Liquid had the worst debut at the Major of any team, getting absolutely bodied by B8 and PARIVISION on day one. A bounce-back victory against MIBR was a must, and while Liquid did get the win, it was not a convincing performance.
Conversely, TYLOO, despite being 1-2 as well, have looked much better on the server. Competitive losses against Ninjas in Pyjamas and M80, and a decisive victory over PARIVISION, should give them confidence in their next game.
The Liquid vs. TYLOO game is an extremely difficult one to call, but if the individuals step up, Liquid should have enough firepower to eke out a victory. It’s certainly going to be an entertaining watch.
Score predictions:
Odds:
Odds courtesy of Stake. CS2 odds are subject to change.
Feature image credit: © StarLadder
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