Virtus.pro vs G2 Esports IEM Katowice betting & fantasy picks

By Kenneth Williams

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Feb 22, 2022

Reading time: 3 min

G2 Esports and Virtus.pro both took tumultuous paths to the playoffs of IEM Katowice, but only one can advance to the final four.

While the other top-six match is a battle between teams with something to prove, G2 and VP will be a true clash of the titans. Both of these squads were expected to go far at IEM Katowice. G2 Esports is still testing out its newest acquisition Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov, but the results thus far are promising. Virtus.pro’s newest player Evgeniy “FL1T” Lebedev is also looking strong, but all five players will need to fight hard for a victory. With a guaranteed $80,000 and fourth place on the line, both squads should show up in full force.

This best-of-three IEM Katowice match will take place on February 25 at 8:30 a.m. CST. CSGO fans interested in pick ‘ems and fantasy should check out PrizePicks.

Virtus.pro IEM Katowice betting analysis

Virtus.pro ran into two killers in the group stage and still made it to the playoffs, which is a testament to the squad’s stability. A big win over Ninjas in Pyjamas propelled the team into a brutal stomp from Heroic. VP’s rounds from that series weren’t enough to win a single map, let alone two. Virtus.pro is nothing if not resilient, so the roster should come back strong for its IEM Katowice match against G2 Esports. AWPer-captain Dzhami “Jame” Ali is probably hard at work drafting up new Vertigo executes as we speak.

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Though usually the frontrunner on frags, Virtus.pro’s Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis seems to have opted for precision at IEM Katowice. He’s rocking a 58.2% headshot rate heading into this matchup. That stat makes him a good choice to go over on headshots at PrizePick. Infamously cautious Jame is showing up big in Poland with a 1.38 KD ratio, so going over on kills for him can also work out.

G2 Esports IEM Katowice betting analysis

G2 Esports has continued a solid streak after its silver finish at PGL Major Stockholm. The European roster has won every single match that wasn’t against Na’Vi, Vitality, or Ninjas in Pyjamas for the past four months. Virtus.pro is notably not one of those teams, so that’s good news for G2 fans. The Bosnian bros Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač and Nikola “NiKo” Kovač have put up the most frags of any duo at IEM Katowice, but there’ one more G2 player bettors should pay attention to.

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While G2 is full of amazing CSGO talent, all eyes have been on m0NESY since the start of this event. The 16-year-old AWPer had a solid debut at BLAST Premier: Spring Groups. The young gun has a 76% contribution rate with just .58 deaths per round, making him one of the most surviving snipers in Poland. m0NESY is a great choice to go over on kills at PrizePick, though huNter- and NiKo aren’t bad picks either.

G2 Esports vs Virtus.pro IEM Katowice betting pick

Virtus.pro and G2 Esports have only competed twice in the entire 12 months before IEM Katowice. The most recent match went 2-1 in favor of VP, but multiple roster changes make maps the more important factor. G2 should ban Ancient while VP removes Dust 2, leaving Mirage, Overpass, Nuke, and Vertigo on the table. Nuke and Dust 2 are G2’s best maps and Virtus.pro doesn’t play either, handing a clear map advantage to G2.

That advantage means a lot in a relatively even matchup. The pick phase leaves Virtus.pro without a clear out, as one of its weaker maps is guaranteed to get picked. That hands one game over to G2, and this best-of-three series can quickly boil down to such an advantage. If you’re interested in play performances, head to PrizePick and predict player stats for the ultimate CSGO fantasy experience.