Astralis vs. Ninjas in Pyjamas 6/9 Preview & Prediction - Free CS:GO Betting Picks

The DreamHack Masters Spring 2020: Europe playoffs continue, and we have a great matchup ahead between Astralis and Ninjas in Pyjamas. The playoffs feature the 12 teams who advanced from the group stage. These teams are seeded according to group finish, and are playing in a double-elimination bracket. All games are scheduled as a best-of-three-map matches with the exception of the Grand Final. The Grand Final will be a best-of-five-map match with the unbeaten team holding a one map advantage at the start.

Astralis Preview

HLTV World Ranking: 4th

The former top team in the world Astralis hasn't looked nearly as dominant since the debut of two new players, Snappi and JUGi. They are coming off a horrendous showing during the BLAST Premier Spring 2020 Europe Showdown as they went 1-4 with their only win coming against sAw, a team that was overly outmatched from the start. Astralis still has the potential to take down any team in the world, but it's been obvious that the chemistry which was present while they held the top ranking is no longer there.

The driving force behind Astralis is the veteran trio of dupreeh, device and Magisk. Although these three have taken a slight dip statistically since the roster change, they've been the will of the team for a long time. These three have averaged 2.18 kills a round the past three months while dying only 1.88 times per round. JUGi and Snappi have been less than outstanding during this time with an average of only 1.06 kills per round while dying 1.33 times a round. All of Astralis's success will depend on the play of the two new additions. If these two play well, then this should be an easy win for Astralis, but if not then it could be a long match.

Ninjas in Pyjamas Preview

HLTV World Ranking: 13th

The Swedish squad Ninjas in Pyjamas have made a name for themselves as one of the best teams in the world for quite some time. They've been fairly successful over the last three months with a win rate of 54.2%, and they've also been taking on some top tier teams during this period. Vertigo and Overpass are very strong maps for Ninjas in Pyjamas. The team currently hold a 16-8 record on these two maps during the last three months. They aren't nearly as confident outside of these, however, with no win rates higher than 55.6% on any other map.

You can't mention success and Ninjas in Pyjamas in the same sentence together without mentioning Plopski and nawwk. The driving duo of the team has been outstanding the last three months with an average of 1.46 kills per round while only dying 1.26 times a round. What makes Ninjas in Pyjamas such a solid team is the fact that none of the players on their roster tend to hinder the team too much. In fact, none of the players have a kill to death ratio lower than just under one. This makes Ninjas in Pyjamas an extremely difficult outing for any team in the world.

Pick: Ninjas in Pyjamas Spread/Handicap -1.5 Maps (+200 @ Bovada)

I have personally had a ton of faith in Astralis recently in hopes that they could hang onto the momentum they held as a team before losing two players. However, I am officially off the wagon as they are outmatched against this stout Ninjas in Pyjamas team. JUGi and Snappi are great developmental talent with the potential to be some of the best in the future, but they aren't quite there yet. Although Astralis has device who has been known to carry them when things get hard, Ninjas in Pyjamas have one of the best one-two punches in the world in my opinion in Plopski and nawwk. It also helps their case that REZ, hampus and twist can all do their parts as well. I look for Ninjas in Pyjamas to blank the former number one team in the world here with a 2-0 score, and I love the price tag that comes with it.