Gambit vs. Astralis, Preview & Prediction - Free 4/8 CS:GO

The battle of the two top 3 teams in the CS:GO rankings will take place on Thursday when Gambit takes on Astralis in the Play-In of the ESL Pro League Season 13. The winning team will progress to the semi-finals, while the loser will meet FURIA in the quarter-finals.

Gambit Team Stats and Latest Results

The most improved team of 2021 so far, Gambit, displayed the best performances of all 24 teams in the group stage of this tournament. They recorded all five wins and finished with a +66 round difference, which is +28 more than Heroic, who also had all five victories. The Russians defeated MIBR, Cloud9, Natus Vincere, TeamOne, and FURIA. Gambit won the Pinnacle Cup 2021 and $80,000 after beating HAVU in the Grand Final. Gambit won 14 of the previous 15 matches.

In the last three months, Gambit was excellent on Vertigo (91.7% win rate), Mirage (87.5%), and Train (80.0%), while their “weakest” displays came on Dust2 (54.5%). Since January this year, Gambit is playing with the same lineup that appeared on 68 maps with a record of 49 wins and 19 losses. The team members are Hobbit (1.19 rating), interz (0.99), Ax1Le (1.19), sh1ro (1.25), and nafany (1.05).

Astralis Team Stats and Latest Results

Astralis entered this tournament as the No. 1 team in the world, but in the meantime, they dropped to the No. 2 position. The Danish team can return to the very top with a title at the ESL Pro League Season 13, but it’s not going to be easy considering the fierce competition. Astralis lost the opening match to Evil Geniuses here but responded with four consecutive wins over Liquid, Virtus.pro, Endpoint, and fnatic. Astralis won ten of the last 16 games.

When it comes to the maps in the previous three months, Astralis was strong on Vertigo (80.0%) and Dust2 (75.0%), while they didn’t impress on Nuke (33.3%). Astralis assembled its current squad in January 2021 and appeared on 38 maps with a record of 23 wins and 15 losses. The lineup is made of Xyp9x (1.00), dupreeh (1.14), gla1ve (1.02), device (1.20), and Magisk (1.03).

Gambit vs. Astralis H2H Record

These teams have met only once so far, and Astralis won that clash at the DreamHack Masters Winter 2020 Europe in December 2020.

Gambit vs. Astralis Betting Preview

The bookmakers are giving a slight advantage to Astralis in this one, but I am leaning toward Gambit because of their fantastic form. Considering the fact that the losing team will not be eliminated out of the tournament, we can’t say it’s a high stake duel. That’s why I’d avoid betting on the winner because even the loser of this clash could turn out to be the champion in the end. I am going with Over 2.5 maps.

The Pick: Over 2.5 Maps (-125 @GGBET)