BIG vs. Astralis, Preview & Prediction - Free 2/6 CS:GO

Astralis is a favorite in this Best of 3 encounter when they take on BIG in the Group A consolidation final of the BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2021 on Saturday. The winner of this match will advance to the Group A final and will face NIP.

BIG Team Stats and Latest Results

BIG ended the last year with 3rd place at the IEM Global Challenge 2020 after losing to Liquid in the semi-finals, but they beat Vitality and Astralis prior to that loss. They also finished in 3rd position at the DreamHack Open January 2021 Europe with wins over HellRaisers and Evil Geniuses and a loss to Spirit. At the BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2021, BIG defeated OG before losing to NIP. BIG won eight of the previous 14 matches.

During the last three months, BIG was dominant on Vertigo (88.9% win rate) and excellent on Mirage (77.8%), while they disappointed on Overpass (25.0%). Since November 2020, BIG is playing with the same lineup that appeared on 64 maps with a record of 37 wins and 27 losses. The team members are tabseN (1.04 rating), tiziaN (1.00), syrsoN (1.15), XANTARES (1.10), and k1to (0.95).

Astralis Team Stats and Latest Results

Following a successful 2020 and a top spot in the CS:GO standings, Astralis opened this year at the BLAST Premier Global Final 2020, where they reached the Grand Final. They beat Evil Geniuses, G2, and Vitality to get there, but Natus Vincere secured a 2-0 victory, and Astralis had to settle with 2nd place and $200,000. The Danish team opened this tournament with a 2-0 loss to NIP but responded with a 2-0 win over OG. Astralis won 12 of the last 16 games.

In the previous three months, Astralis was strong on Dust2 (80.0%), Train (75.0%), and Vertigo (75.0%), while they were below average only on Nuke (40.0%). Astralis also assembled its current squad in November 2020 and appeared on 56 maps with a record of 39 wins and 17 losses. The lineup is made of Xyp9x (1.03), dupreeh (1.12), gla1ve (1.01), device (1.23), and Magisk (1.07).

BIG vs. Astralis H2H Record

These rivals have met on five occasions before, and Astralis is leading the all-time series 4-1. However, BIG won the most recent duel at the IEM Global Challenge 2020 in December 2020.

BIG vs. Astralis Betting Preview

Astralis is a better team, but that doesn’t mean they will get a victory on Saturday. BIG proved that they can beat them, and they did it with the current lineups less than two months ago. That’s why I wouldn’t exclude the underdogs in this one and therefore, I will not back the favorites to win. The odds on Astralis to win are not high, so it’s better to go with Over 2.5 maps.

The Pick: Over 2.5 Maps (+111 @GG.BET)