Espada vs. Virtus.pro, Preview & Prediction - Free 11/7 CS:GO
Virtus.pro is a strong favorite in this Best of 3 encounter when they take on Espada in the semi-final of the LOOT.BET Season 8 on Saturday. The winner of this duel will go on to meet Gambit in the Grand final and fight for a chance to win $25,000 and a title. The losing side will have to settle with $3,750.
Espada Team Stats and Latest Results
Espada won 7th place at the IEM New York 2020 CIS and was rewarded $2,000 with 1484.5 RMR Points for their efforts, while they recorded five consecutive victories at this tournament to reach the semi-finals. The Russians beat HellRaisers, Apeks, AGF twice, and GODSENT to come this far, but are underdogs in this clash with the red-hot Virtus.pro. Espada won eight of the previous ten matches.
In the last three months, Espada was invincible on Dust2 (played 11 times) and was quite strong on Overpass (80.0% win rate), while they were below average on Nuke (35.7%). Since August 2020, Espada is playing with the current lineup and appeared on 76 maps with a record of 47 wins and 29 losses. The lineup consists of Dima (1.09 rating), S0tF1k (0.99), FinigaN (1.01), degster (1.26), and Patsi (1.08).
Virtus.pro Team Stats and Latest Results
Virtus.pro won the IEM New York 2020 CIS with a 3-0 victory over Nemiga in the Grand final and got $20,000 along with 2500 RMR Points, and is hoping for another trophy at this tournament. They surprisingly lost to K23 at the Betway Nine to Five 5, a defeat that snapped a fantastic 20-game winning streak. Virtus.pro reached the semi-final after defeating Wisla Krakow and forZe, without dropping a map in the process. Virtus.pro won 21 of the last 22 games.
During the previous three months, Virtus.pro was unbeaten on Train (played six times) and displayed excellent performances on Mirage (87.5%), Dust2 (83.3%), and Inferno (73.3%), while their “weakest” displays came on Overpass (60.0%). Virtus.pro assembled its squad in September this year and appeared on 58 maps with a record of 46 wins and 12 losses. The team members are SANJI (1.02), buster (1.17), qikert (1.15), Jame (1.23), and YEKINDAR (1.27).
Espada vs. Virtus.pro H2H Record
These rivals have met on two occasions before and Virtus.pro won both H2H duels, including the most recent one at the IEM New York 2020 CIS some 20 days ago.
Espada vs. Virtus.pro Betting Preview
With all due respect to Espada, who is playing well lately, Virtus.pro is the hottest team in the CS:GO tour and that lone loss to K23 was only a bad day at the office for them. I don’t expect the favorites to have another bad display here because the stakes are much higher – the Grand Final at the LOOT.BET Season 8 and an exciting clash with Gambit. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if Espada wins a map in this one, but that should be their maximum at the moment. I am going with Virtus.pro to win.
