ESL Pro League Season 16 quarterfinals predictions

The Round of 12 ended with only one upset and the quarterfinals of ESL Pro League Season 16 are about to start. Given the participants and the seeding, this could have easily been the playoffs of IEM Rio Major.

From now on, every team will be tested because only the best of the best are left in the race. Some teams will have harder matches than others but everyone will need to overcome a tough opponent.

We’ve already seen what happened in the Round of 12. All four matches ended with a score of 2-1 and many maps were won with a score of 16-13 or 16-14. This is a clear indication that the skill difference between the world’s best CS:GO teams is quite small at the moment.

Quarterfinals predictions

In the quarterfinals of ESL Pro League Season 16, old rivals will have the opportunity to either get some revenge or consolidate their dominance. G2 Esports and Natus Vincere will be the most exciting match of the four, but all four are worth watching.

So far, Cloud9 have looked impressive, ending the group stage with just one loss against Team Liquid. But the opponents they defeated pale in comparison with FaZe Clan, who are the number one team in the world.

The only thing that gives C9 a decent chance of winning is FaZe’s lack of form. We’ve seen it in the Round of 12, where Finn “karrigan” Andersen’s team lost the first map and then got really close to elimination. If they don’t improve their game against C9, they will 100% lose. Because this team is considerably stronger than Complexity.

MOUZ against Liquid will be a really great match to watch. These two teams haven’t encountered each other in more than a year and it’s the first time when their rosters meet on the battlefield of an S-tier event.

Based on what we’ve seen in the group stage, MOUZ should win. But Liquid have a lot more experience in high-level matches, where pressure can significantly nerf a team’s strength.

Natus Vincere versus G2 Esports will be a rematch of the PGL Stockholm Major Grand Final. This time though, G2 look a bit stronger than Na’Vi. If Nikola “NiKo” Kovac and Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov play their usual game, Na’Vi will be in a lot of trouble.

The fourth match will be Team Vitality versus Outsiders. Vitality are the clear favorite here. Their CIS opponents have no chance without their help. Based on the group stage matches, this should be a quick 2-0 for Mathiew “ZywOo” Herbaut’s team.

Header: ESL