Fnatic vs. Heroic Pick – Tuesday, August 25th, 2020

A Scandinavian derby will determine which team from Group B will be getting a playoff spot at the ESL One: Cologne tournament.

Old foes Heroic and Fnatic face each other in what should be a cracking encounter between two Top 10 CS:GO teams.

The Danes’ recent performances have prompted the esports betting sites to slash the odds for them but can we finally see an elite performance from their Swedish opponents?

In this Heroic vs. Fnatic betting preview for Tuesday, I try to figure out how this latest bout between the two teams will pan out by looking at the latest prices and sharing an in-depth analysis of their current form.

I’ve scoured all the best CS:GO sportsbooks to come up with the most competitive prices for the main markets and this is what my research has yielded:

These odds are courtesy of BetOnline and I’m not at all surprised to see Heroic being pinned as the favorite here.

Let’s head to my analysis section and then I share my thoughts on where the betting value lies for me.

The Swedes haven’t been particularly impressive since coming off from their one-month break.

Their involvement in the ESL One: Cologne tournament started with a heavy defeat to Astralis’ new-look roster and although they pushed their opponents to overtime on their map pick Train, it wasn’t the performance Golden and his teammates were looking for.

It has been the case for Fnatic for a while now and this group is still struggling to hit a higher gear.

They most certainly possess the quality with elite marksmen KRIMZ, JW, and Brollan in the ranks, however, their tactics and execution are not hitting the right notes and this was once again showcased against one of the biggest underdogs at the tournament Heretics.

The Swedes did manage to turn the tie on its head, but it’s evident that they can be quite vulnerable on any map and their next opponent won’t be as lenient as Heretics were.

A top-quality performance is needed here if the organization doesn’t want to crash out of the event early.

The Danes were showing signs of elite skill prior to the break but they have really come a long way since the restart.

Captain cadiaN and his team overcame all odds to reach the DreamHack Open Grand Final and despite losing to world ranking leaders BIG, there were quite a few positives to take away from the tie.

The disappointment of losing the final seems to have had no negative effect on them and with TeSeS and clutch-master b0rup leading the line, this roster is constantly showing they can mix it up with the top dogs.

They opened up with a clean sweep over FaZe, a win that saw them enter the Top 10 bracket and despite narrowly falling to G2 Esports, the game could’ve really gone either way.

The improvement this team is showing under the leadership of Danish coach HUNDEN is unbelievable and the days of underestimating Heroic should be over.

They are deservedly the favorites here and have every reason to believe they can put up another solid performance and advance to the playoffs.

The momentum is definitely on the side of the Danes. Fnatic did well to ultimately overcome Heretics in the last round but the team’s play is looking sluggish.

Things are sound on the tactical front with a few exceptions but they are allowing far too many full-buy rounds to slip away from them and that is something that you cannot do against Heroic in their current form.

It will be interesting to see how the Swedes will handle the pick and ban phase. They will most probably go with their usual banning of Vertigo but having suffered so much on Nuke against Astralis and Heretics, they might want to change their approach.

In any case, Heroic will get one of their top maps and won’t allow a round on Overpass which gives them a huge advantage.

I’m reluctant to back a 2:0 win for the favorites here since Fnatic regularly comes up with the goods when pushed against the wall but I feel Golden and his team simply don’t have the resources to beat Heroic in a Best of 3 matchup right now.

It might take them a while but the Danes should wrap up the tie and given how everything seems to point in that direction, the odds of -139 carry amazing value.