AGO vs Falcons Prediction: French to kick off with a win

ESL Challenger League is a tournament series organized by ESL. ESL Challenger League Season 42 will feature teams from North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. The total prize pool of the season will total $120,000. The European region will be drawing $50,000 and one trip to the ESL Pro League Season 17 Conference. ESL Challenger League Season 42 features five teams from the top 30 of the HLTV ranking, so the lineup looks very strong.

On November 1, AGO and Falcons will play their opening match in ESL Challenger League Season 42. We'll find out who the stronger team is soon enough. The meeting is scheduled to start at 21:00.

• Current HLTV ranking: #77;
• Changes over the last three months: -7;
• Best map: Inferno– 67% in 6 maps;
• Worst map: Overpass – 20% in 5 maps.

AGO could not qualify for the CCT Central Europe Series 3 playoffs at the first attempt. The team lost to Tricked with a score of 0-2. There was not real fight, as the Poles could not score even ten rounds on any of the maps. AGO will have two more attempts to break into the playoffs of CCT Central Europe Series 3, so the chance to play in the skill games is very big. Right now, the team has three players going below a 1.00 individual ranking, which raises questions. One snatchie can't carry the team all the time. If they can win with the weaker opponents, then with the teams from the top 30 it is much more difficult. As for the upcoming match, it is not easy for AGO to pick the map. On Inferno Falcons are not inferior in terms of win rate and look stronger in terms of personal skill. On Mirage, the picture is similar. In spite of the fact that the Polish team has a higher win rate, they earned it against tier-3 opponents, and the Falcons beat Entropiq, which AGO lost without a chance. They fought on equal terms with OG. On the other maps the situation for AGO looks even worse. Poles don't look the favorite on any map.

• Current HLTV ranking: #40;
• Changes over the last three months: -5;
• Best map: Dust2 – 67% in 12 maps;
• Worst map: Nuke– 33% in 6 maps.

Falcons gather under their banners a good lineup for the tier-2 scene. The roster already includes former Team Vitality players who have had time to play at the highest level. There is NBK, who is one of the most experienced players on the pro scene. And hAdji managed to play for some good teams. However, the French are currently on a losing streak. The guys lost five of the last six matches. Nevertheless, it should be understood that the Falcons have met with fairly strong opponents (Outsiders, HEET, Entropiq). AGO looks much weaker than these teams. As for the maps, the French should pick Dust2 in the upcoming match. It's their strongest map, where they feel most comfortable. On the other hand, AGO has only 33% of wins on Dust2 and only three maps played in the last three months. In their last matchup, the Poles lost to Iron Branch by a score of 2-16. The Falcons shouldn't have any problems on Dust2.

The Falcons should break their losing streak. The opponent is inferior in class, and the maps will be very comfortable for the French. The bookmakers at 1xbet offer odds of 1.63 for Falcons to win, with the same option offered at 1.50 by Betway, which seems like a good enough bet. We can also take Falcons' victory with Handicap (-4.5) rounds for odds of 1.83 at Bet365.