G2 vs Ninjas in Pyjamas: The Swedes will destroy your picks

The eSports festivities continue as The International 10 is followed by the CS:GO Major in Stockholm. The best teams in the world will meet once again to see who’s worthy of being named the best team in the world and draw a prize pool of $2 million. The Legends Stage promises a lot of excitement, high-lights and a game of the highest level.

On November 4, G2 Esports will take on Ninjas in Pyjamas. The meeting between these teams promises to be very interesting. Can the NiP win with a homestand?

It is one of the toughest matches to analyse at PGL Major Stockholm 2021. But let’s go in order: G2 are in great form right now. These guys proved it to us when they came to the tournament. The Kovacs brothers and company rolled over their opponents, leaving no one a chance - 3-0 from the group stage. The players of this team have great experience in LAN tournaments, which is a big plus. The attitude of G2, the certainty of passing the Legends stage, convinced more than the suffering of the Swedish team. Whether the support from the stands can overpower that is a big question. It’s worth noting that the subtle point is the confrontation between the sharpshooters. Here, NIP already have a clear advantage. Let’s move on to the G2 mapping pool.

There’s a 99% probability that the European team will take out Overpass. The big question is what G2 will choose... You could well see any map here except Vertigo, but I guess that they’ll stop at Nuke, but there’s also a small chance of a Mirage map. I wouldn’t risk picking Mirage against the Swedes because it’s the map with the best chance of winning. Mirage is often played in FACEIT, FPL, and other leagues, so it’s the most popular map, so if G2 picks Mirage, it’s a big plus for NiP. If we talk about the map pool as a whole, it’s pretty similar for the teams. I’d even give a slight edge on maps in favour of the Swedes.

The Swedish team has a strong squad, an ultra-experienced sharpshooter, and a home championship. The stadium’s support will be 100% for the Ninjas, but will these factors help the NiP win?

The Swedes’ form is highly questionable. They looked very unconfident against Natus Vincere and Gambit, although before that, they did not leave any chances for their opponents in BO1 games and managed to defeat Astralis 16-1. In their last game against the Danes from Copenhagen Flames, they also looked sluggish. Not without the help of the higher powers, they won the second map, and in the third game, everything ended in a period of extra time. In general, even the bookmakers are confused about this match. They give roughly equal odds for this match, but NiP act as a slight underdog here. I don’t understand these numbers. We haven’t even really watched the G2 game, and NiP are extremely unstable in this tournament. Especially playing in a completely different environment, in an arena, with spectators. That will be a very big plus for the Swedes

Like I said earlier, the Swedes are slightly ahead in the mop-up pool. In all likelihood, they will remove Vertigo and spade Ancient/Inferno. And the deciding map, in my opinion, will be Dust II or Mirage.

On that basis, I’ll say that I’ll put my faith in the Swedes, or rather their map pool (as they’ll be stronger) and the homestand, which should turn Mr Ridtz and the Swedes on.

Ninjas in Pyjamas do not look like the underdog of the match. I would even say the opposite. The bookmakers offer good odds for NiP to win. You can also take Total Under 2.5 maps for 1.89 and NiP to win with the exact score of 2-0 for 2.95.

Good luck, everyone! Bet wisely and remember that betting is first and foremost entertainment.