Gambit Esports vs K23: Gambit missed victories

On September 29, Gambit Esports and K23 will play their next match in the IEM Fall 2021 CIS group stage. Will K23 surprise the favourites and take points, or will Gambit Esports easily take the win for themselves?

Gambit Esports have slowed down a bit in recent tournaments. At ESL Pro League Season 14, the team could only finish in 5th-8th place, not satisfying the team. Not that Gambit Esports failed the tournament, but it was evident that the team is not in the best shape and all these maps with Entropiq, Team One, losing to NiP is more proof of that. The boys have now had plenty of time to prepare for the IEM Fall 2021 CIS, and given that Gambit Esports are not guaranteed entry to the majors, they will approach this tournament as focused as possible.

In terms of maps, Ancient looks the most likely card of all. Gambit Esports will not want to play Nuke, Inferno, and Overpass in this clash. Of course, you can still think about Overpass. Not so long ago, this map was one of the best in the team. But considering only one map held in three months, and the fact for K23, this is one of the strongest maps, I think Gambit Esports will still give up Overpass and thus ensure themselves a very comfortable map under any circumstances.

The last tournament for K23 was the Funspark ULTI, in which the team took 5-8th place. Given the composition of the participants, the result is quite decent. Nevertheless, the team now looks unstable and can lose to any opponent. It should be noted that the team rarely outplay teams who outclass them in terms of skill, although the dash-2 scene is full of such results. As for maps, K23 should add Dust2 and Vertigo to the already crossed-off Overpass, Nuke, and Inferno. That leaves Ancient, and Mirage, on which K23 has a reasonable win rate, and each of these cards will suit the team. Instead, K23 will choose Ancient, as their opponent there does not look so confident and stable.

Nevertheless, the difference in skill should impact, and Gambit Esports will still have a definite advantage, especially after the poorly held tournament. Also, do not forget that in face-to-face meetings, K23 were able to win only one card out of the 15 played. It happened in the IEM Beijing-Haidian 2020 qualifiers.

Gambit Esports look like the clear favorite in the meeting and considering their position before the major. The team should not allow themselves to relax. The most logical option here looks like a confident victory of the favourite. Gambit Esports's odds of winning with a handicap (-5.5) are 1.88, which looks good.