The Group Stage of ESL Pro League Season 17 is well underway, with the Group A teams having now been separated into the upper, mid and lower brackets.
ESL Pro League Season 17: Mid Bracket Semifinal schedule and betting odds
We have just two matches on the schedule today, both taking place in the mid bracket, where four teams will be fighting it out for the right to qualify for the right to move on to the Upper Bracket Final.
Unlike the remaining teams in the upper bracket, the Group A teams in the Mid and Lower Brackets are fighting for survival - and only one team from each bracket being able to make it through to the Playoffs.
And that brings us to today's matches, the first of which will see Eternal Fire going up against Fnatic at 15:00 GMT.
Eternal Fire (2.70) vs Fnatic (1.40)
Eternal Fire quickly found themselves in the mid bracket following their 2-0 loss to G2 Esports on February 22. While it was hardly the most promising start to the tournament, it was perhaps expected given G2's incredible form in recent months. Besides, Eternal Fire quickly made up for that loss through a 2-0 victory over Evil Geniuses, sending them down into the lower bracket and earning their spot in today's match. The team is facing some tough odds today and is surely feeling the pressure to improve on their 17th - 20th ranking in ESL Pro League Season 16.
Fnatic meanwhile are recent entries to the mid bracket, having lost their Upper Bracket Semifinals match against Outsiders, with a score of 2-0. It was a tough matchup for Fnatic, who were coming into the showdown fresh off their decisive 2-0 victory over MIBR - with scores of 16-7 on Ancient and 16-12 on Overpass. Fnatic had a relatively respectable run at ESL Pro League Season 16, ranking in 9th - 12th place, so fans' hopes are running high that they'll emerge victorious today.
And indeed the odds are in Fnatic's favour here, at 1.40 vs Eternal Fire's 2.70.
The second match of the day meanwhile will kick off at 18:30 GMT, when we'll see MIBR going head-to-head with G2 Esports.
MIBR (7.50) vs G2 Esports (1.05)
MIBR's ESL debut match was hardly a promising start for the team, with them being immediately sent down to the mid bracket through a 2-0 loss to Fnatic. Still, they made up for that setback on February 23, earning a 2-0 win over IHC Esports in the first round of the mid bracket. While IHC's Cinderella run at IEM Katowice is seemingly nowhere to be seen at ESL Pro League Season 17, they at least made MIBR work for their victory - with scores of 16-12 on Inferno and 16-14 on Anubis.
It's fair to say that it's something of a surprise to see G2 Esports in the mid bracket. The team has been on an absolute tear through the CS:GO scene, with their victories at IEM Katowice 2023 and the BLAST Premier World Final still within recent memory. Still, that solid track record didn't save them from an upset loss at the hands of Cloud9 yesterday (February 23). Despite G2 being strongly favoured to win, Cloud9 claimed a shock victory through a score of 16-6 on Vertigo and 16-12 on Inferno. It's certainly quite the setback for G2 - though they're still the clear favourites in today's match.
The odds are strongly in G2's favour here, at 1.05 vs MIBR's 7.50.
Things in Group A are starting to heat up - so who are you supporting? Whichever team has your backing, make sure you do so with the help of a free 100% bonus!
