We're just days away from the Playoffs, as the IEM Katowice 2023 Group Stage rapidly approaches its endgame - With the Group A Upper Bracket Semifinals due to take place on February 5.
IEM Katowice 2023: Group A upper bracket semifinals schedule and betting odds
Four teams are due to take the stage on February 5, all fighting it out for the right to make it to the February 7 Upper Bracket Final - and stand a chance of making it all the way to the Playoffs. The loser of each of today's matches meanwhile will be sent down to the Lower Bracket Semifinal, where they'll be potentially facing elimination from this year's tournament.
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The Group A Semifinals will begin at 15:00 GMT when we'll see G2 Esports going up against FaZe Clan.
G2 Esports (1.81) vs FaZe Clan (2.01)
G2 easily claimed victory in their IEM Katowice 2023 debut by defeating BIG in a 2-0 victory - taking Anubis with a score of 16-12, and Inferno with a score of 16-8. G2 are maintaining the momentum that carried them to success at the end of 2022 when they were crowned the champions of the BLAST Premier World Final. Each and every teammate showed a strong performance in this fairly one-sided match, with the lowest-ranked player being Rasmus 'HooXi' Nielsen - who achieved a rating of 1.13, showcasing the strength of this team.
FaZe Clan meanwhile have similarly had a strong start to the tournament, having claimed a 2-0 victory over Team Spirit in their February 4 match - taking Ancient with a score of 16-5 and scoring 16-12 on Nuke. FaZe made quick work of Team Spirit, and are heavily favoured to make it through to the grand final of this year's IEM Katowice. FaZe are the returning champions in this year's tournament, having won last year's IEM Katowice - after defeating none other than G2 in the grand final.
The odds are close here, but G2 may stand a chance of taking revenge against FaZe Clan for their 2022 defeat - with odds of 1.81 vs FaZe Clan's 2.01.
The second Upperbracket Semifinal match will see Natus Vincere (NAVI) competing against Team Liquid, in a match taking place at 18:30 PM GMT.
NAVI (1.64) vs Team Liquid (2.28)
In yet another sign of the Play-In Stage teams struggling once in the Group Stage, NAVI's IEM Katowice 2023 debut against Cloud9 was another one-sided affair. The Ukrainian team claimed a 2-0 victory, taking Ancient with a score of 16-13, before closing out the series with a 16-6 score on Inferno. It should act as a much-needed morale boost for NAVI, who had a rough start to the 2023 season through their 4th-6th placement at this year's BLAST Premier Spring Groups.
Team Liquid also claimed victory over a Play-In Stage team, earning a 2-0 win over IHC Gaming - through a 16-13 win on Inferno, and a score of 16-6 on Overpass. Similarly to NAVI, the North American team really needed this win - after their 10th - 12th placement at BLAST Premier Spring Groups, and is hopefully a sign of the team turning things around in the 2023 season. They'll also be wanting to improve on their performance at last year's IEM Katowice, where they ranked in 13th-16th place.
The odds are in NAVI's favour here, at 1.64 vs Team Liquid's 2.28.
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