The Group A upper bracket Quarterfinals were a tough one for the Play-In Stage teams, who all made their Group Stage debuts with 2-0 losses. The four teams will now be fighting it out in the lower bracket, with two teams facing elimination from this year's tournament.
IEM Katowice 2023: Group A lower bracket quarterfinals schedule and betting odds
We'll have two lower bracket matches to look forward to on February 5, after which two teams will be sent home early from Katowice - while the two winning teams will move on to compete in the lower bracket semifinals on February 6.
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The first lower bracket quarterfinal match will take place at 15:00 GMT when we'll see BIG going head-to-head against Team Spirit.
BIG (1.90) vs Team Spirit (1.90)
BIG's win streak at this year's IEM Katowice was cut short on February 4, when they faced a 2-0 defeat at the hands of G2 Esports. While not entirely unexpected, their defeat marked a disappointing turn for the team, who has otherwise performed well so far - claiming a 16-12 win in their best-of-one debut match against Complexity Gaming and a 2-1 win over FURIA Esports in the Play-In Stage. Despite their loss, Florian 'syrsoN' Rische did his part for BIG against G2, earning a rating of 1.10 - providing hope that he may be able to perform well against Team Spirit later today.
Team Spirit similarly struggled in their Group Stage debut, marking their second match loss in the tournament so far. After winning their debut match against Grayhound Gaming, Spirit were sent down to the lower bracket after a 2-0 loss to Ninjas in Pyjamas. They later earned their invitation to the Group Stage through a victory over Sprout on February 3, before once again falling into the lower bracket through a 2-0 loss to FaZe Clan. It has clearly been a bit of a tumultuous journey for Spirit - but they'll have to claim victory here in order to stay in the tournament.
The odds are neck and neck here, with both teams standing a real chance of making it through to the next stage - or indeed, of being eliminated.
Our second lower bracket match of the day will take place at 18:30 GMT, where we'll see Cloud9 competing against IHC Esports.
Cloud9 (1.13) vs IHC Esports (5.97)
Cloud9 performed well throughout the Play-In Stage, and in fact have already defeated IHC Esports this tournament - in their debut best-of-one match, in which they claimed a 16-5 victory, before earning their invitation to the Group Stage through a 2-1 win over ENCE. It's a promising start for Cloud9, though they were perhaps somewhat outmatched in their February 4 match against Natus Vincere (NAVI), who claimed an easy 2-0 win, sending Cloud9 down to the lower bracket. Despite that loss, things are looking good for Cloud9 - who are competing in Katowice for the first time since 2019, when they placed in 9th-11th place.
IHC Esports have done well to make it through to the Group Stage, but they're facing steep odds if they're hoping to stay in the runnings. Following their February 1 loss to Cloud9, IHC quickly turned things around through a 2-0 win over paiN Gaming, before defeating FURIA Esports with a score of 2-1. It was a promising turnaround, but it was perhaps too much to expect IHC to be able to defeat Team Liquid, who sent them back down to the lower bracket through a 2-0 win on February 4. They'll need to take revenge on Cloud9 to stay in the running at this year's tournament - but early signs aren't looking good.
The odds are heavily in Cloud9's favour here, at 1.13 vs IHC's 5.97.
Two teams are about to be sent home - so who are you supporting? Whoever you choose to back, make sure you do so with the aid of your free 100% bonus! And if you're feeling daring, why not stand a chance of doubling your winnings with a Kato Bet Boost?
