The action at this year's IEM Katowice is heating up as we head to the Group Stage, where the 16 remaining teams will fight it out from February 4-7, with a packed schedule of CS:GO action ahead of us in the coming days.
IEM Katowice 2023: Group B upper bracket quarterfinals schedule and betting odds
Eight teams have been knocked out of the tournament through the Play-In Stage, but the carnage doesn't stop there. Of the 16 teams currently competing, only six will earn the right to compete in the Playoffs, taking place from February 10-12. That means we have a packed schedule ahead of us - with some of the biggest names in CS:GO facing elimination.
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The 16 teams have been separated into Groups A and B, with the Group B matches kicking off at 15:00 GMT on February 4 with a face-off between Team Vitality and Ninjas in Pyjamas.
Team Vitality (1.40) vs Ninjas in Pyjamas (3.00)
Team Vitality earned their spot at the Katowice Group Stage through their victory at ESL Pro League Season 16, where they defeated Team Liquid in the Grand Final. It was by far the highlight of 2022 for the team, who otherwise struggled - with their other high point of the year being their second-place result at the BLAST Premier Spring Finals. Their performance at last year's IEM Katowice left much to be desired too, ranking in 9th-12th place, so the heat is on for Vitality to prove they can go the distance here.
Ninjas in Pyjamas meanwhile are fresh from having fought it out in the Play-In Stage, where they claimed back-to-back victories to earn their invitation to the Group Stage. The team opened the tournament with a closer-than-expected match against MIBR, claiming a 16-13 victory in the best-of-one match. Things went considerably more smoothly for Ninjas after that though, with the team decisively defeating Team Spirit with a score of 2-0.
Despite their success at the Play-In Stage, Ninjas in Pyjamas are facing steep competition here. The odds are in Team Vitality's favour, at 1.40 vs Ninjas in Pyjamas' 3.00.
There's just one more Group B match to look forward to on February 4, when we'll be treated to a face-off between OG and MOUZ at 18:30 GMT.
OG have just finished a successful run through the Play-In Stage, where they also claimed back-to-back victories to earn the right to face off against MOUZ today. The team faced off against Sprout in their debut match, which proved to be a real nail-biter. The best-of-one game was forced into overtime following an unexpectedly solid defence from Sprout, but OG ultimately came out on top with a score of 19-16. That success was shortly followed up by a 2-1 win over Fnatic, earning OG's spot in the Group Stage. OG has a lot to prove too, having just come from a disappointing 7th-9th place at this year's BLAST Premier Spring Groups, and will be feeling the pressure to prove they've earned the right to compete in Katowice.
MOUZ meanwhile qualified for the Group Stage through their position on the ESL World Ranking, where they're sitting at a respectable 8th place. Still, they're the lowest-ranked team to qualify this way and will have a lot to prove at Katowice this year - particularly given their performance at IEM Katowice 2022, where they ranked in 9th - 12th place. The team is marking their 2023 season debut with this match against OG, and will no doubt be hoping to start the year with a victory.
The odds are in MOUZ's favour here, at 1.64 vs OG's 2.28.
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Once that's out of the way, we'll have a bit of a wait until the next Group B match - when we'll see a pair of matches at 11:30 GMT on February 5 - one of which will see Heroic going up against Complexity Gaming.
Heroic (1.17) vs Complexity Gaming (5.17)
Heroic also earned an invitation to the Group Stage through their position on the ESL World Ranking - where they're sitting in first place. Expectations are therefore sky-high for the team, who ended their 2022 season by being crowned the winners of BLAST Premier Fall Finals. The team had a respectable showing at last year's IEM Katowice too, where they placed in 3rd-4th place, and have shown in recent months that they have the capacity to go even further this year.
Complexity Gaming have managed to make it through the Play-In Stage, despite their initial 12-16 loss to BIG in the best-of-one debut match. The team fared considerably better once in the lower bracket however, easily defeating Polish team Permitta Esports with a score of 2-0, before earning their invitation to the Group Stage through a 2-1 win over ENCE. Still, none of the teams Complexity have faced so far in this tournament have even close to the same track record as Heroic, and they'll have their work cut out for them here.
The odds are therefore heavily in Heroic's favour, at 1.17 against Complexity Gaming's 5.17.
Finally in Group B, we'll have a match between Outsiders and Fnatic, which will also take place at 11:30 AM GMT on February 5.
Outsiders (1.57) vs Fnatic (2.42)
Outsiders received their invitation to the Katowice Group Stage following their spectacular success at the IEM Rio Major, where they defeated Heroic in the grand final. It was by far the highlight of 2022 for the Russian team, who were disappointed in their last tournament of the year, ranking in 7th-8th place at the BLAST Premier World Final. This marks the first time the team will be competing in Katowice under their new tag, having previously ranked in 5th - 6th place at IEM Katowice 2022 under the Virtus.Pro name.
Fnatic has just finished up a promising run through the Play-In Stage, which they kicked off with a fantastic 16-8 victory over Evil Geniuses in their best-of-one debut match. While they were later sent into the lower bracket through a 1-2 loss to OG, they quickly turned things around with a decisive 2-0 win against MIBR. It's a tentatively strong start for Fnatic, who (prior to this week's tournament) haven't been seen since their victory at the Elisa Masters Espoo in November 2022, when they defeated BIG in the grand final.
The odds are reasonably close here, but ultimately favour Outsiders, at 1.57 against Fnatic's 2.42.
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