We're already at the beginning of the end of the IEM Rio 2023 Group Stage, as four Group B teams are due to go head-to-head later today (April 18) to decide who will make it through to the Upper Bracket Final.
IEM Rio 2023: Group B Upper Bracket Semifinals Schedule and betting odds
IEM Rio 2023 has gotten off to a fantastic start, full of stunning performances and shocking upsets.
And we're just getting started, as we race through the Group Stage in anticipation of the Playoffs, which are due to begin on April 21 with the Quarterfinals.
But before that, we have the fast-moving Group Stage to contend with, where all matches are best-of-one, with the exception of advancement and elimination matches.
And there's plenty to look forward to, with the Group B Upper Bracket Semifinals kicking off at 18:30 GMT with a match between FaZe Clan and FURIA Esports.
FaZe Clan (1.40) vs FURIA Esports (2.70)
FaZe Clan had an incredible, albeit somewhat predictable, start to IEM Rio 2023. The ESL Pro League Season 17 champions absolutely dominated 9z Team in their Upper Bracket Quarterfinals match, claiming a decisive score of 16-3 on Overpass. 9z were clearly outmatched from the start, with FaZe's Helvijs 'broky' Saukants boasting a stunning kill-death ratio of 24-7. And while not all of FaZe Clan's matches will be quite that one-sided, they're still one of the favourites to make it through to the Playoffs - and indeed emerge victorious at the April 23 Grand Final.
FURIA Esports, meanwhile, are fresh from a much more closely-fought match, as their Upper Bracket Quarterfinals match against Fnatic was forced into overtime, ending with a score of 19-15 on Ancient. Fnatic pulled off a great performance, but FURIA ultimately proved too much for them to handle, with the Brazilian team putting together a perfect defence of the B bombsite in overtime to claim victory in their IEM Rio 2023 debut match.
The odds are in FaZe Clan's favour here, at 1.40 vs FURIA Esports' 2.70.
Our second Group B Upper Bracket Semifinal match will take place at 20:00 GMT, when we'll see OG going up against Cloud9.
OG have just emerged from their stunning upset win over Team Vitality, with their Upper Bracket Quarterfinal match ending in overtime, with a score of 19-17 on Overpass. It was a great team effort for OG, with their standout player being Abdulkhalik "degster" Gasanov, with a kill-death ratio of 25-18. It's a promising start for OG, whose IEM Rio 2022 run ended in a dismal 17th - 19th place, a record they're no doubt keen to improve on this week.
Meanwhile, Cloud9 have just claimed a decisive win over MIBR in the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals, ending their best-of-one match on Ancient with a score of 16-8. Cloud9 have had a great run recently, having ranked in second place at ESL Pro League Season 17. Still, they started out the year with a dismal 13th - 16th placement at IEM Katowice, so their success at IEM Rio 2023 is hardly guaranteed.
The odds are in Cloud9's favour here, at 1.38 vs OG's 2.80.
You can follow along with every match at IEM Rio 2023 right here on Luckbox, as well as our esports betting predictions! If you're looking to bet on CS:GO esports, just check out our upcoming IEM Rio 2023 match schedule to watch each and every match live.
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