Several teams are in need of a win in Week 3 of the ESL Pro League’s European section, whether that be to boost play-off chances or hopes of avoiding relegation.
A packed schedule should really shake things up and give some more clarity to the overall standings as the teams jostle for the crucial eighth, ninth, 10th and 11th positions.
One of the teams currently looking over their shoulder are Ninjas In Pyjamas, who have a 4-12 record thus far.
NIP have been perhaps the most frustrating squad to watch all season, with their brief moments of greatness immediately followed by countless inexplicable results. NIP are one of the few teams who have been able to take down Astralis, doing so in convincing fashion – 16-7 on Train. However, they also fell to AGO, a team with only two wins to their name.
This week sees NIP face Fnatic, HellRaisers and FaZe Clan, with the first two being the sides currently sitting just above the relegation line. NIP need a spark, and quickly, if they are to maintain any sort of headway online this season.
They are 1.746 favourites to beat Fnatic (2.110) in their first match of the week.
Fnatic face hectic schedule
One of the busiest schedules this week belongs to Fnatic, with matches against HellRaisers, NIP, Windigo, mousesports and AGO.
With Brollan only joining the fray back on October 17, Fnatic are still in their honeymoon stage as they look to string together some positive results. With this roster, Fnatic now have a three-headed monster in KRIMZ, twist and Brollan, with JW still looking to keep the opposition guessing with his crafty shenanigans.
Fnatic are teetering on the edge of relegation, with each and every match-up being crucial this week, especially if they still harbour play-off aspirations. Squaring off against all four teams lower than them in the standings this week, the weight falls on the star trio to carry this squad through and away from danger.
Opening this week against HellRaisers, they are slight favourites at 1.877.
mousesports to turn up heat?
mousesports are another team with a tough slate of matches, facing off against North, AGO, Fnatic and Windigo.
mouz are still figuring things out after the re-addition of STYKO to the starting line-up, although they have already shown some decent signs of progression. With 1-1 splits versus the two finalists at EPICENTER, Natus Vincere and FaZe Clan, STYKO’s impact has already been felt.
The question was whether or not the likes of oskar and ropz could see a return to their previous form, and the former has performed well since the removal of Snax.
With suNny seemingly maintaining the incredible form he has held most of the year, mouz have an opportunity to emerge as a top team once again. They currently hold the final play-off spot by two games in the win column over Space Soldiers, with multiple opportunities to increase the pressure this week.
North face crunch clash
Sitting just above mousesports in the standings are North, who have three matches this week, taking on mousesports, Space Soldiers and Astralis.
Just two games ahead in the win column, North open with one of their most impactful matches of the year with a chance to build some distance between them and mouz.
However, mousesports are 1.806 favourites to win that one with North offered at 2.020.
Unfortunately for North this entire week is difficult, given Space Soldiers’ tendency to perform better online and a Danish derby against the undisputed best team in the world, Astralis. However, North have beaten Astralis recently, albeit both on LAN and with a different line-up.
North are a bit of a loose cannon, possessing both a high ceiling and minimal stability with the likes of aizy and Kjaerbye. That does, however, give them decent upset potential with the hope being that one of those players can assist valde.
