ESL One Cologne 2020 Europe Round 2 Preview

ESL One Cologne 2020 Europe is about to enter Round 2, not only in the Upper Bracket but also in the Lower Bracket. In this article, I will take a brief look at what has happened so far, what the next matches are, and what you can expect.

ESL One Cologne 2020 Europe Standings

The situation is divided into two groups.

Group A

In this group, two teams are already out of the tournament: mousesports and BIG. NiP and MAD Lions continue in the Lower Bracket while Sprout, OG, Natus Vincere and Complexity are about to compete in the Upper Bracket Round 2.

Group B

In Group B, MIBR and Team Heretics are out. Fnatic and FaZe Clan are in the Lower Bracket. Team Vitality is about to face Astralis while Heroic is preparing for G2 Esports in the Upper Bracket.

Round 2 Preview

Round 2 of ESL One Cologne 2020 Europe has 4 initial matches, followed by another set of 4 matches. The first set takes place in the Upper Bracket, while the second one in the Lower Bracket.

Upper Bracket Round 2

• Group A: Sprout vs. OG

This match slightly favors OG. Sprout may have Spiidi, denis, and a few other players who have ample experience at the top level of CS:GO, but OG has superstars like NBK-, Aleksib, and valde in its roster. So I find it difficult to believe that Sprout will manage to overcome this obstacle. In the previous round, Sprout defeated BIG while OG defeated a much tougher opponent, NiP.

• Group A: Natus Vincere vs. Complexity Gaming

Complexity Gaming may have defeated MAD Lions in a convincing way. They’re also ranked 7^th at this point, so you should definitely take them seriously. But Na’Vi is ranked 4^th, is on a 7 win-streak and two of the world’s best players are in its roster. Unless something totally unexpected happens, I don’t see s1mple and electronic losing to Complexity. It would be absolutely ridiculous. The skill difference is huge. Col will need much better tactics and strategies if it is to succeed, because in the 1 to 1 battles, Na’Vi’s players are superior in every way.

• Group B: Team Vitality vs. Astralis

Astralis is surprisingly good given their situation. Even with two of their former players missing from the main squad, the team is winning important matches. In the first round of ESL One Cologne 2020 Europe, Astralis defeated Fnatic with a score of 2 – 0. Vitality did the same thing in their match against Heretics. But arguably, that was an easier match. Still, Vitality seems to be the favorite here. With 6 wins out of their last 8 matches and one of the best players in the world in their roster (ZywOo), Vitality has a considerable advantage over Astralis.

• Group B: Heroic vs. G2 Esports

If G2 Esports plays at its usual level, this is going to be a very one-sided match. Heroic’s not a bad team by any means. In fact, they’re ranked 11^th. But G2 is ranked 5^th and they’ve been in great shape recently.

 

Photo credit: IEM|Helena-Kristiansson