With the end of the group stage, it’s playoff time in ESL Challenger League Season 42 Europe. The 8 teams that finished in the top 2 places in their groups will compete against each other in a double-elimination bracket, where matches will be played best-of-three. Here are the first day’s matches and schedule.

Sprout vs BLUEJAYS

Predictions: Sprout to win

Odds: 1.3

Betting Site: Odds provided by GG.BET

When: October 18, 2022 – 19:00 CEST

Following the group stage of ESL Challenger League Season 42 Europe, Group C leader BLUEJAYS will face Group D runner-up Sprout in the opening match of the playoffs. The North Macedonian team will be looking for a way out against their experienced opponent.

Like all playoff matches, this match will be played as a best-of-three. As such, the map pools of the teams are of great importance. That being said, there is no map that BLUEJAYS completely dominates. However, their performances on Vertigo and Ancient are pretty bad. On the other hand, these maps have been quite good for Sprout in the past.

Sprout’s core is much stronger than their opponent. Unless there is a surprise, they are the favorites.

HEET vs 1WIN

Predictions: 1WIN to win

CS:GO Odds: 1.67

Betting Site: Odds provided by GG.BET

When: October 18, 2022 – 19:00 CEST

The second match of the day will feature Russian player deko, who has been making a name for himself lately.  Russia-based 1WIN recently narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Major. They needed just one win and couldn’t get it, losing to Cloud9 and Fnatic back-to-back, saying goodbye to the RMR tournament. While this may seem like a failure, the team’s performance against the big teams was impressive.

HEET’s recent RMR adventure ended with only 1 win. HEET, who could only win 4 out of the last 10 matches, did not show any improvement after JACKZ joined the team.

Bad News Eagles vs 9INE

CS:GO Predictions: Bad News Eagles to win

Odds: 1.23

CS:GO Betting Site: Odds provided by GG.BET

When: October 18, 2022 – 19:00 CEST

Bad News Eagles will take on 9INE, looking to add another win to their excellent recent run. Despite not being involved in any organization, the Kosovo-based team has achieved excellent success. In the last 3 months, they have managed to have a 76% win rate and have also qualified for the Major by defeating strong teams.

The Orgless team is so used to taking part in big challenges that it would surprise many if they struggle against 9INE. They are the favorites in this tournament and their win in the group stage shows how high the team’s level is compared to the others.

Entropiq vs Team Falcons

Predictions: Team Falcons to win

Odds: 1.49

Betting Site: Odds provided by GG.BET

When: October 18, 2022 – 19:00 CEST

Another match where the map pool will matter. Entropiq has played on far fewer maps in the last 3 months than most of the other teams in the tournament. Having played 3 or more matches on only 4 maps, the team will be chasing a win against the revamped Team Falcons. It’s a bit difficult for this to happen.

On the other hand, Team Falcons managed to finish second in Group B, right behind Bad News Eagles. Even though they managed to hang tough with their other opponents, they have a roster that is very error-prone. Nevertheless, both the variety of maps they play on and the experience level of the team are enough for them to pull out a win here.