Group D’s opening matchup sees two teams that play the bulk of their games in an online setting, as Virtus.pro take on BIG for the first time since IEM Cologne 2021 – more in this BLAST Spring Groups Opening Round preview!

Virtus.pro vs BIG Match Preview

CS2 odds used in this article were provided by one of the best CS2 betting sites, Thunderpick.

Virtus.pro

The IEM Rio Major Champions have been dominating the online competition since CS2’s arrival to competitive play. However, they are yet to play a tier one event on LAN in the new game. This apparent lack of sample size makes it hard to gauge VP’s true level and how they would fare against the best in the world.

Thankfully, with the Russian-majority squad joining the BLAST circuit, we will have numerous opportunities to witness Virtus.pro compete on LAN against the likes of FaZe, Vitality, or G2 in 2024.

Although VP’s style is not very exciting, it will be interesting to see how they transition to CS2 in an offline setting.

BIG

Akin to Virtus.pro, BIG have been grinding online CS2 tournaments, even winning the CCT Online Finals 5 and the YaLLa Compass Fall 2023 (both without dropping a single map). Karim “Krimbo” Moussa has been a revelation among German talent in recent years, with the rifler continuing to elevate his game. BIG’s star has averaged a staggering 1.21 rating in CS2 thus far.

A solid team performance could be the key to BIG’s success in their game against VP, although the Russian-majority roster is known to be extremely difficult to put away. In any case, it is bound to be a close game.

Virtus.pro vs BIG Odds & Prediction

Thunderpick favour Virtus.pro to take care of BIG and move forward into the Group D Upper Final. However, this match is much tougher to call than it might seem at first glance.

• Prediction: Virtus.pro (2-1) BIG
• Odds: Virtus.pro Win (-263/1.38), BIG Win (+180/2.80)
• CS2 Betting Site: Thunderpick

All odds accessed are accurate at the time of writing and are liable to change.

Image credits: ESL