SK Gaming take on OpTic Gaming at the IEM Oakland on Thursday evening, with the German eSports giants hoping to make it through to the semi-finals for the second consecutive year. However, with their opponents having finished second in Group B to reach this stage of the competition, many are predicting a close encounter between the two.
IEM Oakland – Quarter Finals – Thursday 16th November – 19:00 UK Time
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SK Gaming
OpTic GamingMatch Preview: SK Gaming vs OpTic Gaming
SK Gaming made it through to the knockout phase of this year’s IEM Oakland after winning their opening three matches in Group A, with the German eSports team looking to give themselves a chance to win yet another CS:GO competition when they take on OpTic Gaming. Their team is dominated by Brazilian talent, with the likes of ‘FalleN’ and ‘TACO’ making them a formidable opponent. Despite rivals OpTic Gaming having not performed to the best of their ability in 2017, two consecutive Group B wins demonstrate that they are in with a chance of pulling out a giant-killing act on Thursday evening. For those still unsure of who to back at the bookmakers, let’s take a closer look at the two teams, as well as providing our top tip for the match.
SK Gaming Team News & Form
Having won the CS Summit, Intel Extreme Masters Sydney, Esports Championship Series, ESL One Cologne and EPICENTER 2017 in recent months, SK Gaming are undoubtedly one of the biggest and most successful CS:GO teams. Former Luminosity Gaming player ‘FalleN’ is perhaps now the star of the team, with the leader having been chosen as the most influential person in Brazilian eSports recently.
SK Gaming narrowly defeated Team EnVyUs thanks to a 22-20 overtime win in the group stages, one of three wins.
OpTic Gaming Team News & Form
Despite having been on the wrong end of a 16-3 trashing from Faze Clan earlier on in the competition, OpTic Gaming made it safely through to the quarter finals thanks to two final Group B successes. The likes of ‘mixwell’ and ‘allu’ will have to be at the top of their game if they are to have any chance of defeating SK Gaming however, having lost their last three CS:GO meetings.
Head to Head
SK Gaming hold a narrow advantage over OpTic Gaming when it comes to their head-to-head record, having won eight of their 14 CS:GO meetings in the past. SK Gaming won the last match between the two teams back in July, coming out on top 2-1 at the ESL One. The victory is one of three consecutive victories for the German team, with OpTic Gaming’s previous success dating back to April at the Esports Championship Series.
Betting Odds and Predictions
It comes as little surprise that it is SK Gaming who are the firm favourites for victory with the majority of bookmakers. The team can be backed at odds of 2/9 at gg.bet, while those looking to bet on a surprise away win for OpTic Gaming can take advantage of 3/1 odds from the same bookmaker.
Top Betting Tip: SK Gaming vs OpTic Gaming
However, our top betting tip for the match is to bet on OpTic Gaming to win at least one map on Thursday evening, which can be found at odds of 5/6 with GG.Bet.