100 THIEVES vs GEN.G CS:GO BETTING & MATCH DETAILS
CSGO Betting Odds:	100T $1.59 at GG Bet | Gen.G $2.26 at GG Bet
CSGO Betting Lines:	100T -1.5 at $2.75 | Gen.G +1.5 at $1.40
When:	August 18, 2020 at 13:00 PDT
Watch Live:	Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/esl_csgo)

100 THIEVES vs GEN.G ESL ONE: COLOGNE 2020 ONLINE – NORTH AMERICA BETTING PREVIEW

The opening round of Group A matches at ESL One: Cologne 2020 Online – North America will see 100 Thieves clash with Gen.G for the first time since cs_summit 6 at the start of July.

That previous encounter marked both teams’ final competitive match before a month-long break. While it ended with Gen.G pocketing a 2-0 win, the fixture was much closer than the final score would lead us to believe.

100 Thieves opened the series with a strong start on Nuke and secured a 9-6 lead by the end of the first half, but Gen.G reversed that score line after the break to force overtime. The two sides then went back and forth for 12 OT rounds, but it was Gen.G who pulled ahead to seal the first map with a 22-20 win.

The series continued on Vertigo, where 100T started slow and ended the first half 5-8 down on their own map pick. The Australian side made up ground on T-side by taking eight of the next 12 rounds, but Gen.G’s advantage proved too great as they wrapped up the series with a 16-13 result.

That outcome summed up a disappointing campaign for 100 Thieves at cs_summit 6, where they beat Chaos Esports Club (2-0) and Cloud9 (2-0) but lost to Team Liquid (1-2) and Gen.G. Before that, they ran third at DreamHack Masters Spring 2020: North America and seventh-eighth at the BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 American Showdown.

A bronze medal from the DreamHack Masters might look good on paper, but a closer look at the results tells a different story. While they defeated Gen.G (2-0) and Cloud9 (2-0) in the group stage, Aaron “AZR” Ward and his crew ended up losing to Evil Geniuses (1-2), FURIA (1-2) and Team Liquid (0-2).

Much like 100 Thieves, Gen.G did not impress anyone with their performances before the break. We can give Damian “daps” Steele and his side some praise for their grand final appearance at cs_summit 6, but even that success was quickly overshadowed by their fourth placing at the BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 American Showdown and fifth-sixth at DreamHack Masters Spring 2020.

Despite their lack of any real success of late, 100 Thieves and Gen.G are still highly respected in their region and sit inside the top 20 in the CS:GO esports world rankings. That said, they can hardly compare to Counter-Strike powerhouses such as G2 Esports, Natus Vincere, Evil Geniuses and Team Vitality.

100 THIEVES vs GEN.G ESL ONE: COLOGNE 2020 ONLINE – NORTH AMERICA BETTING PREDICTIONS

In terms of quality, there is not a lot to set Gen.G and 100 Thieves apart. They are both strong enough to compete with any team in the world, yet they are also inconsistent and usually underperform when faced with the top dogs.

Esports bookmakers have 100 Thieves priced as solid favourites for this clash, but we think the odds should be tighter. Not only have Gen.G defeated 100T before, we must also consider that both teams should be a little rusty after a month off. That usually results in coin-flip matches, so it makes much more sense to side with the underdogs.

It’s also worth noting that Gen.G hold an edge over 100 Thieves in the majority of the maps. While the difference in win percentages is marginal, it’s enough for us to place our money on the outsiders.