Virtus.pro vs SAW Prediction: Title Defense Starts with an Easy Match

Prediction for the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023: European RMR A match which will take place on April 6th. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

The Bears begin their path to defending their status as "major champions" with European qualifications. Virtus.pro had a mixed start to 2023: the team steadily made the playoffs at IEM Katowice 2023 and ESL Pro League Season 17 but lost their first elimination matches. In both cases, their kryptonite was Natus Vincere: s1mple outplayed the Russian team twice (2-0).

After dropping out of BLAST Premier: World Final 2022, the team replaced n0rb3r7 with Kair0N. The young rifler integrated into the Virtus.pro system and does not get lost during maps against any opponent. He has an average HLTV rating of 0.95 in ESL Pro League Season 17. Still, Alexander plays the supporting role, often faces his opponent with a numerical advantage, and does not give up his position without a fight. But in Malta Virtus.pro performed slightly worse than in Katowice: 48% of won rounds vs. 52%, and the multi-kill rate dropped significantly (0.68 vs. 0.77). The team went negative on defense-winning rounds (45% vs. 50%). The stats suggest Virtus.pro may not have approached qualifying in the best shape.

Nevertheless, the Bears are fine when facing less-skilled opponents. They fail in series against HLTV's top-5, but all teams below them inevitably lose. Therefore, on experience and skill, Virtus.pro emerges as the favorite for the first BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023: European RMR A match.

The Portuguese team frequently participates in the CS:GO European tier-3 scene, occasionally appearing on the grids of major tournaments. SAW plays consistently in the major qualifying but rarely makes upsets and can't jump over the top. But this is a team that last winter outplayed Team Spirit in BO5 (3-1).

Sharpshooter story (1.10 HLTV rating) and rifler ewjerkz (1.15) stand out on individual stats. Over the past three months, SAW has often played Vertigo and has an awe-inspiring win rate (83% for twelve maps). The team has played 60 maps in that time frame, winning 34. But the level of their opponents is different from what the Portuguese will face in the first series of the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023: European RMR A. The opponents are mainly from the third and fourth top ten HLTV, in which it often comes to nervous clutches. And even here, SAW only sometimes dominates.

The team came through Decider in second place. This already suggests that at BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023: European RMR A SAW enters as an outsider. Therefore, we should not believe in a sudden miracle in the first series, and the Portuguese need to take the full experience out of meetings with tier-1 teams.

The Russian team looks significantly stronger than their opponent. In meetings with the top-20 HLTV ranking, SAW has enormous problems, and the level of the Portuguese game is not enough to defeat Virtus.pro.