Cloud9 vs Movistar Riders Prediction: Spaniards to have a hard time

The second major tournament after the resumption of the CS:GO season kicked off on August 31. ESL Pro League Season 16 runs until October 2, hosting the best teams in the world. 24 teams will compete for a prize pool of $823,000 and a ticket to the BLAST Premier World Final 2022. The CIS-region will be represented by four teams, two of which are in the top 3 of the HLTV ranking. For a whole month, fans of the shooter can enjoy world-class CS. The only thing left to do is to choose their favorite.

On September 23, Cloud9 and Movistar Riders will play their opening game in ESL Pro League Season 16. We will find out which team will be stronger very soon. The meeting is scheduled to start at 13:30 (UTC+3).

Cloud9: no leaders yet

• Current HLTV ranking: #11;
• Changes over the last three months: -7;
• Best map: Mirage – 67% in 3 maps;
• Worst map: Inferno – 33% in 3 maps.

Cloud9 after the break was able to get off to a good start at ESL Pro League Season 16. The team achieved a confident 2-0 victory over Evil Geniuses. If on the first map there was at least some fight, on the second one the Russian team crushed their opponent, allowing them to take only five rounds. The team did a great job, and the main stars of Cloud9 (sh1ro and Ax1Le) were not in the lead. As for the upcoming match, it's almost certain to take their choice of Mirage. This is one of the weakest cards of the Spaniards, who were simply terrible on the T-side, losing 11 rounds in a row. At the same time, only once did the team manage to get to set up a bomb. Cloud9 should easily take this map for themselves. The other pick options are not believable at all. And the Russian team doesn't need it. Mirage looks ideal. 

Movistar Riders: another loss

• Current HLTV ranking: #5;
• Changes over the last three months: +13;
• Best map: Ancient – 80% in 5 maps;
• Worst map: Mirage – 29% in 7 maps.

Movistar Riders continue their losing streak so far. The team has already lost five matches in a row. The team failed to play in the SteelSeries Nova Cup (Dash 2), where they finished in last place. Before that, the Spaniards couldn't qualify for RMR, which was a complete surprise. I remind you that Movistar Riders is ranked fifth in the HLTV rankings. At ESL Pro League Season 16, the team has already managed to lose their first match to Team Liquid. As for the upcoming match, Movistar Riders will most likely take Ancient. The Spaniards look good on this map and can even clinch a win. There is also Inferno, but I prefer Ancient. In bo3, we don't believe in the Spaniards. For the decisive map, they will be left with Vertigo or Overpass. The Russian squad has an advantage on these maps and will have to close the match in their favor.

Head-to-head encounters

The team faced off only once, Movistar Riders winning.

Expert Betting Tips

Cloud9 can lose one map to the Spaniards, but should take the series. Right now the guys are in great shape. The bookmakers at 1xbet are offering odds of 1.73 for Cloud9 to win with Frags Handicap (-8.5) which looks like a good option. You can also take Maps Total Over (2.5) for odds of 2.50 at Bet365 & 2.40 at Betway.