Black Dragons were exposed by Ninjas in Pyjamas (4-7) in the final match of Group A as they suffered their first defeat of Brazil League 2023 Stage 2. Considering their poor entry stats, that loss was hardly shocking, but even though Black Dragons are far from stable, they’re expected to do well in the first round of the knockout stage.

Keyd Stars finished Group B in third place, with a 1-0-1-2 record and just one win against MiBR (7-3). Their only other notable performances were an overtime loss against Team Liquid (6-8) and a relatively solid showing (4-7) against w7m esports.

Black Dragons are an excellent team with a high ceiling, but they have an exploitable weakness. If the Black Dragons can improve their entry stats, a top-three finish in Brazil League Stage 2 won’t escape them, but until we see some improvement, it’s fair to believe that Vinicius “Patoxy” Lima and his crew can drop a map against Keyd Stars.

E1 Sports finished Group B with a 2-1-0-1 record and a lone defeat against the region’s top dogs, w7m esports. FaZe Clan, meanwhile, barely made it through Group A, although their 1-0-1-2 record doesn’t paint a complete picture.

Despite what their numbers suggest, FaZe Clan did not look too bad during the group stage. FaZe nearly defeated Ninjas in Pyjamas (7-8), and they arguably should’ve beaten Black Dragons (5-7 in the fourth round.

FaZe Clan are capable of much more than what their numbers suggest, which explains why they’re expected to defeat E1 Sports. But while that’s a fair assessment, the $1.57 head-o-head price on offer at GG Bet is too short for our liking.

Even though FaZe Clan can always count on Lucas “soulz1” Schinke, they’ll also have to contain E1’s Thiago “xS3xyCake” Reis, which is easier said than done. FaZe should be favourites, but at this price, we’re getting more value backing E1 Sports.

More esports betting tips

Black Dragons moved to the top of Group A with a 7-0 sweep of Miners.gg and two 7-5 victories against LOS and FaZe Clan. However, despite holding all nine points, Black Dragons must still beat Ninjas in Pyjamas if they wish to secure direct passage to the semifinals.

Ninjas in Pyjamas are 2-1-0-0 after the first week of action, with wins against LOS (7-0), Miners.gg (7-2) and FaZe Clan (7-8). And even though NiP haven’t looked as dominant as Black Dragons, they shouldn’t be ignored heading into their final group match.

Black Dragons look great on paper, but they struggle with entries. That was noticeable in their narrow win against LOS, where Roberto “Loira” Camargo and Vinicius “Stemp” Stempnhak went 0-5 in entries. The same thing happened against FaZe Clan on Sunday, when FaZe won nine out of 12 entry kills.

With an entry differential of -13, Black Dragons are a prime example of a team that looks very strong but is flawed in a crucial area. Ninjas in Pyjamas aren’t perfect either, but they don’t have any gaping holes in their game, making them an excellent outsider pick for this match.

With wins against MiBR (7-4), Team Liquid (8-7), and Keyd Stars (7-4), w7m esports are guaranteed a spot in Phase 2 of the Brazil League. However, with top seeding on the line, they still have something to play for in this match.

E1 Sports are 2-1-0-0 with eight points, which ties them with w7m for first place in Group B. Their wins have not been all that convincing, however, and they needed overtime to make it past MiBR (8-7) last weekend.

E1 beat Team Liquid 7-2 on the first day, and they didn’t look too bad against Keyd Stars (7-5) either. So although w7m look stronger, the question is: by how much?

E1 Sports have had their moments and shown enough for us to believe they can cause w7m issues. Still, w7m esports are far more experienced and have looked way more consistent during this stage, making it hard to believe they can lose on Sunday.

Team Liquid started Group B with a 2-7 loss against E1, then bounced back with a hard-fought win against Keyd Stars and suffered their second defeat against w7m esports (7-8) last weekend.

Forcing w7m to overtime is no small feat, and we must acknowledge how good Liquid were on defence. And while we can find some positives about this team, there aren’t many things we can praise MiBR for.

MiBR have won just 14 rounds across the three games played, with three defeats against Keyd Stars (3-7), w7m esports (4-7), and E1 Sports (7-8). Forcing overtime against E1 looks promising, but it shows how weak E1 can be more than anything else.

Team Liquid aren’t the most consistent team, but as the offered R6S betting odds suggest, they’re a class above MiBR.

More esports betting tips