With the group stage done and dusted, two quarterfinals will kick off the IEM Rio 2023 playoffs this Friday with Natus Vincere and Cloud 9 awaiting the winners in the semifinals on Saturday. Below you will find ESB’s best bets for Team Vitality vs BIG and FURIA vs Heroic, with odds from the best esports betting sites.

After beginning their IEM Rio campaign with a 17-19 loss to OG in the first round, Team Vitality have recovered by winning their last three matches over MIBR, FaZe Clan, and flipping the script on OG to qualify for the playoffs via the lower-bracket final. Vitality have beaten BIG in both of their best-of-three series, and they are the clear favourites in this one. With some very good performances at recent events, the world no.6 will be hoping that IEM Rio 2023 can be their first win since August of last year.

BIG have performed admirably at IEM Rio 2023, beginning with an upset victory over MOUZ (16-6), followed by a tough victory over one of the pre-tournament favourites in Heroic to book their place in the upper-bracket final. After forcing Natus Vincere into overtime on the first map, the world no.19 was no match for the world no.4 on the second, falling 0-2. BIG enter the playoffs as the lowest-ranked team, but they have the potential to spoil the party, and they may start with Team Vitality in this series.

The series has gone to three maps both times these two teams have played a best-of-three, so that is how we will play for his matchup.

FURIA will be looking to avenge their IEM Rio Major 2022 semifinal loss from late last year, in which the Brazilians were defeated by Heroic in a three-map series. The world no.11 performed admirably in their first two matches at IEM Rio 2023, defeating Fnatic 19-15 in overtime in round one before dominating FaZe Clan in the upper-bracket semifinals. With their playoff tickets already punched, FURIA faced Cloud9 in the upper-bracket final, which the latter would win 2-1. With a large crowd expected in the Jeunesse Arena to cheer on the hometown team, the ‘sixth man’ effect cannot be underestimated.

Heroic entered IEM Rio 2023 as one of the pre-tournament favourites, but they fell at the first hurdle, losing to BIG in the first round. After defeating TheMongolz in a three-map series, Heroic advanced to the lower-bracket final against Ninjas in Pyjamas, which they won convincingly 2-0. The world no.3 has clearly not been at their best, and with a crucial quarterfinal series against FURIA coming up, they will need to find a way to block out the crowd and repeat their semifinal victory from the IEM Rio Major 2022.

With vengeance on their mind and a packed house of crazy Brazilian CS:GO fans, we will be on FURIA to get the job done.

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