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Virtus.pro enter this match with a perfect 2-0 record, having already beaten AS Monaco Gambit (2-1) and PuckChamp (2-0). At the start of the month VP were also seen at the ONE Esports Singapore Major, where they finished seventh-eighth after losing to PSG.LGD (0-2) and Thunder Predator (0-2).

Regardless of that mediocre finish, VP are still one of the best Dota 2 teams in the region and one of the favourites to win this tournament. Their next opponents, Team Unique, are anything but that and enter this match off a 2-1 victory against PuckChamp and a 1-2 loss to Winstrike.

Virtus.pro might be stronger than Team Unique, but they definitely shouldn’t be priced as low as $1.09. Team Unique performed solid in their 0-2 loss to Team Spirit just two weeks ago, when they would have easily won the first map had they not lost one crucial team fight.

VP won this matchup 2-0 back in February, but Unique have since improved and should look better this time. At the offered Dota 2 betting odds, we have to take a shot with the outsiders to win at least one map.

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AS Monaco have yet to win a single match this tournament, although they had to face Virtus.pro (1-2), Team Spirit (1-2), and Natus Vincere (0-2). Having already met three CIS top dogs, Gambit can now focus on picking up what should be easy points against the weaker sides.

Winstrike were far more successful in their opening three bouts, having beaten EXTREMUM (2-1) and Team Unique (2-1). Even though they lost to Team Spirit (1-2) last week, it was still a solid showing from Maxim “re1bl” Afanasyev and his crew.

AS Monaco Gambit are priced as massive favourites, largely due to their success at the Singapore Major, where they beat Team Nigma (2-0) and Team Liquid (2-0). Regardless of those results, we don’t expect them to stomp Winstrike.

Unless there’s a complete mismatch, these CIS Dota 2 clashes are generally very close. AS Monaco Gambit should still win, but it won’t be a clean sweep.

WePlay! Esports made the call on CyberTRAKTOR last Thursday, citing a growing suspicion that “some participants of the series were not playing competitively”. Further investigation from Pushka League analysts confirmed that at least one of the team’s players was intentionally losing games and betting on match results.

“Our esports department and the analysts of WePlay! Pushka League carefully examined the matches and came to the conclusion that CyberTRAKTOR players, with a high degree of probability, made bets on some intermediate results of their matches,” WePlay! said in a statement.

“CyberTRAKTOR was suspended from participation in WePlay! Pushka League until the end of the investigation.”

CyberTRAKTOR launched their own investigation and found that one of their players, Artur “Retsu” Kotsoyev, was involved in match-fixing, which earned him a one-year ban from participating at all WePlay! Esports events, effective until May 2, 2021.

“We understand that CyberTRAKTOR is in complicated circumstances with its Dota 2 roster that is still on probation,” said Anton “WarLocK” Tokarev, Esports Lead Esports Manager at WePlay!.

“It’s not easy to commit to such decisions, but we see no other choice if we want to prevent such incidents in the future.”

CyberTRAKTOR representative Evgeny Belozertsev responded by thanking WePlay! for the opportunity to participate in the next season of the league, apologised for the unfortunate incident and assured that his organisation would be “controlling our players during official matches and practice more closely” in future.

On Saturday, it was confirmed that Team Unique would replace CyberTRAKTOR in Division 2 for the inaugural Pushka League season. Since the tournament is already well underway, the Russian squad will enter the tournament with CyberTRAKTOR’s former win-loss record (1-1) and will only play a single match before the playoffs.

Their first and only fixture of the group stage was played on Sunday, where Unique faced Team Empire Hope. Ivan “VANSKOR” Skorohod and co. started strong but ended up losing in a reverse sweep, meaning they will head to the playoffs as the third seed in the CIS group. It also means Unique will have the chance to exact revenge on Empire Hope, the second seed, in the quarter-finals this Friday.