Team Spirit and Ninjas in Pajamas will play in the second round of the upper bracket of IEM Katowice 2023 Play-In. It is known that the winner will go to the group stage of the championship, while the losing team will get another chance in the lower bracket.
In short, the Dragons showed great confidence in their first match. And if you close your eyes to the level of the opponent, then Team Spirit has so far acted more aggressively than many.
In turn, the Swedish team barely coped with the Brazilians from MIBR, and such a game obviously raises big questions. Moreover, on Nuke, Ninjas in Pajamas had only one working idea, which, with proper preparation, would be quickly closed.
Therefore, here I am all in favor of the Russian team, which has excellent chances to resolve all issues and advance. The only thing Ninjas in Pajamas can play is shooting. But even in this, the “dragons” parameters are not much weaker.
Team Spirit Uniform
The thirteenth team of the world ranking quite unexpectedly reached the playoff stage of IEM Rio Major 2022, where, however, they could not cope with Heroic and went to rest.
Already at the end of the season, the Russian team took second place in the ESL Challenger League Season 43 Europe, although it had every chance to win. And the reason for this was two defeats in a row from the Portuguese from SAW, who slowed down the pace of Team Spirit.
However, at the start of IEM Katowice 2023 Play-In, the Dragons ran over Grayhound without a chance. And if the team continues to play so confidently, then the slot for the group stage can be reserved.
Team Spirit latest results:
- Victory over Sprout with a score of 2:1.
- Victory over FTW with a score of 2:0.
- Defeated by SAW with a score of 1:2.
- Defeated by SAW with a score of 1:3.
- Victory over Grayhound with a score of 16:6.
Best Team Spirit maps:
- Ancient - 100% win rate.
- Vertigo - 60% of wins.
- Nuke - 50% win rate.
But if the Russian team did not play on the Inferno map before, now they have to think about Anubis.
Uniform Ninjas in Pajamas
The seventeenth team of the world ranking played terribly at the last BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2023. Moreover, even in the group, the Swedish team fought against NAVI twice, and also confidently rolled out BIG.
However, in Play-In Ninjas in Pajamas did not have a good game at all, as the team lost to Astralis in the case and went home without any special achievements. There was also a transfer of k0nfig, which we have yet to learn about.
As for the start at IEM Katowice 2023 Play-In, here the team beat MIBR with a bang, showing a monstrous game. In general, the team obviously did not play out, and according to the ideas, everything is not so rosy.
Latest Ninjas in Pajamas results:
- Defeat from Natus Vincere with a score of 1:2.
- Victory over BIG with a score of 2:0.
- Defeat from Natus Vincere with a score of 1:2.
- Defeated by Astralis with a score of 1:2.
- Victory over MIBR with a score of 16:13.
Best Ninjas in Pajamas cards:
- Inferno - 50% win rate.
- Overpass - 50% of wins.
In turn, the Swedish team continues to refuse the Anubis card.
Match statistics Team Spirit — Ninjas in Pajamas
The teams have not met before.
Prediction for the match Team Spirit — Ninjas in Pajamas
Considering what they saw, the Swedish team has not yet managed to play together with k0nfig, and the guys showed a terrible game at the start of the tournament. In turn, Team Spirit went through Grayhound without a chance, and on the same Nuke map.
In general, the "dragons" have excellent chances to reach the group stage, since Ninjas in Pajamas did not impress with their game at the start of the championship. Therefore, in this case, I would recommend betting on Team Spirit to win.
