Today marks the start of the group stage of The International 2023, the premier Dota 2 event of the current season. The top 20 teams from around the world will battle it out for an impressive prize pool and the title of world champion. In Group A, the series opens with a match between Team Spirit and 9Pandas. The format of the match is bo2. Will someone manage to win, or will the teams draw? We will find out very soon.
In this betting thread you will find out how the participants of this match are performing this year, how they did in their previous professional tournament, and how this match will end.
Team Spirit uniforms
The International 2021 champions started the current playing season with second place finishes at the DPC EEU 2023 Tour 1: Division I and BetBoom Universe: Episode I - Comics Zone, which earned the players $28,000 and $25,000 respectively. The team also earned the right to play at Lima Major 2023, the first Major tournament of the year. The 7th-8th place at Lima Major 2023 is hard to call a good result for such a team, but Miposhka and his teammates fulfilled the minimum programme, earning $12,500 and DPC points. Silver in the DPC EEU 2023 Tour 2: Division I allowed Team Spirit to earn $28,000 and ranking points, as well as a trip to Berlin for the Major event. Before travelling to Germany, Spirit finished in 9th-10th place at DreamLeague Season 19, the first tournament of the ESL Pro Tour Dota 2 2023 series, and won $25,000. At ESL One Berlin Major 2023, the team fell short, as a 9th-12th place finish in the standings did not earn them any honours. Team Spirit won the final round of the regional league, winning all of their matches. Thus, Miposhka and his team earned the grand prize of $30,000, DPC points and a trip to Bali Major 2023. In between ranking tournaments, Spirit played at DreamLeague Season 20, where they finished in the top 5 and received $52,500. But in Bali the players had the same bad luck as in Berlin. Once again 9th-12th place and no winnings. The final tournament of the ESL Pro Tour Dota 2 2023 series was the Riyadh Masters 2023, a LAN championship held in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, which had the biggest prize money of the year, namely $15,000,000. The win secured Team Spirit $5,000,000 in prize money.
Before travelling to The International 2023, Team Spirit competed in the DreamLeague Season 21 online tournament. Following the group stage draw, Yatoro and team went to Group B, which they won convincingly with a 4-1-0 statistic. The only draw in the group stage occurred in a match against BetBoom Team. Such a performance ensured that the players qualified for the top set of play-offs. In the first match of the final stage, Team Spirit defeated the reigning world champions from Tundra Esports on two maps in a row to advance to the semifinals. A full bo3 series against Shopify Rebellion ended with a Spirit victory. In the grand finals of the competition Team Spirit again met Arteezy and his teammates. But there the American team could not oppose Miposhka and teammates at all. The 3-0 victory secured Team Spirit the tournament championship and the $300,000 grand prize.
Team Spirit made it to The International 2023 thanks to earning 1020 DPC points and tenth place in the international rankings.
Team Spirit's recent results stats:
- A 3-0 win over Shopify Rebellion
- 2-1 win over Shopify Rebellion
- 2:0 win over Tundra Esports
- 2:0 win over OG
- 2:0 win over Quest Esports
9Pandas uniforms
The cybersport organisation 9Pandas came to Dota 2 in April this year by signing HellRaisers. The first tournament for the new team was immediately ESL One Berlin Major 2023, the second Major championship of this season. There Solo and the team sensationally won the bronze medal, receiving as a reward $75,000 and the much desired DPC points. After that, third place at the DPC EEU 2023 Tour 3: Division I also earned the players $27,000, ranking points, and an opportunity at Bali Major 2023. Before travelling to Bali, 9Pandas participated in DreamLeague Season 20, the second tournament of the ESL Pro Tour Dota 2 2023 series, where they finished in seventh place in the standings. This result secured $42,500 for the players. The success at Bali Major 2023 was a bit more subdued compared to the previous Major tournament, but still not bad. A 5th-6th place finish in the standings earned 9Pandas $25,000. Next up for Solo and the team was Saudi Arabia with its LAN tournament Riyadh Masters 2023, where the team earned $800,000 for 5th-6th place. But a similar result at BetBoom Dacha, which took place in Yerevan, Armenia, did not bring the players any prize money.
The previous professional tournament for Team 9Pandas was DreamLeague Season 21. There Solo and the team made it to Group A, where they did not distinguish themselves with a good performance. A 2-1-2 statistic, including a draw with Tundra Esports and losses to Entity and Shopify Rebellion, allowed the team to head to the bottom of the play-offs. But the path to the final stage was a short one for 9Pandas. Ledge and OG players were defeated on two maps in a row and left the tournament. For 7th-8th place in the standings, 9Pandas earned $47,500 in prize money.
This season, 9Pandas players earned 1496 DPC points, which allowed them to finish fourth in the rankings and go directly to The International 2023.
9Pandas recent results stats:
- 0-2 defeat to OG
- 0:2 loss to Entity
- A 1-1 draw with Tundra Esports.
- 0:2 loss to Shopify Rebellion
- A 2-0 win over Talon Esports.
Team Spirit vs 9Pandas Match History
Since the beginning of this year, the participants of this duel have played against each other three times. In DPC EEU 2023 Tour 3: Division I Team Spirit defeated 9Pandas 2-0. At DreamLeague Season 20, Team Spirit came away with a 2-1 victory. In the group stage of Riyadh Masters 2023, the teams played a draw.
Predicted result of the match Team Spirit - 9Pandas
This year Team Spirit managed to find the keys to victory over 9Pandas, and at the last two tournaments Miposhka and his teammates show a decent game. Let's bet on the victory of Team Spirit.
