Team Vitality will face Gentle Mates in the main stage of ESL Pro League Season 22 — a match that promises to test both sides. Vitality enter this game in excellent form after a string of convincing wins, while Gentle Mates aim to prove they can compete with the elite. This clash will be a test of consistency for the favorite and a chance for the underdog to cause an upset.
How Bookmakers See It: Vitality as the Favorite
Bookmakers view Vitality as the clear favorite in this matchup. The team is in stable form, recently finished second at a major tournament, and continues to show confident performances on its strongest maps. Gentle Mates, despite some solid results against individual opponents, appear less consistent and lack big-stage experience. Analysts expect Vitality to take control of the match from the first rounds and secure victory without major problems.
Current Form of Vitality: What to Expect from Vitality
Team Vitality approach the ESL Pro League Season 22 main stage in excellent form. Over the past three months, the team has played 42 maps and won 28 — a sign of stability and a high level of play. Their standout performance came at BLAST Open London 2025 Finals, where they claimed second place, losing only in the grand final.
- Vitality lineup: apEX, ZywOo, flameZ, mezii, ropz
In their last five matches, Vitality have won four — against MOUZ, FaZe, GamerLegion, and M80 — and lost only once to G2. The current trend shows that under zonic’s leadership, the team continues to adapt well to CS2, finding balance between aggressive openings and structured tactical play.
Current Form of Gentle Mates: What to Expect from Gentle Mates
Gentle Mates continue to develop through consistent appearances at mid-tier tournaments. Over the past three months, they’ve played 40 maps and won 21. In the past month, the team took part in Radio Popular Roman Imperium Cup II (2nd place), StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025 (4th place), and Birch Cup 2025 (13–14th place).
- Gentle Mates lineup: mopoz, dav1g, sausol, alex, Martinez
In their last five matches, Gentle Mates have won three — against Legacy, G2, and HEROIC — but lost to Inner Circle and ex-Inner Circle. Despite some inconsistency, they remain a dangerous opponent due to their flexible playstyle and creative approach on the T side.
Map Pool of Vitality
Vitality emphasize structure and consistency in their map choices. The team often bans Ancient, a map that doesn’t fit their preferred tempo and yields unstable results. Instead, they are most comfortable on Dust2, Inferno, and Nuke, where their individual strength and team coordination shine. Considering the stats, Inferno is likely to be their pick — with a 70% win rate, it perfectly suits their communication and retake setups. They will probably leave Nuke in play as well, relying on their balance between tactical discipline and map control. In the second ban phase, Vitality are expected to remove Overpass, given Gentle Mates’ perfect 100% win rate there.
Map Pool of Gentle Mates
Gentle Mates build their veto strategy around exploiting the weaknesses of their opponents. Their most common first ban is Dust2, one of Vitality’s best maps. They frequently rely on Nuke, Inferno, and Ancient, showing solid play both on the CT and T sides. Given their statistics (Nuke — 70%, Inferno — 72%, Ancient — 68% win rate), they are most likely to pick Nuke, aiming to impose their pace and structure. During the second ban phase, they will likely remove Train to avoid Vitality’s potential surprises on that map. As a result, Mirage is expected to remain as the decider — a neutral battleground where both sides will have a fair chance to show their style.
Head-to-Head Record
Over the past six months, Vitality and Gentle Mates have not faced each other. This adds an element of unpredictability — both teams have limited information about each other’s current playstyle, which could lead to surprising tactical choices, especially on the first map.
Match Prediction: Vitality vs Gentle Mates — ESL Pro League S22
Vitality come into this matchup in stronger form, with consistent victories and impressive results on big stages. Gentle Mates, on the other hand, have potential but remain inconsistent when facing higher-tier teams, which could prove decisive.
If Vitality avoid early mistakes and maintain their tempo control, they should be able to close out the series either 2–0 or 2–1. Gentle Mates might challenge them on Nuke, but overall, Vitality’s current level of play stands notably higher.
Prediction: Vitality 2–0 Gentle Mates.
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