Come to the end of the group stage of IEM New York 2020 CIS, and in the final round there will be a meeting between Natus Vincere and Espada. Both teams still have a chance to get to the playoffs, however, NaVi's situation is much more difficult.
Natus Vincere uniform
"Born to Win" have not yet justified their name, having already made two misfires at this tournament. And if the team managed to win the first two meetings (2: 1 with Cyber Legacy, 2: 0 with K23), then they failed to score points in the match with the main competitors. It all started with VP, who punished NaVi for all the mistakes she made, beating them 2: 0. It seemed that Natus Vincere would be able to rehabilitate himself in the game with forZe, but this did not work out either.
First, the teams postponed the game for two days, citing the Perfecto coronavirus. Then the meeting did take place, but it would be better if NaVi had counted for a technical defeat, because there is nothing to do with such a game in the playoffs. The team ingloriously lost two cards and put themselves in a quandary. And now only victory is needed in the last game.
NaVi card pool:
- Dust 2 - 70% wins.
- Train - 62% wins.
But what is remarkable, Espada is no worse than Born to Win in this component. This means that the teams' chances, despite the NaVi status, are approximately equal.
Espada Form
The team is as close as ever to being at their first Major. Of course, neither the date nor the location of the championship is known yet. However, Espada ranks fifth in the regional ranking, having every chance of qualifying for the main event of such an interesting season.
And already at IEM New York 2020 CIS, the team proves that they are ready to reach a completely new level. The team already has 9 points, as well as an intermediate second place. But under certain hands, Espada may lose its place in the playoffs. However, in order to prevent this, the team needs to defeat NaVi. And as we can see, the team has every chance for that.
Best Team Cards:
- Dust 2 - 100% wins.
- Overpass - 75% wins.
- Mirage - 64% wins.
- Train - 64% wins.
Espada should be careful about picking cards. By choosing Overpass, the team will competently push NaVi to pick Dust 2 or Train, which are also played by the Russian team. And in such a scenario, Espada can resolve all questions about the winner ahead of schedule.
Personal meetings statistics
Up to this point, the teams met only within the framework of ESL One: Road to Rio - CIS, and then the victory went to NaVi (2: 0).
Forecast for the match Natus Vincere - Espada
Considering the importance of the match for Espada, as well as the relaxed state of NaVi, I propose to bet on Espada to win with 2.89 odds. The favorite has already shown that he cannot seriously tune in to teams that are losing in class. From what Espada will have a real chance to show itself in all its glory.
