The long group stage of ESL Pro League Season 20 has come to an end. However, this does not mean that the top Counter-Strike 2 is on pause, because there are play-offs ahead.
Let's keep a close eye on the ESL Pro League Season 20 play-offs and talk about the Team Spirit vs FURIA match. The winner takes on Imperial.
We are trying to figure out who will be stronger in the Spirit - FURIA pairing and advance to the next stage.
Let's go.
Team Spirit uniforms
Let's open the Spirit vs FURIA match with an analysis of Team Spirit's form. In this match they will play as favourites with odds to win at around 2.
The 2023 season has been a busy one for Spirit. The Serbian club has played wherever they can, but they have not managed to get any significant results.
They started the previous season with an appearance at IEM Master Katowice 2023, where they finished in the top 12. Then there was the local CCT Central Europe Malta Finals 2023, where they finished in the top 6.
One of the biggest tournaments of the 2023 season for Spirit was ESL Pro League Season 17, where the Dragons finished in TOP-28. They tried to make it to the Major in Paris, but again all in vain.
From the middle and up to the end of the year Spirit played at local events of small calibre. And they were quite successful, it is worth mentioning: TOP-1 at CCT North Europe Series #6, TOP-2 at CCT Online Finals #2, victory at Dunav Party LAN and Thunderpick World Championship 2023: European Series #2.
- Team Spirit roster: chopper, zont1x, sh1ro, donk, magixx.
At the end of the year, they won the BB Dacha. In 2024 BLAST Premier: Spring Showdown 2024 was the first big event of the Dragons. Spirit played frankly poorly there: they finished in the top 16 at their debut BLAST Championship, advancing to the Spring Showdown.
At IEM Katowice 2024 Spirit started their performance at the Play-In stage. There they beat Apeks 13-0 without a chance, and then confidently (except for 2 maps) beat MongolZ 2-0, thus qualifying for the group stage. The group stage was not a problem for Spirit either: after giving up only 1 map to NaVi, they easily made it to the play-offs by beating CoL and FaZe Clan 2-0. The IEM Katowice 2024 play-offs confirmed Spirit's dominance, as they easily shut down Falcons (2-0) and it was even easier against FaZe in the grand finals (3-0).
After the triumph at Katowice 2024, Spirit went to PGL CS2 Copenhagen Major 2024, where they managed to reach the play-offs, but Ledge and FaZe Clan in the first round of the main stage. Spirit took the top 8.
Spirit had a kind of successful performance at BB Dacha, but a 0-3 loss to MOUZ in the grand finals spoilt things a bit.
At IEM Dallas 2024 Team Spirit had a very easy time in the group stage, not giving up a single map in the B basket. However, they didn't manage to beat everyone in the play-offs: Vitality intervened at the TOP-4 stage and knocked Spirit out of the tournament.
Later Spirit won the BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2024. And then came a string of poor performances, including Top 8 and Top 16 at Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2024.
ESL Pro League Season 20 Team Spirit started with Group B, where they took on Ledge and MIBR in the second round of the top set and after dropping below, they had trouble beating The MongolZ and 3DMAX.
Team Spirit Mapple
The best map of Team Spirit remains Vertigo, where the Brazilians played 5 times and won in 3 maps. Next comes Mirage, with 7 games and 4-3 statistics.
The neutral choice for Team Spirit will be Nuke and Ancient. The Brazilians have 6 maps there and the score is 3-3 on each.
The worst is Overpass (2-3) and Inferno (1-2).
FURIA Form.
We continue the analysis of the match FURIA vs Team Spirit with the analysis of FURIA's form. In this match they play as an outsider with odds to win at around 4.
Furia have attended over 10 tournaments over the year, but their successes have been mediocre. Their most high-profile win was a Top 1 at BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023: American RMR, which gave them a mark at BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023.
Furia finished their only Major of the season on a Minor note. They failed to rise above the top 16 and were not given by G2 Esports. The misfortunes of the Brazilians did not end there.
Before the ESL Pro League Long Season, the team failed the following events: IEM Masters Dallas 2023 (TOP-12), Thunderpick World Championship 2023 (TOP-16), and Gamers8 2023 (TOP-16).
- FURIA line-up: yuurih, skullz, KSCERATO, FalleN, chelo.
Just before the ESL Pro League Season 18 Long Round, FURIA played at Pinnacle Cup V, where they managed to reach the Top 2. This was the most breakthrough result since the American RMR.
At ESL Pro League Season 18 FURIA played in Basket A. They got to the bottom net after the first round, and from there they went to the last chance net after the second round. There they cameback, defeating Grayhound and GamerLegion, thus getting their slot in the play-offs.
However, they didn't manage to play in the play-offs. In the first round FURIA ran into MOUZ, who became the champions of the prestigious event. As you have already guessed, FURIA lost and with a score of 0-2.
Next, the Brazilians played at a few more events. It was BLAST Premier: Fall American Showdown, with a top-4 for FURIA after losing to Complexity, and also BGS Esports 2023, with a win there.
FURIA entered the Roobet Cup 2023 play-offs pretty confident. They won Group A, ending their two matches with a win.
In the opening match of the Roobet Cup 2023 play-offs FURIA played against Apeks. The Europeans put up a fight, twice taking 11 rounds per card, but it wasn't enough: Furia won 2-0.
Next, FURIA faced Vp in the semi-finals, where they finished their journey to Roobet Cup 2023. After a top-4 finish there, they repeated the result at PARI, Please.
In their opening match at Elisa Masters Espoo 2023, FURIA started with a win over Complexity. Next was a play-offs match against Apeks, where the Brazilians failed to build on their success and lost 0-2.
In the final match of the group stage FURIA played against MOUZ. Being the underdog, the Brazilians managed to oust one of the main contenders to win the Elisa Masters Espoo and qualify for the play-offs. In the end, FURIA performed very well and took the tournament championship with a 3-1 win over Apeks in the grand final.
Next were BB Dacha, where FURIA finished Top 6, Top 24 at IEM Katowice 2024, Top 6 at RES Western European Masters: Spring 2024 and then the qualifiers for the top tournaments. And if at the qualifiers for IEM Dallas Furia was unlucky, they lost in the final 9z, but at PGL Major Copenhagen 2024: American RMR the team managed to win and qualify for the PGL CS2 Copenhagen Major from the American region.
At the tournament itself, FURIA are looking pretty bad so far. FalleN and company lost to their former teammate coldzera in Legacy, as well as Lynn Vision, and managed to win only against KOI, who have already left the championship.
In the next match at PGL CS 2 Copenhagen Major 2024 FURIA beat ENCE. And they beat ENCE 2-0, without much of a chance. In the match for the Elimination Stage they beat sAw, but then they failed to control: at the end of the Elimination Stage Furia won 2-3 and left the World Championship.
Before the ESL Pro League Season 19, FURIA played at IEM China 2024, where they finished top-12. In the first round of ESL Pro League Season 19 FURIA opened with a match against Liquid and Ledge played the Americans with the score 1-2. Then - even more The International heresnier: match against forZe, where FURIA being the favourite went 0-2, and also lost their peak with the score 0-13. In the next match they met BNK and at least there they won on class. However, they failed to reach the top 20.
Before playing at EWC 2024, they played at several Minor CCT tournaments, where they didn't achieve much. At the Esports World Cup 2024 they performed very well, reaching the play-offs and taking the card from MOUZ.
IEM Cologne 2024 FURIA started from the Play-In stage, where they first beat Imperial, but then Ledge and Liquid in the match for the group stage. However, they managed to qualify at the second attempt after defeating Heroic. In the first match of the group stage Ledge and Vitality, and later they left the championship at the TOP-16, Ledge defeated Team Liquid in the decisive match.
ESL Pro League Season 20 FURIA started with a win over Falcons (2-1), but then Ledge and Vitality (0-2). In the middle set they outplayed Red Canids, but Ledge and Vp, which led them to the bottom set. Already there FURIA alternately beat ATOX and again Red Canids.
FURIA Mapple
The best map of FURIA remains Vertigo, the Brazilians played there 5 times and won in 3 maps. Next comes Mirage, already with 7 games and 4-3 statistics.
Neutral choice for Furia will be Nuke and Ancient. There the Brazilians have 6 maps and the score is 3-3 on each.
The worst is Overpass (2-3) and Inferno (1-2).
Head-to-head history
Earlier the teams played each other on Dacha Belgrade S2, where Spirit celebrated the victory.
Predicted result of FURIA vs Spirit at ESL Pro League S20
Spirit look much more confident than their counterparts and should outplay FURIA. I would lean towards 2-0.
Bottom line: Spirit win with a score of 2-0.
