The rosters of FURIA Esports and Team Falcons will face off in a group stage match at ESL Pro League Season 20 for CS2. The match is scheduled for September 11 at 14:30 EEST and will be played in a best-of-3 format. We analyzed the statistics of both teams and made a prediction for the outcome of the upcoming match.

Current Form

FURIA's average rating at S-tier events over the past month is 6. During this period, the team participated in two major tournaments — IEM Cologne 2024 and BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024 #2. In Cologne, the team did not show significant results and finished in 13th-16th place, which did not meet fans' expectations. However, at the Belgrade tournament, FURIA managed to reach the playoffs, although they ended their run in 5th-6th place.

Out of their last five matches, FURIA won three, defeating teams like 9Pandas, Eternal Fire, and Virtus.pro. At the same time, FURIA suffered two losses — one to Eternal Fire and another to the future champions of the tournament, Team Spirit. Thus, FURIA has shown fluctuating form, depending on the strength of the opponent and the importance of the tournaments.

Falcons also have an average rating of 6 at S-tier championships over the past month. Falcons participated in the same tournaments as FURIA — IEM Cologne 2024 and BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024 #2. In Cologne, they finished in a higher position, stopping at 9th-12th place, which can be considered a more successful performance compared to FURIA. However, at the Belgrade tournament, Falcons were eliminated right after reaching the playoffs, losing two matches in a row.

It is also worth noting that Falcons secured a spot at BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2024, but failed to qualify for IEM Rio 2024. In recent weeks, the team has lost five consecutive matches, falling to opponents like paiN Gaming, Eternal Fire, Spirit, HEROIC, and Virtus.pro. This losing streak could negatively affect the players' morale ahead of their match against FURIA.

Map Pool

FURIA has a fairly diverse map pool, but depending on the opponent, the team often bans Anubis (31 times) and Ancient (17 times). FURIA most frequently picks the map Nuke (24 times), where they have an average win rate of 54%. It's worth noting that among all maps, their best performance is on Inferno with a 69% win rate, as well as on Ancient (58%) and Nuke (54%).

In this match, considering the strengths of the opponent, we can expect FURIA to ban Anubis, which they dislike, and possibly Vertigo, to avoid facing a strong opponent on this map. For their pick, FURIA will likely choose Nuke, where they have consistent experience. If it comes to a third map, FURIA may rely on Inferno or Ancient.

Team Falcons, despite their recent failures, have clear priorities in map selection. They often ban Inferno (24 times), which will likely happen in this match as well. Falcons most frequently pick Nuke (21 times), although their win rate on this map is only 43%. Falcons’ best maps are Dust2 (win rate 64%) and Vertigo (59%).

Falcons will likely ban Inferno and possibly Ancient if they don't want to risk playing against FURIA. For their map pick, they may choose Dust2 or Vertigo, as they have a better chance of success on these maps. The remaining decider map will probably be Mirage.

Bo3.gg Prediction

Based on the current form of the teams and their map pools, we can conclude that FURIA looks like the favorite in this match. Although both teams are going through tough times, FURIA has shown more consistent play in recent weeks and has achieved victories over strong opponents. Meanwhile, Falcons have lost all their recent matches, which may indicate internal issues or a crisis within the team.

PREDICTION: 2:1 in favor of FURIA

ESL Pro League Season 20 takes place from September 3 to 22 in Malta. Teams are competing for a prize pool of $750,000. You can follow the tournament's schedule and results via the link.