Tomorrow evening will be filled with exciting Counter Strike as we look forward to the Elisa Masters Espoo 2023 final between FURIA and Apeks. These teams had a face-to-face duel at this event, where the South American representatives suffered an unfortunate 0:2 defeat. But this time, things could be different. We reached out to the commentator with 13 years of experience, Fedir “KvaN” Zakharov, to make a prediction for tomorrow's bo5 series.

Map Pool

Considering the map pool statistics, it's clear that FURIA has a noticeable advantage, especially given the fact that they always ban Anubis, Apeks’ best map. We can only be certain about Inferno from the European team, and there’s also a chance for Vertigo, as that's where the Brazilians were previously destroyed 3:13.

From FURIA's side, Mirage and Ancient seem particularly dangerous, while there remain plenty of questions about Overpass.

The main peculiarity of this final is the Bo5 format. Teams might have to play ALL the maps. Inferno + Vertigo I would give to Apeks, Mirage + Ancient, I think, will be for FURIA. It seems to me that Overpass is 60/40 in favor of the Brazilians, so I give the map pool advantage to them. 

Fedir “KvaN” Zakharov

READ MORE: Apeks defeated ENCE and advanced to the Elisa Espoo 2023 final

Team Form

Both teams pleasantly surprised at this championship with one or two unexpected victories. Who could have expected that neither ENCE, nor MOUZ, nor Complexity would be in the grand final?

Comparing team statistics suggests FURIA is more initiative due to their entry advantage, which is natural for their explosive playstyle. On the other hand, Apeks, who make more headshots, show greater accuracy.

Expert Prediction

Factors in favor of Apeks: 1. Already defeated FURIA in the tournament. 2. Won every game despite constantly being the underdogs.Factors in favor of FURIA: 1. Gained momentum during the tournament. 2. Emotional Brazilians are more comfortable playing in front of a live audience.
For a confident victory, it is extremely necessary for one of the teams to win the enemy's pick at the start of the final. Overall, I think FURIA is today's favorite to take the trophy. 

Fedir “KvaN” Zakharov

The FURIA vs Apeks final starts on December 3rd at 17:00 and will be in bo5 format. The winning club will receive $100k, while the runner-up will have to settle for $40k.

Elisa Masters Espoo 2023 is taking place from November 29th to December 3rd in the Finnish city of Espoo. The prize pool amounts to $200,000, with a total of eight teams participating, divided into two groups.

Header image: Twitter @ElisaEsports