As we move deeper into ESL Pro League Season 20, the quarterfinals present us with a thrilling matchup between two of the top teams: NAVI and Spirit. Both teams have shown their strengths throughout the season, but now they must face off in a win-or-go-home match. The stakes are high, and this match is sure to deliver intense action.

NAVI’s Current Form

NAVI enters the quarterfinals in strong form, having delivered solid performances throughout 2024. With notable wins such as the Esports World Cup 2024 and a runner-up finish at IEM Cologne 2024, the Ukrainian powerhouse looks like one of the favorites to take the ESL Pro League title. All players are performing at an exceptionally high level, including star rifler Valerii "b1t" Vakhovskyi, whose stats are some of the best on the team: rating 6.5, 0.75 KPR, and 79 ADR.

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Despite their overall success, NAVI has struggled against Team Spirit recently, losing four consecutive matches against them. The last encounter was in the final of BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2024, where Spirit once again bested NAVI. Heading into this quarterfinal, NAVI will be keen to break the curse and finally eliminate Spirit from the tournament.

Key players like Mihai "iM" Ivan and Ihor "w0nderful" Zhdanov must match the level of b1t and the rest of the team to maintain NAVI’s form. Their map pool has been solid, particularly on Mirage and Dust2, where NAVI has dominated with a 78.3% and 77.8% win rate, respectively.

Spirit’s Struggles in 2024

Team Spirit, on the other hand, has been struggling to find consistent form this season. While they still have talented players like Danil "donk" Kryshkovets and Dmitriy "sh1ro" Sokolov, the rest of the roster hasn’t matched their previous level of individual performance. At IEM Cologne and Riyadh, Spirit faltered, and even at the ESL Pro League, they had disappointing losses against MIBR.

One of Spirit’s biggest challenges has been their map pool. While they remain strong on Nuke (84.2% win rate) and Dust2 (80.0% win rate), their performance on Mirage (42.9%) has been lackluster. This gives NAVI an edge, as Mirage is one of their most successful maps. However, Spirit remains a dangerous team, especially with players like donk and sh1ro capable of turning the tide in crucial moments.

Map Veto Prediction

Based on their recent map performances, here’s the likely veto:

• NAVI pick Mirage – With a strong 78.3% win rate on this map, NAVI will likely make this their choice.
• Spirit pick Ancient – Spirit has shown consistency on Ancient (68.8%), and this map could give them an edge.
• Decider: Dust2 – Both teams are comfortable on Dust2, and it’s a fitting decider for this matchup.

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Expert’s Take

Fedir "KvaN" Zakharov, a commentator at Maincast studio, has analyzed and provided commentary for numerous major Counter-Strike tournaments. This year, exclusively for Bo3.gg, he has made a series of predictions, all of which have been 100% accurate!

I think in this game NAVI should finally break this ‘kryptonite’. Spirit are facing quite serious difficulties even on ‘their’ maps, so NAVI should use every weakness of their opponent 100%. I think NAVI will focus on Dust2/Mirage maps, and Spirit will once again try to choose Nuke. In my opinion, the chances in this confrontation are 60 / 40 in favour of NAVI.

Fedir "KvaN" Zakharov

Prediction: NAVI 2-1 Spirit

This match promises to be a close contest, with both teams fighting hard for a spot in the semifinals. However, NAVI’s strong overall form, combined with Spirit’s current struggles, gives the edge to NAVI. Expect NAVI to finally break their losing streak against Spirit and move forward with a 2-1 victory.