The match between NAVI Junior and GUN5 in the ESL Challenger League Season 49 promises to be a crucial one for both teams. Both teams are trying to gain a foothold at a high level in B-Tier tournaments, and this match could be an important milestone in their fight to get out of the group.

Current form of the teams

NAVI Junior

The NAVI Junior team has recently shown an unstable performance, alternating between wins and losses. In December 2024, the team took part in the European Pro League Season 21, where it was defeated by GUN5 with a score of 0:3 in the final stage. In addition, NAVI Junior also participated in the 500 Christmas Cup, where they took 3-4 place, losing to GUN5 in the semifinals 1-2. However, they were able to win the HellCup #11 in November, finishing the tournament with gold.

NAVI Junior's recent matches demonstrate problems with team play at a high level, especially against more experienced opponents. In particular, the 0-2 loss to Eyeballers at Frost and Fire Europe confirmed these difficulties.

GUN5

GUN5 are in great shape. In December, they won the 500 Christmas Cup and the European Pro League Season 21, showing excellent play against NAVI Junior and other teams. Their strong performances at the CCT Season 2 Europe Series #15 and Chicken.GG Cup allowed the team to strengthen their position on the B-Tier scene.

The last month has shown that GUN5 confidently controls matches against less experienced opponents, winning key moments thanks to tactical preparation. At the same time, the team has a strong map pool, which provides them with flexibility in map selection.

Team Map Pool

NAVI Junior

NAVI Junior's strongest maps are Anubis (82% of wins) and Dust2 (79%). These maps allow them to reveal their strengths: individual player skill and fast tactical draws. However, their weaknesses are evident on Inferno (57%) and Nuke (51%), where they often fail to close rounds effectively.

GUN5

GUN5 has a balanced mappool with high results on Ancient (67%) and Dust2 (72%). This allows them to feel confident in both slow tactical draws and aggressive play. However, their poor results on Nuke (53%) may limit their potential in the event of an unexpected map choice by the opponent.

Ancient, Anubis, and Dust2 are likely to be played in the match

Previous matches between the teams

Over the past month, the teams have played three matches. GUN5 won two of them, including a confident 3-0 victory at the European Pro League Season 21. However, NAVI Junior managed to defeat GUN5 in one match 2:1, demonstrating that they are capable of fighting this opponent.

Prediction.

The match promises to be tense, but given their current form, GUN5 seem to be more prepared for this fight. The high performance of both teams on Dust2 and Ancient will give us a great match. Although NAVI Junior is not in good shape right now, their map pool looks much better and more balanced, so the advantage is on their side.

Predicted score: 2:1 in favor of NAVI Junior

The match will last all three maps. GUN5 is the favorite due to their consistent performances and wider mappool, but NAVI Junior can surprise if they realize their strengths on Anubis and Dust2.