Spirit and Astralis will meet in the match for the next stage of IEM Katowice 2025. This confrontation will be an important test for both teams, as a victory will provide them with a comfortable path to the top bracket, while a defeat will leave them with the opportunity to correct themselves through the bottom bracket. Spirit are showing a strong form, while Astralis are trying to regain confidence after unstable results.

Current form of the teams

Spirit come into this match as one of the favorites. Their win streak at the BLAST Bounty Spring 2025, including successes over Heroic, Natus Vincere, and Eternal Fire, shows a high level of preparation. The team also won the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 for $500,000, which emphasizes their stability on the international scene.

Astralis, on the other hand, is going through some hard times. Although they have won their last two matches against paiN and FlyQuest at the Play-In stahe, their losses to MIBR and NAVI indicate problems in their game. The team's experience and their history of success could be decisive factors in this confrontation.

Map Pool

The teams' mapping promises an interesting confrontation.

Spirit have strong positions on Nuke (72% WR) and Dust II (72% WR), where they show a strong game both in defense and offense. Ancient and Mirage (63% and 63% WR respectively) are also reliable maps for them, but their results on Anubis (50% WR) raise questions.

Astralis is known for their play on Inferno (63% WR) and Nuke (57% WR). At the same time, Ancient (29%) and Dust II (38%) are their weak maps, which can create difficulties in this series.

The expected set of maps in Bo3: Dust2, Mirage, Nuke

Face-to-face meetings

Over the past six months, the teams have met twice, and both times Spirit won with a score of 2:1. This indicates their advantage in head-to-head confrontations, but also shows that Astralis is capable of putting up a fight.

Match Prediction

Spirit look stronger in all aspects, especially considering their recent winning streak and stability on the international scene. However, Astralis has the experience and potential for an unexpected comeback. The match is likely to go all three maps, but Spirit have a better chance of winning with a score of 2-1.

Prediction: 2:1 in favor of Spirit.

The Spirit vs. Astralis match promises to be full of tactical moves and intense struggle. Victory in this confrontation will be an important step towards the final stages of IEM Katowice 2025.

IEM Katowice 2025 takes place from January 29 to February 9 in Katowice, Poland. Twenty-four teams will compete for a prize pool of $1 million. You can follow the schedule and results of the event here.