Two powerful teams - Virtus.pro and Vitality - will meet at IEM Katowice 2025 to determine which of them will start the playoffs from the quarterfinals and which will go straight to the semifinals. Both teams have already guaranteed their place in the playoffs, but the stakes remain high. The format of the match is Bo3, which allows us to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of both teams.

Current Form of Teams

Virtus.pro approaches the match with a series of ambiguous results. Despite the victories over G2 and MIBR, they suffered defeats against paiN and Vitality. The team demonstrates a struggle for stability, but their individual performance remains competitive.

Vitality, in turn, impresses with their level. They confidently beat such rivals as FaZe and 3DMAX, but lost to Eternal Fire, which raised questions about their adaptability. The last face-to-face meeting with Virtus.pro ended with a confident 2:0 victory for Vitality.

Map Pool 

Virtus.pro will most likely rely on Inferno and Ancient, as these are their most stable maps. On Inferno, the team has a 50% winrate for 8 matches played, demonstrating a confident game against strong opponents. On Ancient, their winrate is 47%, which indicates decent adaptability, although the map remains a challenge against high-level teams. Virtus.pro will most likely be banned for Nuke, as it is their weakest map with 0% winrate in matches.

Vitality, on the other hand, demonstrates dominance on Nuke and Dust II, with 93% winrate on Nuke in 14 matches and 79% winrate on Dust II in the same 14 matches. These maps are their strengths, allowing the team to control the game. However, Ancient is a clear weakness for Vitality, as they have 0% winrate on this map, and are likely to be the first to be banned. Although Mirage and Inferno are also in their arsenal, with 65% and 75% winrate respectively, they are not among their strongest maps.

The expected set of maps in Bo3: Inferno, Dust II, Mirage

History of face-to-face meetings

Over the past six months, the teams have met once. Vitality won without giving Virtus.pro a single map. This adds confidence in the forecast in favor of the French team.

Match Prediction

Vitality has a clear advantage in individual player performance and mapping statistics. Their level of play on Nuke and Dust II stands out, where Virtus.pro looks much weaker. The Bo3 format gives Virtus.pro a chance for a comeback, but it will require them to play almost perfectly.

Prediction: 2:0 in favor of Vitality.

This match is crucial for both teams, as a victory provides an easier path to the playoffs. However, given the current form, mappings, and head-to-head results, Virtus.pro's chances look less convincing. Vitality is the clear favorite, and their victory seems to be the most likely outcome.

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.