In the playoffs of the ESL Pro League Season 21, two well-known teams, Vitality and Liquid, will face off. The French team Vitality is in excellent form and is considered the favorite, while the American team Liquid will try to put up a fight and deliver a strong performance.
Current Team Form
Vitality
Vitality has been showing excellent form lately. Their average rating at S-tier events over the past month is 6.5. The team performed successfully at IEM Katowice 2025, winning the tournament with a decisive 3-0 score in the grand final. In the ESL Pro League Season 21, they confidently advanced to the playoffs with a 3-0 record. Vitality has won their last five matches, defeating MOUZ, 3DMAX, MIBR, Spirit, and The Mongolz.
| Date | Team | Score | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 09 | Vitality | 2 - 0 | MOUZ |
| Mar 08 | Vitality | 2 - 0 | 3DMAX |
| Mar 07 | Vitality | 2 - 1 | MIBR |
| Feb 09 | Vitality | 3 - 0 | Spirit |
| Feb 08 | Vitality | 2 - 0 | The MongolZ |
Liquid
Liquid is showing stable but less impressive play. Their average rating at S-tier events over the past month is 6.1. At IEM Katowice 2025, the team reached the lower bracket semifinals but fell short there. In the ESL Pro League Season 21, Liquid made it to the playoffs with a more modest 3-2 record. In their last five matches, Liquid secured three wins (against 3DMAX, Eternal Fire, and FURIA), but suffered two losses (to MOUZ and Falcons).
| Date | Team | Score | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 11 | Liquid | 2 - 0 | 3DMAX |
| Mar 10 | Liquid | 0 - 2 | MOUZ |
| Mar 09 | Liquid | 2 - 0 | Eternal Fire |
| Mar 08 | Liquid | 2 - 0 | FURIA |
| Mar 07 | Liquid | 1 - 2 | Falcons |
Team Map Pool
Considering the teams' map preferences, the expected map pool could be as follows: Vitality traditionally bans Ancient, while Liquid most often removes Train. For their first pick, Vitality might choose Dust II (win rate 83%), as it's their strong map, and Liquid, targeting their opponent's weaknesses, will likely pick Anubis (win rate 80%). In the second ban phase, Mirage (by Vitality) and Inferno (by Liquid) are expected to be removed, leaving Nuke as the decider map. The anticipated map order: Dust II (Vitality's pick), Anubis (Liquid's pick), Nuke (decider).
| Map | Vitality Winrate | M | B | Last 5 Matches (Vitality) | Liquid Winrate | M | B | Last 5 Matches (Liquid) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dust II | 83% | 12 | 1 | W, W, W, W, W | 18% | 11 | 18 | L, L, L, W, W |
| Nuke | 92% | 12 | 2 | W, W, W, W, W | 40% | 15 | 8 | L, W, W, L, L |
| Ancient | 0% | 0 | 28 | FB, FB, FB, FB, FB | 50% | 12 | 7 | L, W, L, L, L |
| Anubis | 31% | 13 | 11 | L, L, L, W, L | 80% | 15 | 0 | L, W, W, W, W |
| Inferno | 82% | 11 | 7 | W, W, W, W, W | 59% | 17 | 1 | W, W, L, W, W |
| Mirage | 63% | 16 | 4 | L, W, L, W, W | 50% | 6 | 15 | FB, W, W, L, FB |
| Train | 100% | 3 | 1 | W, W, W | 100% | 1 | 12 | FB, FB, W, FB, FB |
Head-to-Head Matches
In the past six months, the teams have faced each other three times: Four months ago, Vitality won with a 2:1 score. Five months ago, they won a match 2:0, and in another tournament that same month, they again emerged victorious with a 2:1 result. Thus, Vitality has won all recent head-to-head matches.
| Date | Team | Score | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 months ago | Vitality | 2 - 1 | Liquid |
| 5 months ago | Vitality | 2 - 0 | Liquid |
| 5 months ago | Vitality | 2 - 1 | Liquid |
Match Prediction
Vitality enters this match as the clear favorite. Their current form is significantly better, they confidently passed the group stage, and have a higher win rate on key maps. Additionally, the recent head-to-head encounters have also gone in their favor. Liquid can certainly put up a fight, but their inconsistent form and weak results against top teams do not work in their favor.
Prediction: Vitality wins 2:0
ESL Pro League Season 21 takes place from March 1 to 16 in Stockholm, Sweden. 24 teams are competing for a prize pool of $400,000. Follow the schedule, match results, and tournament progress via the link here.
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