- Mkaelovich
Predictions
21:49, 30.01.2025
Fnatic vs FUT Esports—a match that will determine which team loses its chance at Masters Bangkok, despite having strong performances in 2024, including an appearance at Champions. In this analysis, we will evaluate which team has the better odds of winning.
Current Team Form
FUT Esports
FUT Esports has participated in only Red Bull Home Ground #5 before preparing for the main season. Their last international tournament, Champions 2024, ended with a 13-16th place finish. The team has won three of their last five matches, including their opening game at VCT 2025: EMEA Kickoff against Team Liquid, but suffered a loss to Team Vitality in the following round.
Before the season, FUT Esports lost their key duelist cNed, who decided to take a break from his career. His replacement, xeus, has been delivering stable performances in his debut matches at VCT 2025.
Fnatic
Fnatic has been actively preparing for the season, but mostly outside of official tournaments, having competed only at Red Bull Home Ground #5 and the Riot Games ONE PRO INVITATIONAL 2024.
They have also won three of their last five matches, including two victories at VCT 2025: EMEA Kickoff. However, heading into the new season, Fnatic lost one of their key duelists, Derke, while Leo was unable to rejoin the roster due to health issues. As a result, the team signed crashies as a replacement.
Map Pool Analysis
Predicted Bans and Picks
First Ban:
- FUT Esports is likely to ban Haven, as they traditionally avoid this map.
- Fnatic, known for adapting to opponents, will probably ban Bind, considering FUT’s preference for it.
Map Picks:
- FUT Esports could pick Pearl, a map they have already played in this tournament.
- Fnatic is expected to go for Fracture, as it has been their favorite choice in the last three matches.
Second Ban:
- FUT Esports may ban Haven again, given Fnatic’s strong win rate on this map.
- Fnatic will likely ban Lotus, exploiting FUT’s vulnerabilities on this map.
Decider:
- This leaves Split as the final map, where both teams have solid records.
Head-to-Head History
With the current rosters, this will be their first direct encounter. However, in 2024, they faced off four times, each team winning twice, indicating a relatively equal level of competition. This suggests that the upcoming match will be highly competitive.
Match Prediction
Both teams enter VCT 2025: EMEA Kickoff in good form, with three wins in their last five games. Like Fnatic, FUT Esports has undergone roster changes, which could affect their performance. Fnatic, despite the loss of Derke, has shown signs of inconsistency but seems to have integrated crashies well into the team.
A key factor in this matchup could be Fnatic’s experience and adaptability, as they are known for adjusting their strategies based on opponents. FUT Esports, while demonstrating solid performances, has weaknesses in map selection and roster stability.
Expected result: Fnatic wins 2-1, leveraging their flexible map pool and more experienced roster.
VCT 2025: EMEA Kickoff runs from January 15 to February 9 in LAN format at Riot Games Arena. Twelve partnered VCT teams are competing for two spots at Masters Bangkok and valuable EMEA Points, which are crucial for World Championship qualification.
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