The ESL Pro League S21 Quarter-Finals are set to get underway in Stockholm, with eight teams duking it out in one of ESL’s most prestigious events on the calendar. It’s all or nothing for these teams now – let’s take a look at how the first set of matches could shake out.
Eternal Fire vs. Team Spirit
Credit: ESL
Eternal Fire managed to reach the Playoffs of ESL Pro League S21 at the last possible opportunity, while Team Spirit made it look effortless in 3:0 fashion. For me, Eternal Fire have looked a little rocky of late, even losing a few maps on their home turf of Anubis. Meanwhile, Team Spirit are showing no signs of a hangover after their IEM Katowice disappointment a month ago, leading me to believe that they’ll run out easy winners here.
Our prediction: Eternal Fire 0:2 Team Spirit
MOUZ vs. G2
Credit: ESL
We’re a few months into the new-look G2 lineup now, and I’m still massively unconvinced by what I’ve seen. Their entire win condition in every match relies on m0NESY putting up huge numbers. They’re lucky he’s consistent, or else G2 would be in a much worse spot right now. Still, it’s an unsustainable way to win Counter-Strike tournaments. Then you have MOUZ, who still look pretty strong with Spinx coming into the lineup. I think they’ve got the tactical edge right now, if not the firepower. This should be a close series, but I’m giving it to MOUZ.
Our prediction: MOUZ 2:1 G2
Vitality vs. Team Liquid
Credit: Luc Bouchon | ESL
It’s hard not to be impressed with Vitality of late. If the win at IEM Katowice wasn’t enough, they’ve carried their excellent form into ESL Pro League, only dropping one map as they romped to a 3:0 Group Stage score. There’s just not really any weak spot for Vitality right now – even apEX is in great form. Compare this to Team Liquid, who have more holes than a sieve. These gaps in Team Liquid’s game are too wide for Vitality to exploit. The latter are too tactically astute, and anything but a Vitality 2:0 would shock me massively.
Our prediction: Vitality 2:0 Team Liquid
NAVI vs. The MongolZ
Credit: Luc Bouchon | ESL
NAVI haven’t looked their best at ESL Pro League S21, even if they were never in danger of missing out on the Playoffs. It’s a small but crucial amount of inconsistency that could hamper their bid for trophies in the near future. Meanwhile, The MongolZ have struggled of their own. They seem to hit a hard ceiling when facing the best of the best, which even when inconsistent, is a banner NAVI fall under. Unless The MongolZ have figured this particular issue out, I can’t see many scenarios where they can find the win against NAVI.
Our prediction: NAVI 2:1 The MongolZ