Falcons and Spirit meet in the ESL Pro League quarter-finals after taking very different routes through the group stage. Falcons qualified with three victories from four matches, while Spirit had to recover from consecutive defeats to keep their tournament alive.

Falcons have looked more consistent

Falcons opened the tournament with comfortable 2–0 victories over TYLOO and Aurora. That placed them one win away from direct qualification for the playoffs.

Their first opportunity ended in a 2–1 defeat against Vitality. Falcons won Anubis to take the lead in the series, but Vitality responded with convincing victories on Dust2 and Mirage.

Falcons then faced NAVI in their final group-stage match. They lost the opening map but recovered to win the next two and secure their place in the quarter-finals.

The team has plenty of individual quality. M0NESY and NiKo remain two of the most dangerous players in the world, while kyousuke gives Falcons another aggressive option. Karrigan’s experience should also become increasingly important now that the tournament has reached the knockout stage.

Falcons have not dominated every match, but their ability to recover after losing the opening map has been encouraging.

Spirit recovered when it mattered

Spirit won their first two matches against ShindeN and PARIVISION, although both series required all three maps.

Their tournament then took a sharp turn. Spirit lost 0–2 against MOUZ before suffering another 0–2 defeat against 1win. Those results left them one match away from elimination.

Spirit responded with a much better performance against M80. They won the series 2–0 and controlled both maps, finally showing the level expected from a team built around donk and sh1ro.

The question is whether Spirit can maintain that level against stronger opposition. Their individual quality is not in doubt, but the losses against MOUZ and 1win showed that they can struggle when donk is unable to take control.

Falcons have enough firepower to challenge Spirit in the opening duels, particularly through m0NESY, NiKo and kyousuke.

Recent meetings have gone both ways

Falcons and Spirit have already met several times this year, with both teams enjoying important victories.

Falcons won their semifinal at the IEM Cologne Major 2–1. All three maps were competitive, including overtime victories for Falcons on Anubis and Dust2.

Spirit responded in the BLAST Open Porto semifinal, winning 2–0. Falcons were unable to find the same attacking rhythm in that series and struggled to convert their opportunities.

Those results show how little separates the teams when both are playing well. Falcons have been more consistent during this tournament, but Spirit looked much better against M80 and have enough quality to win their own map choice.

Verdict

Falcons deserve to enter with confidence after beating NAVI, but their last two series have both required a deciding map. Spirit have also played three maps in two of their four matches at this tournament.

The recent meetings suggest that neither team should be expected to dominate. Falcons have the stronger form, while Spirit have donk and sh1ro available to change the direction of any map.

Both teams should have a favourable map available in the veto. Falcons can build around their strongest choice, while Spirit should find an opportunity to respond on a map where donk can play aggressively.

A 2–1 victory for either side looks more likely than a comfortable result.

Tip

Over 2.5 Maps