Team Vitality vs Natus Vincere Prediction: the Born to win will continue their winning streak

Prediction for the match between Team Vitality and Natus Vincere which will take place on August 18. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

For Team Vitality, the final in Cologne will be the third in 2024. So far, the organisation's statistics in the decisive matches are dismal - two defeats at IEM Dallas 2024 and ESL Pro League Season 19. In the history of the organisation also remember the final of IEM Cologne 2019, then failed to defeat Team Liquid and win the first title of this series. ZywOo and company have a second attempt.

The semi-final with SAW came out boring, but in the community initially expected it. The Portuguese couldn't contain ZywOo, Spinx and flameZ did what they wanted too, and the main star of the match was apEX. The captain racked up 36 kills and 14 deaths during the series, dealing 100 damage per round and racking up a 1.77 HLTV rating. Team Vitality has crazy stats for the T-side with a 77% winrate, but at the same time a very meagre 49% on the ST-side. Even with SAW, the defence percentage could not be improved: on Nuke, the Bumblebees, playing for the ST-side in the first half, went even with the Portuguese. At Dust II, Team Vitality closed the meeting, and only six rounds were played for the defence, three of which were successful. But, in any case, there are questions for the defence. In the individual ranking ZywOo is gradually approaching the first place, and only seven points separate him from m0NESY (Mathieu has 1.32 HLTV, Ilya - 1.39). But the trouble is different - can Team Vitality win this year?

The organisation has had two Grand Finals, in addition to which they suffered upset defeats at the Copenhagen Major and BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2024 in the semi-finals. The Bumblebees show incredible stability, but can not overcome the last frontier to the title. But, unlike many of their competitors at this year's IEM Cologne, Team Vitality could be the most formidable opponent for Natus Vincere. It too has built a good team structure, with very strong players in every position, and the Born to win will have to reckon with that.

The Born to Win reached their fourth grand final in Cologne and their third in a row in 2024. For B1ad3 and his charges, the IEM Cologne 2024 title match could be a decisive one in the title race. Currently Natus Vincere has two major trophies each along with Team Spirit and MOUZ, but in Cologne the Ukrainian organisation can break away from their pursuers.

The coach was right to point out yesterday: statistics don't solve everything. AleksiB showed a very bad game on Mirage, and it seemed that it would be an important factor for MOUZ to win. But the Finnish captain dragged two clutches and didn't let the Mice even dream of a third map. This is the essence and strength of Natus Vincere - no attachment to names and personal regalia. And while all players are focused on fulfilling team tasks, b1t's stats after the summer break are growing in geometric progression, and if Valeri continues like this, he might break into the race for the top-1 player in the world. Speaking about Natus Vincere in Cologne, we can note good performance on pistol rounds (66% on 18 attempts), consistently good play on all sides (67% in defence and 62% in attack), great individual performance from all players, b1t and iM in the grand final can compete for the MVP title.

Natus Vincere has one small curse - the Born to win haven't won against Bumblebees during the last five face-to-face meetings. However, it should be noted that the current squad has only two defeats, and both at BLAST Premier: World Final 2024. But back then, B1ad3 were not yet in the prime, and often lost to the top teams, and Team Vitality dominated the final tournaments of 2023. Now they're approaching the IEM Cologne 2024 Grand Final with a different background, and the Born to win have a chance to rewrite a frustrating history.

Both teams made it to the grand finals, losing only one map each. Statistically, they have differences for their individual sides, but the overall numbers are equal. It will be a battle of the two best teams in Cologne, and even the bookmakers give Team Viitality the favourite status with a slight edge, but they don't go overboard with the odds.

Still, if determining the winner, let's look at two important factors before the match. Firstly, Ancient and Vertigo will definitely be gone from the mapple, leaving a full five cards. Natus Vincere will be stronger on Anubis and Inferno, Team Vitality will dominate on Nuke, and they have equally high percentages on Dust II and Mirage. Secondly, Bumblebees haven't won a grand final this year, while Natus Vincere already has two trophies under their belt. And these two factors tell us that the Born to win will continue their winning streak.