Ninjas in Pyjamas vs Vitality Prediction: the Ninjas to Take Revenge on the Bees

Before one of the BLAST league tournaments had finished, the first group's matches of one of the most important events on the professional stage - ESL Pro League Season 16 were on the threshold. Well, it's a great start to the season!

ESL Pro League Season 16 is a historically significant event for the world community, and we can't overestimate its importance. The champion title is more important than a prize pool (by the standards of CS:GO) of 823,000$. The tournament is unique in its system, namely in its duration. During the month, the participating teams will defend the banners of their organization. The tournament involves 24 teams, divided into four groups of 6 teams. The first-place team in their group will receive a slot in the quarterfinals. Second and third-place teams will go to the first round of the playoffs, and the rest will go home.

Group stage matches will be played in a round-robin system (everyone plays everyone for points in the group), and group stage matches will be played in a BHO3 format. Playoffs will be a single elimination system (to one defeat) in a BO3 format, grand final BO5.

The next Group A clash will be between teams that not too long ago had a face-to-face encounter in BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2022. It will be interesting to see how the losers, the Ninjas, will do this time.

Ninjas in Pyjamas: Worked on Their Mistakes

At the end of last season, Ninjas in Pyjamas began to show a very confident game, won one tournament (Global Esports Tour Dubai 2022), and even climbed to the fifth position in the world rankings. Enough time has passed since the last player joined the main roster, especially since the new sharpshooter Patrick "es3tag" Hansen is gaining experience and performing better and better in his new role. They have already shown good preparation in the new season and played well in the BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2022, earning a coveted slot in the BLAST Finals.

This tournament will be their second Group A match. They looked terrible in BO1 games at the last tournament, often failing to guess on the map pool and not getting it together in time for one map. But when it came to BO3, they played very strongly and beat strong opponents in the race for the quota. Historically, it is more comfortable for this squad to play BO3. This match will be in that format. Let's see if Ninjas in Pyjamas will outplay their opponents this time and avenge their disappointing defeat in the previous event.

The last change in the lineup was the arrival of Ludvig "Brollan" Brolin

Best hltv rating - 2nd in the world. Currently in 9th place.

The best map is inferno, with a win rate of 71% for seven maps played.

Vitality: Will They Hold on to Their Lead?

Vitality finished last season with very disappointing results. They didn't win any tournaments, and more often than not, they failed than they played well. At the beginning of the new season, they made a replacement to strengthen the team. ENCE star Spinx joined the squad. As expected, he blended in well and gave the team the firepower they needed to compete with their opponents from the top of the world. At the previous tournament, the Vitality team showed good play and performed confidently. They were able to get used to the new player quite quickly and proved that they could compete with the best teams. 

They start this tournament with good chances for the playoffs, as the group looks very simple. Nevertheless, a head-to-head advantage against an opponent (who is also a playoff contender) in a group where the battle is for points is always desirable. They should take advantage of their strengths in both the map pool and the players' individual abilities. Past games have shown that the players are in good shape and motivated to win. Also, ZywOo, who gained form after a slight slump, could be a special factor in winning. Whether Vitality will be able to keep the advantage after beating their opponent last time, we will find out very soon.

The last change in the lineup was the arrival of Lotan "Spinx" Giladi.

The best rating according to hltv is the 3rd in the world. Now it's #7.

The best map is dust2, with a win rate of 62% for 8 maps played.

Expert Betting Tips

For this match, we offer the following betting options: W1, W1 on map 1, TO maps (2.5), and the correct score 2:1 in favor of the Ninjas.