Prelude: Spirit vs Gambit
Eight Russians, one Kazakh, and one Ukrainian clash in the first Semi-Final at IEM Katowice.
Two of the most interesting teams in the world clash in the Semi-Finals at IEM Katowice.
Spirit vs Gambit - 27/2 - 15.00 (CET)
Spirit has won eight matches in a row, and seems unstoppable right now. The inclusion of Abdulkhalik "degster" Gasanov has been instrumental since his debut for Team Spirit one month ago. The only defeat the Russian AWP'er has been involved in during his time at Team Spirit is against today's opponent Gambit. They qualified directly for the Semi-Finals by demolishing Astralis 16-1! on Dust2 in the Group Final.
Gambit has been the CIS-killer during 2021. They have defeated Virtus.pro, Spirit, and Natus Vincere recently, and they seem to have the upper hand in the regional battles of CIS. They have won the last two encounters with Team Spirit. Dmitry "sh1ro" Sokolov has been on fire at IEM Katowice, and is currently rated the best player at the tournament. Against Natus Vincere he even got the better of s1mple, which speaks volumes of the momentum, he and Gambit is on right now.
Veto: Spirit has Vertigo as their permanent ban, while Gambit never plays Nuke. Spirit trashed Gambit 16-6 on Inferno in the last matchup and could pick this map, even though they lost against Astralis in their last match. Gambit will surely pick Overpass, which leaves Train as the most likely decider map.
Odds: Spirit 1.72 - Gambit 2.00
