Already on Tuesday, the closed qualifiers for the IEM Katowice tournament begin, where the first half of the teams will advance to the main stage, and the other half will receive monetary prizes and head home. The Play-in will last two days. On Tuesday, the Danish team Copenhagen Flames will face the Swedish-British lineup Fnatic in a Bo1 match. We’ve prepared a prediction for the game.
Copenhagen Flames
The Danes surprised the world at IEM Fall by securing 7th place in a highly competitive region. This allowed the team to qualify for the Stockholm Major, where they performed well in the challengers stage, winning all three matches. In the legends stage, they had some tough opponents and failed to advance to the playoffs. Copenhagen Flames finished 9-11th and earned $17,500. Right after, there were rumors that Complexity would acquire the team, but the deal fell through. Following Sweden, the Danish squad played in smaller tournaments and won one of them.
Fnatic
The Swedish organization added two new players in August and then brought in British player smooya on a trial basis, who became the team’s new sniper. Right after, the lineup went on an impressive winning streak and claimed two minor tournaments. It seemed like they had found the perfect balance, but Fnatic underperformed at IEM Winter, Funspark ULTI Finals 2021, and Pinnacle Winter Series. For the IEM Katowice Play-in, the team received a direct invite. If Fnatic beats Copenhagen Flames, they’ll face the winner of the Wisla Krakow vs. NIP matchup.
Statistics and Prediction
Fnatic’s win rate over the last three months is 61%, while Copenhagen Flames stands at 48%. Last year, the teams met three times in tournaments. The Danes took two wins, and the Swedish-British squad claimed one. Bookmakers favor Fnatic with odds of 1.44 for their victory. You can bet on the Danes’ win at 2.53. These odds make sense because Copenhagen Flames had a standout moment and then returned to their usual level, while Fnatic should have their communication dialed in, and their players look stronger individually.
Fnatic has lost four games in a row, and Copenhagen Flames has three losses in their last five games. The teams can pick from almost any of the seven maps. Given the importance of this tournament, a lot is on the line, and both teams should fight until the end. Considering the match format and the teams’ current form, we don’t expect any blowouts.
