Adam Williams presents his prediction for the StarLadder Budapest Major match.
After disappointing showings at the events in China and at BLAST Rivals, Team Spirit come to the StarLadder Budapest Major looking to redeem themselves. Their first opponents are Team Liquid, who are unlikely to cause them serious problems.
Team Spirit
Despite the roster changes, Team Spirit have stayed true to themselves and their style. Their favourite maps are still Dust II (62% win rate) and Ancient (83%). Importantly, the first tournaments with zweih and tN1R were used to build team chemistry. Progress was already visible at BLAST Rivals: they swept The MongolZ (2:0) and put up a serious fight against Team Vitality (1:2).
Team Liquid
Team Liquid only narrowly avoided elimination in the second stage of the qualifiers. They started it with two defeats and kept their place at the tournament only thanks to a favourable draw. It is clear that wins over MIBR, Astralis and TYLOO mean very little when we are talking about an upcoming match-up with Team Spirit, especially given that they still had plenty of problems even in those series.
Team Spirit vs Team Liquid Prediction
Hungry for victories, Team Spirit should show maximum aggression from the very first rounds and overwhelm their opponents. Team Liquid are unlikely to cope with this pressure, so we suggest backing the favourites on the handicap.
