Format: BO1.
The IEM Cologne 2021 Play-In kicks off on July 6. Sixteen teams will compete for eight tickets to the tournament's main stage and a chance to win nearly $1 million in prize money. The opening matches will be played in a bo1 format that will certainly spice things up a bit.
Ninjas in Pyjamas and LDLC will clash in one of the opening matches. Can the French team do anything to surprise their opponent and fight for victory in the match?
Ninjas in Pyjamas: Does bo1 benefit them?
For Ninjas in Pyjamas, the last tournament was Gamers Without Borders 2021. The tournament was a charity event, and it is doubtful that the Swedes had any trouble, but still, out of eight competitors, the boys managed to take only fifth or sixth place. After that, the squad didn't play any official matches for a fortnight and could get ready for the IEM Cologne 2021 Play-In. As for the possible map in this clash, we can assume that the Swedes will get rid of Vertigo, Inferno, and LDLC will, in any case, remove Overpass and Mirage. This leaves us with three potential maps: Ancient, Nuke and Dust2. Given their recent results, the Swedes will not mind playing Nuke and will almost certainly remove Dust2, on which LDLC have won eight of their last nine games against good opponents. LDLC themselves will choose the second option between Nuke and Ancient, which will suit both sides completely. But of course, Ninjas in Pyjamas will emerge as the favourite on this map. The guys themselves said they were very confident in this map, though two of the three matches they lost at the last charity tournament, maybe the tournament's status played a role. After all, the Swedes are not completely stupid; their words in interviews must be backed up by something.
LDLC: What will be prepared?
The last tournament for LDLC was the ESEA Premier, at which the team managed to finish fourth. All in all, this is not a bad result. The team performs consistently well in the Dash 2 tournaments, poses a severe threat, but plays very rarely against the top teams. Yes, the guys have met with BIG a couple of times, but the Germans are very unstable and play as God wills at the ESEA Premier.
Separately, it should be noted Maka, now the guy is in great shape and shows a very high individual level.
As for the maps, Ancient looks suitable for the French, but the difference in skill should affect. I don't think this match will be easy for the Swedes, especially on Ancient, but the individual class of the players will show, and NiP should win. In the last 13 weeks, LDLC have played exclusively against the draw-2 teams, their strongest opponent being BIG, who are now on the decline. NiP, although I think they are undeservedly in the top 5 of HLTV, should win this match.
Expert Betting Tips
Ninjas in Pyjamas look like the favourites to win the match; they are superior to their opponent in class, the map in bo1 should suit them completely, unless, of course, they cheated on Ancient. Also, with the arrival of the device, the Swedes need to move to a new level, and they have no right to lose in matches against such opponents.
The bookmakers are offering odds of 1.77 on Ninjas in Pyjamas winning with a handicap (-4.5), which looks like a good option.
Other predictions
