Ninjas in Pyjamas vs Wisla Krakow: Will the Poles grab their chance?

Here we are, waiting for the first big Tier-1 event of the year. Before IEM Katowice 2022, there were only Tier-2 or 3 in the new year except for BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2022, but that was also a qualifier for the finals). IEM Katowice is historically an important tournament, having been held since 2007. Winning the title is more important than any prize money. The prize pool is quite large by CS:GO standards - $972,000.

On 15-16 February, there will be a qualifying tournament where sixteen participating teams will compete for eight berths to the IEM Katowice 2022 Play-In. Let's take a look at the Play-In matches today. At the tournament, sixteen clubs were allocated to one group. The matches will be played in a double-elimination system (any team will face the loser in a double-elimination match and have the opportunity to continue). The opener matches will be in BO1, the knock-out and qualification matches in BO3.

The showdown between Ninjas in Pyjamas and Wisla Krakow in one of the opening matches seems clear and predictable. The Swedes, in this match, stand out from their opponents and act as favorites. It can be said that they got lucky with their opponent, so they should realize their advantage and continue their performance in the winner's bracket.

The situation is not entirely clear for Ninjas. How much hype and hype there has been around the contract with the Danish sniper, so many problems have flowed out in the aftermath. Maintaining a star of that caliber without a star-studded squad has proved difficult. Kolenka himself went into inactivity at the end of last year for reasons known only to him and the organization. But the Swedes go on the way of development with the youth squad, where the young sniper Love "phzy" Smidebrant came from to replace dev1ce. The youngster doesn't have a steady game so far, but the naked eye can see the potential. The good performances far outnumber the bad ones, and there are no outright failures. Sometimes you get the impression that the team plays better with phzy in the line-up than with dev1ce. The academy sniper will play for the team in the Play-In stage, but there are rumors that dev1ce will return to the stage already in the tournament's main stage.

In any case, the opponents are frankly not up to the level of the Swedes, and they should win with flying colors, even if they are without a sniper altogether. Ninja must understand the importance of the first match and the risks of the BO1 format, and approach the match seriously, without underestimation, to show their game and pass on in the winners' bracket.

The latest change in the line-up was the arrival of Daniel "djL" Narancic as head coach.

The best hltv ranking was 2nd in the world. The current ranking is 6.

The best map is ancient, with a win rate of 67% for three maps played.

The signing of two experienced players has bolstered the Polish squad. Along with the arrival of new players, the overall level of performances has risen sharply, and already this year, they have won several resounding victories over strong teams. And they had a five-match winning streak before their latest loss to Apeks. But whether they have enough to beat their rivals today is a serious question.

Teams like Wisla Krakow, who approach the tournament as underdogs, need to hang on to every game. The BO1 format is all the more reason to create a sensation. We'll find out if the Poles have their chance soon enough!

The last players signed were Kamil "Sobol" Sobolewski and sniper Michał "snatchie" Rudzki.

The best hltv ranking is 31st in the world. Now they are ranked 31st in the world.

The best map is inferno, with a win rate of 86% in 7 maps played.

I recommend taking a bet on Total Under 25.5 rounds for 1.63.

Also, we recommend taking a bet on a handicap 1 (-5.5) on rounds on the first map for 2.40.