In the first round of the Play-In stage at IEM Cologne 2023 for CS:GO, Astralis will be facing Team Liquid. The match is scheduled for July 26, 18:00 EEST. Can Benjamin 'blameF' Bremer's team surprise the opponent again? We'll delve into this topic in this article.
Form
The form of Astralis and Liquid is still ambiguous as both teams refreshed their rosters during the summer break. The changes turned out to be successful, as the newcomers in both teams have integrated well into their rosters, providing a new impulse for further development.
The teams have already begun their performances in the new competitive season, participating in BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2023. The initial results indicate that they continue to be strong competitors in the pro scene. It was particularly interesting to watch the encounter between these teams in the match for a spot at the BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2023. In this epic showdown, Astralis claimed victory with a score of 2:0, demonstrating their superiority at the moment.
Overall, the current state of Astralis and Liquid looks promising. Both teams have potential and quality changes in their rosters that should allow them to succeed in tournaments.
Map Selection
Analyzing the provided statistics and taking into account the teams' map preferences, it is possible to forecast the map veto for the upcoming duel between Astralis and Liquid at the Play-In stage of IEM Cologne 2023.
We can almost certainly say that Astralis will ban the Anubis map, and Liquid will ban Vertigo. These locations are often sent to the first ban. Additionally, depending on the opponent, Astralis bans Mirage. For Liquid, this map is Nuke.
Astralis is likely to choose Ancient, as they have the highest win rate there, 42% higher than their opponent. Predicting Liquid's pick is more difficult. The team has not yet formed its map pool, but we have often seen Inferno in recent matches. Perhaps we will see this map in this confrontation. As for the deciding location, it is likely to be Overpass.
Conclusion
The refreshing of Astralis and Liquid's rosters during the summer break has had a positive effect on their gameplay. Both teams have successfully integrated the newcomers, who have blended well into the rosters and showed good results already at the first official championship. The teams' meeting at BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2023 showed that Astralis is currently in a higher form, as they claimed victory with a score of 2:0. We can say that the updated rosters of Astralis and Liquid show potential and a drive for success.
IEM Cologne 2023 will take place from July 26 to August 6 in Germany. The teams will compete for a prize pool of a million dollars and a slot at IEM Katowice 2024. You can follow the tournament's schedule and results via the link.
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