Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 became the main event of the end of the year in the CS2 world, bringing together the best teams from around the globe. The tournament is divided into three stages: Opening Stage, Elimination Stage, and Playoffs, where each stage brings participants closer to the coveted trophy and an impressive prize pool of $1,250,000.

The match between NAVI and Liquid will be one of the key clashes in the Elimination Stage. Both teams are among the favorites, and their encounter promises to be intense. Liquid has a brilliant result in the Opening Stage, while NAVI boasts extensive experience at the highest level. Can NAVI break Liquid's successful streak, or will the American team continue their winning path?

Current Team Form

NAVI

NAVI approach the match after a mixed month. The team's average rating in S-tier tournaments is 5.7, related to their performance at the BLAST Premier: World Final 2024, where they finished in 7-8th place. At the RMR, the team was close to a 3-0 result but lost to MOUZ with a score of 1:2 and finished the tournament with a 3-1 result.

Their last five matches brought NAVI three wins (against fnatic, SINNERS and SAW) and two losses (to MOUZ and FaZe). The team shows a stable level, but there are areas for improvement.

Liquid

Liquid looks more confident. Their average rating in S-tier tournaments over the past month is 6.3, confirmed by their dominant performance in the Opening Stage of Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024, where they went 3-0.

At the RMR, Liquid also advanced with a 3-1 result. The team won all five of their recent matches, including victories over BESTIA, FURIA, Cloud9, Wildcard and FlyQuest. At present, they display a strong form that could pose a serious threat to NAVI.

Team Map Pool

NAVI

First and foremost, NAVI will likely ban Vertigo, which is their standard practice (36 bans). Among preferred maps, there are Mirage (win rate 77%), Nuke (56%), and Ancient (72%). Given the situation, they will want to keep Mirage, where they show consistent results.

Liquid

Liquid also traditionally bans Vertigo (23 bans). For play, they might leave Anubis with an impressive win rate of 87% or Ancient at 90%. Considering NAVI's strength on Mirage, Liquid will likely prefer Anubis to exploit their opponent's weaknesses.

Map Forecast: the decisive map could be Anubis, where Liquid has a slight advantage.

Head-to-Head

Over the past six months, the teams have played three times:

• A month ago NAVI won with a score of 2:1.
• Two matches that took place four months ago went to Liquid (both 2:1).

Thus, the overall balance of head-to-head meetings favors Liquid, although the last victory went to NAVI.

Match Prediction

In the upcoming match, the key factor will be the form of Liquid, which in recent weeks looks more stable than NAVI. Confident performances at the RMR and in the Opening Stage of Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 emphasize their strength.

However, NAVI should not be underestimated. Their experience and recent victory over Liquid give hope for a tense match. If NAVI can choose a comfortable map like Mirage, they might surprise their opponent.

Prediction: victory for NAVI.

Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 Elimination Stage begins on December 5 and will run until December 15. This stage has gathered 16 teams, who will fight for a place in the playoffs to earn a large portion of the $1,250,000 total prize pool. You can find more information about the tournament and follow it here.