On September 26, Team Vitality will face Team Liquid in the group stage of BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2024 for CS2. The match is scheduled for 20:30 EEST and will be played in a bo3 format. We present a preview, prediction, and analysis of the match.
Current Form
Vitality is in excellent form, with a 6.5 rating in S-tier events over the last month. The team performed well at ESL Pro League Season 20, confidently winning Group D, but unexpectedly lost in the quarterfinals to the Turkish squad Eternal Fire. Vitality has won 4 of their last 5 matches, securing victories against teams like ATOX Esports, FURIA Esports, Liquid, and Astralis. Given the team's stability and high-level players, Vitality arrived at BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2024 as one of the top contenders for the trophy.
Liquid has shown slightly less stable results with a 6.1 rating in S-tier events over the last month. Like Vitality, the team participated in ESL Pro League Season 20, where they reached the quarterfinals but lost to G2 Esports. Liquid has won 3 of their last 5 matches, indicating some minor issues with their form. They secured wins against Virtus.pro, Complexity Gaming, and Team Spirit, but losses to G2 and Vitality suggest that the team may lack consistency in critical moments.
Map Pool
Vitality traditionally bans the map Ancient, as it’s not a priority for the team and has already been banned 32 times. For their pick, they will most likely choose Dust2, as this map is one of their most successful, with a 72% win rate over 18 matches. The team also feels confident on maps like Vertigo (88% win rate), Mirage (86% win rate), and Nuke (79% win rate), giving them many options and flexibility depending on the opponent.
Liquid primarily bans Vertigo, as the team doesn’t feel confident on this map (it has been banned 36 times). For their pick, they might choose Nuke or Anubis. Nuke is a more familiar map for Liquid, though their win rate on it is only 43%. However, Anubis could be a preferred choice given their high win rate — 75%. In addition, Liquid feels comfortable on Ancient (94% win rate) and Dust2 (70% win rate), which makes their map pool varied and dangerous.
Bo3.gg Prediction
Given the current form of the teams, Vitality looks stronger in the upcoming match. They show greater stability and recently defeated Liquid. The North American team has a chance to fight on maps like Anubis and Nuke, but a lack of confidence in key moments may work against them. Vitality is likely to win the series, but calling it an "easy walk" would be an exaggeration. Overall, Vitality's level of play looks more impressive at the moment.
PREDICTION: 2:1 in favor of Vitality
BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2024 takes place from September 25 to 29. Teams are competing for a prize pool of $425,000 and a spot at BLAST Premier: World Final 2024. You can follow the tournament schedule and results via the link.
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