BIG vs. Liquid, Preview & Prediction - Free 12/19 CS:GO
Only one team can advance to the Grand final of the IEM Global Challenge 2020 and fight for a grand prize of $200,000, and BIG is a slight favorite in this Best of 3 encounter when they meet Liquid in the semi-finals on Saturday. The winning side will go on to face the better team from a clash between Natus Vincere and Astralis.
BIG Team Stats and Latest Results
BIG didn’t experience the best of times at bigger tournaments since their win at the Merkur Masters Season 2. They disappointed at the Flashpoint 2 and displayed slightly better performances at the BLAST Premier Fall 2020 Finals, where they $40,000 for 3rd place. BIG surprised Vitality 2-1 in the opener at this tournament and then caused another upset in a 2-10 victory over Astralis. BIG won 12 of the previous 18 matches.
During the last three months, BIG played very well on Mirage (78.6% win rate), while they were below average on Inferno (44.4%) and Dust2 (47.6%). Since September this year, BIG is playing with the current lineup that appeared on 90 maps with a record of 50 wins and 40 losses. The team members are tabseN (0.99 rating), tiziaN (0.98), syrsoN (1.11), XANTARES (1.11), and k1to (0.95).
Liquid Team Stats and Latest Results
Liquid arrived at this tournament through an invitation and they already showed they deserve to be here with a couple of wins over Heroic and FURIA, without dropping a map in the process. The Americans didn’t play well at the IEM Beijing-Haidian 2020 North America and BLAST Premier Fall 2020 Showdown but still earned $21,000. Only a few people expected them to reach the playoffs at the IEM Global Challenge 2020, but Liquid proved they belong to the very top of the CS:GO rankings. Liquid won 11 of the last 18 games.
In the previous three months, Liquid was dominant on Overpass (85.7%), Nuke (80.0%), and Dust2 (75.0%), while they were below average on Vertigo (40.0%). Liquid also assembled its squad in September 2020 and appeared on 54 maps with a record of 33 wins and 21 losses. The lineup is made of NAF (1.15), EliGE (1.17), Stewie2K (0.99), Twistzz (1.02), and Grim (1.11).
BIG vs. Liquid H2H Record
These rivals have never met before.
BIG vs. Liquid Betting Preview
Liquid showed us at this tournament they can beat better-ranked opponents, and that’s why the odds on BIG to get a win are not low as they would probably be a couple of weeks earlier. Still, I am going to back BIG to win and advance to the Grand final, but I must say that you should be cautious with your stake in this one. Don’t invest a lot of money, and if you prefer betting on the totals, you can try Over 2.5 maps. I am backing BIG to win, though.
The Pick: BIG to win (-123 @PINNACLE)
