G2 and Liquid will take on two giants in the game in the form of Astralis and Vitality at the BLAST Premier Global Final
G2 Map 1 +3.5 (1.70) or G2 +1.5 (1.55)
These two teams have faced off four times since NiKo joined G2, with Astralis coming out on top on four of those occasions. They have also pulled off the clean 2-0 sweep in the last two matches against G2. However, it is worth noting that these matches have been very competitive, with overtime on Inferno in the last two matches. G2 have picked Dust2 in all four of their matches against Astralis with NiKo, beating them on two occasions. They did get absolutely pumbled by Astralis on this map the last time around, but all-in-all, I like their chances of the upset on this map. Considering how competitive they have been on Inferno and Nuke against Astralis, I think you may also consider the map handicap or even the straight upset in this match.
Liquid +1.5 (1.59)
Both of these teams came out swinging in the opening match, winning their respective matches 2-0. Those who read my preview for this event will know that I was quite optimistic about Liquid at this event. I do question if they have what it takes to really go all the way, but considering that this is the first event of the year, it is the ideal scenario to catch some teams off guard. After beating Natus Vincere in the opener, they will have to face off against another giant in the form of Vitality. This should prove to be a far more difficult opponent, but I still think they have what it takes to hang with them. It is quite difficult to predict the veto of this match considering that these two teams haven’t played against each other since 2019, but I suspect that Vitality will go for Dust2. Luckily, this is a map that Liquid improved on quite a bit towards the end of 2020, beating teams like BIG, FURIA and NaVi. As such, I think they have what it takes to steal a map in this series.