We break down the final between Astralis and Liquid at the IEM Global Challenge.
Astralis -1.5 (1.65) or Astralis Map 2 (1.42)
Astralis have always had Liquid’s number. They have only lost two BO3s against them throughout the history of the two rosters, and in a BO5 they have never lost. There are a few teams who tend to give Astralis trouble, namely NaVi and Vitality, and Astralis have beaten them both in the run-up to this this grand final. It is just really tough to make a case for Liquid in this matchup. They might be able to take a map, but it would be surprising to see them get two based on how they have stacked up against Astralis historically. Despite the fact that Astralis have been mixing it up frequently with their choice of map, they always seem to come well prepared, having won their map in the last seven matches against Liquid, making the map exotics worth considering as well.