IEM Cologne 2022 is quickly nearing its end as the Quarterfinals are now set. They feature four of the most well-known teams in all of CS:GO. Two spots in the semifinals are up for grabs.
Friday's quarterfinals feature two very important matchups as MOUZ goes to battle against Astralis, while Movistar Riders will look to send Team Liquid home early. Liquid was able to secure the final spot out of Group B by eliminating FURIA Esports. The MOUZ were the last team in out of Group A.
Astralis has the edge over MOUZ
What | MOUZ v Astralis, IEM Cologne 2022 |
| Where | Germany |
| When | 09:30 Friday 15th July |
How to watch | ESL CS:GO Twitch Page / YouTube Channel |
| Odds | MOUZ +100 Astralis -138 |
A spot in the semifinals is on the line as MOUZ looks to take down Astralis in a battle between two teams very familiar with one another. MOUZ lost in their opening Group A bracket match against Natus Vincere but was able to win three-straight in the lower-bracket and reach the playoffs.
Astralis was able to reach the Group B Upper-bracket round three match, and that allowed them to clinch a playoff berth even after falling in two maps against FaZe Clan. The loss knocked Astralis out of an auto bid to the semifinals, so now they must find a way to get past a strong MOUZ team.
The last time these teams met was during IEM Winter 2021. The MOUZ came out flat during the opening map on Ancient as they lost 16-6. The second map didn't go much better as Astralis closed them out on Nuke 16-10. Both teams are outside the top 10 world rankings, but they have historically been two of the better organizations in CS:GO.
Neither MOUZ nor Astralis was able to qualify for the playoffs at the last IEM Major event, as they both were eliminated in the lower bracket of Group A.
BlameF has been near unstoppable as of late with a 1.28 rating and an average of 0.83 kills per round. It hasn't been that great for torzsi as he is the top performer for MOUZ as of late. He only has an average of 0.73 kills per round. Astralis -138 has the edge against MOUZ.
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Team Liquid is the right choice over Movistar
What | Movistar Riders v Team Liquid, IEM Cologne 2022 |
| Where | Germany |
| When | 13:00 Friday 15th July |
How to watch | ESL CS:GO Twitch Page / YouTube Channel |
| Odds | Movistar -138 Liquid +100 |
Movistar Riders will be trying to take down Team Liquid in their quarter-final clash as they try to reach the semi-finals of IEM Cologne 2022. Team Liquid has gotten red hot in their last three matches as they have beaten 00NATION, Cloud9 and FURIA.
Movistar fell in the Group A upper-bracket final against Natus Vincere but was still able to reach the playoffs. These teams last faced-off during ESL Pro League Season 15, when Movistar Riders came from behind to win against Liquid in three maps.
The big match-up to keep an eye on here is Movistar's SunPayus and Liquid's EliGE. Both players currently have a rating of 1.16. EliGE has a little bit better average of kills per round where he currently averages 0.75 kills per round. SunPayus averages 0.73 kills per round.
Team Liquid had a rough showing at the last IEM Major event, as they finished in the 7th-8th place. The same cannot be said for Movistar Riders as they didn't even qualify for that event. IEM Cologne 2022 marks the first Major event for the Spanish Organization in some time.
Movistar has won four of its last five matches. Team Liquid has had several line-up issues as of late. YEKINDAR being a new addition and he has only played five matches with the core line-up.
Liquid has dropped dramatically in the World Rankings over the last few months. For one of North America's most prominent teams Team Liquid has really struggled to find any rhythm. Liquid has been productive when they have won the opening map however as they have won an average of 12 rounds even in losses. That is far more productive than Movistar who only averages 10.60 round victories in losses.
Both squads have had their issues, but this match is for a spot in the Semifinals. Expect both teams to come out with everything they have. Liquid gets the slight edge with their recent experience in these major events. Team Liquid is something you don't want to pass on especially at +100.
