NAVI vs Liquid at CS:GO IEM Rio Major 2022 - Predictions, head-to-head, livestream details, and more

The Legends Stage of CS:GO's IEM Rio Major 2022 began with a series of impressive encounters between some of the world's most reputed CS:GO rosters. Day 1 of the tournament witnessed the first two rounds of the Legends Stage being conducted, with several teams proceeding to their elimination and advancement matches.

Day 2 of the IEM Rio Major Legends Stage will kick off with a one-map entertainer between former world champion Natus Vincere (NAVI) and North America's last hope, Team Liquid. The winner of this matchup will edge closer towards a Champions Stage spot, while the loser will have to fight through elimination in their next match.

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NAVI vs Liquid in CS:GO - Who will win their Round 2 match of IEM Rio Major 2022 Legends Stage?

Predictions

Both NAVI and Liquid are among the strongest teams that their respective regions have to offer. NAVI enjoyed a strong start to the tournament, securing a valuable victory against a top-tier European opponent. Although they couldn't replicate this success in their second matchup, the Ukrainian organization certainly has a lineup that's capable of defeating some of the most successful rosters in the tournament.

Natus Vincere's current roster retains a majority of their 2021 Stockholm Major winning team, with electroNic at the helm after Boombl4's departure. Furthermore, s1mple is still in top form, carrying the team to success whenever required. With long-time teammates like electroNic and Perfecto as well as invaluable young talent like b1t on the roster, NAVI is more than capable of tackling the fiercest of opponents in CS:GO.

Compared to NAVI, Team Liquid witnessed one of the worst starts in the IEM Rio Major 2022. However, being North America's top representative, Liquid was able to regain their confidence and burst forward with great momentum in their second match of the Legends Stage.

Team Liquid's latest addition, YEKINDAR, is an indispensable member of the roster. His skills as a rifler and his tactical aptitude is unprecedented, earning him the love and support of millions of CS:GO enthusiasts throughout the years. With established veterans like EliGE and nitr0 in Liquid's roster, they have a fair chance against some of the world's most competent CS:GO teams.

Although both organizations are in an identical position at the moment, NAVI's roster has a better chance of emerging victorious in their upcoming Legends Stage matchup, owing to the team's individual talent pool, their ability to come in clutch, and the determination to fight their way to success.

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Head-to-head

NAVI has played against Team Liquid on three different occasions in the last two years. Their most recent encounter was at BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2022 when NAVI beat Liquid in a best-of-one matchup on Dust 2 (16-4). NAVI has won all of their matches against Liquid, winning all five of the maps that they've played against them.

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Recent results

Natus Vincere entered the IEM Rio Major with a Legends status, thereby avoiding the Challengers Stage of the tournament. Their first match in the Majors ended in a fierce overtime victory (25-21) against Vitality, whereas the match that followed ended in a close defeat to Cloud9 (14-16).

Similar to NAVI, Team Liquid also qualified for the tournament with a Legends status. They witnessed a disastrous start to the tournament after being defeated by MOUZ with a 2-16 scoreline. In Round 2, however, Liquid managed to get back on track by securing a map against Sprout, winning the Bo1 by a 16-5 score.

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Potential lineups

Natus Vincere

• Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev
• Denis "electroNic" Sharipov (IGL)
• Ilya "Perfecto" Zalutskiy
• Valerii "b1t" Vakhovskyi
• Viktor "sdy" Orudzhev
• Andrii "B1ad3" Horodenskyi (Coach)

Team Liquid

• Jonathan "EliGE" Jablonowski
• Keith "NAF" Markovic
• Joshua "oSee" Ohm
• Nicholas "nitr0" Cannella (IGL)
• Mareks "YEKINDAR" Gaļinski
• Damian "daps" Steele (Coach)

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When and where to watch

CS:GO enthusiasts can tune into ESL CS:GO's official Twitch handle to watch the Legends Stage of the ongoing IEM Rio Major 2022 live. With two matches happening simultaneously, fans will have to tune into Stream A to watch NAVI take on Liquid.

Natus Vincere will face Team Liquid in a best-of-one series on November 6, 2022 at 7:00 am PDT / 3:00 pm CET / 7:30 pm IST. Interested viewers can also tune into Stream B at the same time to watch the MOUZ vs Vitality game.