Natus Vincere vs Team Liquid Tips & Odds – Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024

By Tit Krajnik

04 Dec 2024

Tit Krajnik 04 Dec 2024

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Natus Vincere vs Team Liquid Counter-Strike betting predictions for Thursday, December 5, 2024, in the second stage of Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 (11:00 CST)
Team Liquid usually do not do well against elite teams
Natus Vincere are the clear favourites to win on Thursday

Natus Vincere (Getty Images)

Natus Vincere vs Team Liquid Predictions

Natus Vincere and Team Liquid will clash on Thursday, December 5, in the first round of Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024, which will mark their first meeting since October, when NaVi won. The rematch should not end much differently.

Natus Vincere vs Team Liquid Predictions
Head to Head
Natus Vincere Form
Natus Vincere Squad & Team News
Team Liquid Form
Team Liquid Squad & Team News

Natus Vincere are one of the leading candidates to win the Major, and rightly so as they've accomplished a lot over the last year and travel to China in excellent form. Team Liquid, on the other side do not seem like they have a realistic chance to reach the top, having consistently struggled when faced with tougher opponents.

Natus Vincere are the current no.1 Counter-Strike team in the world
Team Liquid have shown some signs of struggle in the first stage
While prone to upsets in BO1, NaVI will take care of business on Thursday

Head to Head

Natus Vincere and Team Liquid have met three times this season.

Team Liquid 2-1 Natus Vincere – August 1, 2024
Team Liquid 2-1 Natus Vincere – August 4, 2024
Natus Vincere 2-1 Team Liquid – October 8, 2024

Natus Vincere Form

Natus Vincere enter Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 as the defending Major champions and a serious candidates to add another trophy to their resume. They have won five S-Tier tournaments this season, including Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2024 in October.

In their last S-Tier tournament appearance, the BLAST Premier: World Final 2024, NaVi did not make it far, ending the event in seventh-eighth place. That is due to fatigue and lack of preparation, which should not be a problem at the Major.

Known for slow starts to tournaments, NaVi could slip in a BO1 game, but there are other things to consider for this match.

Natus Vincere Squad & Team News

Natus Vincere have not made any roster changes.

Valerij "b1t" Vakhovsjkyj
Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen
Justinas "jL" Lekavičius
Mihai "iM" Ivan
Ihor "w0nderful" Zhdanov

Team Liquid Form

Team Liquid defeated Natus Vincere twice this season, but that was when TL were in great form. This is no longer the case, and while Liquid boast a very stacked roster, which should be capable of great things, many would consider Liquid to be paper tiger; strong on paper but with no notable results.

This is mainly due to the fact that Team Liquid consistently struggle when faced with elite teams, having recently lost to NaVi, FaZe Clan, G2 Esports, and Team Vitality.

On the other side, TL do well against weaker opponents, which was noticeable in the first stage of the Major, when they bested Cloud9, Wildcard, and FlyQuest -granted, all three games were very close.

Team Liquid Squad & Team News

No roster changes for Team Liquid.

Keith "NAF" Markovic
Mareks "YEKINDAR" Gaļinskis
Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken
Roland "ultimate" Tomkowiak
Justin "jks" Savage

Verdict

Natus Vincere v Team Liquid

Betting on the favourites in a best-of-one match is rarely a good choice, especially when we talk about Natus Vincere, who usually need some time to get their wheels spinning. That said, it is even harder to make a strong case for Liquid, who have not looked very potent in the opening stage.

Moreover, Liquid have a terrible record against top-10-ranked CS teams.

At 2.15 to win with at least four rounds to spare, Natus Vincere are an obvious choice in my book.

NaVi -3.5 Rounds

Round Handicap

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