Liquid set to face NAVI
Liquid shrugged off their "slow starter" label as they came out of the gates firing in the opening round of the Legends stage. A 16-9 win over Polish dark-horses 9INE, means the North American team will be guaranteed to be facing NAVI in the next round.
Liquid's comfortable win over the Polish team was helped by an inspired CT-side where the team dominated, dropping just three rounds on their defense. Keith "NAF" Markovic didn't so any signs of risking a repeat of his poor first game in Challengers, as he posted a 1.63 rating to lead the NA side to victory.
NAVI also had a fairly comfortable opening match, beating out GamerLegion in a 16-10 match that saw Denis "electroNic" Sharipov post a 1.40 rating as he led the way for his team. NAVI will be a major step up in competition for Liquid, with the team yet to be tested against top opposition in Paris.
The last time the two teams faced off was at IEM Katowice 2023 in February, where the European side ran out 2-0 winners needing double overtime in the second map to secure victory. However, the two sides faced off at the IEM Rio Major in a BO1, where the Americans successfully came away with a win. With Liquid having momentum and their stars on form, maybe the North American side can catch NAVI cold in their BO1 match later today.
