The Main Stage of IEM Cologne 2025 continues with another fiery matchup. MOUZ, considered one of the tournament’s dark horses, will face Team Liquid, a team searching for stability and a way back into top-tier contention after several roster changes. These two sides already met earlier this summer at the BLAST.tv Austin Major, and that clash turned into a dramatic thriller.
Team Lineups
MOUZ:
- Brollan
- Spinx
- xertioN
- Jimpphat
- torzsi
Liquid:
- NAF
- ultimate
- Twistzz
- NertZ
- siuhy
MOUZ maintain roster stability and rely heavily on xertioN (1.14 rating) and the experience of Spinx, who provide openings and momentum in early rounds. Liquid, on the other hand, lean on the return of Twistzz and the versatility of NAF, though they still lack cohesion on some of the more demanding maps.
Head-to-Head — BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
Their last meeting at the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 was a showcase of top-tier CS2. The series ended 2–1 in favor of MOUZ, but every map was fiercely contested until the very end:
- Dust2: MOUZ 13–8 Liquid (MOUZ imposed their aggressive style, and torzsi dominated with the AWP)
- Nuke: MOUZ 4–13 Liquid (Liquid’s flawless defense crushed MOUZ’s setups)
- Mirage: MOUZ 22–19 Liquid (an epic double-overtime battle where Spinx and Jimpphat clinched decisive rounds)
This match proved that MOUZ aren’t afraid of marathon games, but also that Liquid can dismantle their strategies, particularly on Nuke.
Current Form
MOUZ come into this match in strong shape — 4 wins in their last 5 matches. They took down Spirit (2–1), Legacy (2–1), Aurora (2–1), and even Liquid (2–1) at BLAST.tv Austin Major. Their only setback was a 1–2 loss to Vitality, but even there they looked competitive.
Liquid show a shakier trend — 2 wins and 3 losses in recent outings. They beat FlyQuest (2–1) and paiN (2–0), but fell to FaZe (1–2), Sashi (1–2), and MOUZ again. They’re clearly capable of stealing maps, but struggle to close out series when it matters most.
Map Pool & Potential Veto
Map stats (last 3 months):
- Dust2: MOUZ — 75% | Liquid — 20%
- Mirage: MOUZ — 60% | Liquid — 50%
- Inferno: MOUZ — 50% | Liquid — 40%
- Nuke: MOUZ — 67% | Liquid — 50%
- Train: MOUZ — 50% | Liquid — 0%
- Overpass: neither team plays it
- Ancient: MOUZ — 0% | Liquid — 67%
Expected veto:
- Liquid will almost certainly ban Train, a map they don’t touch and aren’t prepared to play.
- MOUZ will likely remove Overpass, which isn’t part of their pool.
Picks:
- MOUZ should go for Dust2 — their strongest map (75% winrate), where torzsi controls the pace with his AWP.
- Liquid are expected to pick Nuke — the map that secured them a dominant win in the previous head-to-head.
Decider: Mirage is the natural candidate — both teams play it frequently and it offers the fairest battleground for a deciding map.
Key Duels
- xertioN vs Twistzz — the engines of aggression for their teams, capable of shifting the tempo of entire maps.
- Spinx vs NAF — two veteran site anchors; whoever holds their ground better will tilt defensive halves.
- torzsi vs ultimate — an AWP duel where one hot streak could redefine the match.
Prediction
MOUZ enter as the favorites — they’ve already beaten Liquid at BLAST.tv Austin Major and their roster chemistry remains strong. However, Liquid hold a trump card in Nuke, where they’ve proven they can completely shut down MOUZ’s strategies. If Liquid can secure their pick and avoid collapsing on Dust2, this series is almost certain to go to a full best-of-three.
Predicted score: 2–1 MOUZ.
The European squad have the deeper map pool and better tactical stability, but Liquid will almost certainly take a map and force MOUZ to fight for every round.
