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Eight of the most proficient CS:GO rosters in the world are currently in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as they compete for the IEM Rio Major 2022. The tournament kicked off on October 31, 2022, and featured twenty-four teams from all over the world in its initial stages.
After the completion of the Challengers and Legends Stages of the tournament, only eight teams remain. These eight teams will take each other on in a single-elimination bracket over the next few days to decide the new winner of CS:GO's, prestigious Majors.
On Day 1 of the IEM Rio Major 2022 Champions Stage, the European contenders, MOUZ, will take on the CIS region's most exciting CS:GO roster, Cloud9, in the quarter-finals. The winner of this best-of-three matchup will face the winner of Outsiders vs Fnatic in the semi-finals.
All the matches of the Champions Stage will be held live at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, as teams fight for a lion's share from a $1,250,000 prize pool.
MOUZ vs Cloud9 - Which team will win this IEM Rio Major Quarter-finals CS:GO matchup?
Predictions
MOUZ kick-started their IEM Rio Major campaign with an incredible run in the Challengers Stage. However, their efforts were challenged by several top CS:GO rosters in the Legends Stage of the tournament.
MOUZ has a predominantly young roster, with their in-game leader, dexter, being their only veteran player. The current roster lacks the experience of competing at the highest stage of CS:GO. However, their lack of experience can be balanced with the incredible form they're in right now, after defeating Champions Stage teams like Fnatic and Outsiders in the lead-up to the quarter-finals.
Cloud9 appeared to be in decent form prior to the start of the IEM Rio Major. Their performance on the opening matchday wasn't up to the mark. However, Cloud9 got back on track after defeating each and every opponent they faced since Day 2 of the tournament, including Champions Stage teams like NAVI and Heroic.
With nafany at the helm, and with phenomenal talent like sh1ro, HObbit, and Ax1Le in the team, Cloud9 has the potential to defeat any opponent that stands in their path to a Major victory. All good things eventually come to an end. However, judging Cloud9 by the form they're in right now, nothing short of a miracle can hinder their Major championship run.
Head-to-head
The current rosters of MOUZ and Cloud9 are yet to play against each other in an official CS:GO matchup. Fans of both teams can expect an all-out encounter between the two sides today as they compete for a slot in the IEM Rio Major 2022 Semi-finals.
Recent results
MOUZ entered the IEM Rio Major Challengers Stage with a Challenger status, and was the first team to qualify for the Legends Stage. They completed the first stage of the tournament with a flawless 3-0 run, defeating Outsiders, Evil Geniuses and Fnatic.
MOUZ's skills were put to the test at the Legends Stage where they faced defeat for the first time. Despite having a rough campaign, MOUZ burst through the Legends Stage with a 3-2 tally. They defeated Liquid, Vitality, and ENCE while losing to BIG and Outsiders.
Cloud9 made their entry into the Challengers Stage with a Contender Status. They were one of the last teams to qualify for the Legends Stage after maintaining a 3-2 tally. They lost to Fnatic and Grayhound Gaming on Day 1, later defeating teams like Imperial, Evil Geniuses, and GamerLegion to make it through to the next stage.
Cloud9 was unbeatable in the Legends Stage and was the first team to qualify for the Champions Stage. Combined with their wins from the previous stage, Cloud9 are now on a five-match win streak, with their Legends Stage victories coming against FaZe Clan, NAVI, and Heroic.
Potential lineups
MOUZ
- David "frozen" Čerňanský
- Christopher "dexter" Nong (IGL)
- Ádám "torzsi" Torzsás
- Jon "JDC" de Castro
- Dorian "xertioN" Berman
- Dennis "sycrone" Nielsen (Coach)
Cloud9
- Vladislav "nafany" Gorshkov (IGL)
- Dmitriy "sh1ro" Sokolov
- Timofey "interz" Yakushin
- Sergey "Ax1Le" Rykhtorov
- Abai "HObbit" Hasenov
- Konstantin "groove" Pikiner (Coach)
When and where to watch
Viewers will have to tune into ESL CS:GO's official Twitch channel to watch the proceedings of the IEM Rio Major Champions Stage live. MOUZ will face Cloud9 in a best-of-three Quarter-finals matchup on November 10, 2022, at 1:30 pm PDT / 9:30 pm CEST / November 11, 2022, 2 am IST.
