MOUZ and The MongolZ have both guaranteed a spot in the IEM Melbourne playoffs, but how should you bet on their group stage finals showdown?
IEM Melbourne is a stacked tournament and many of Counter-Strike’s best teams are in attendance. Four of them are also guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, with MOUZ and The MongolZ being among that lot. Though they’re guaranteed a playoffs spot, they’re also still fighting for seeding here.
WINNER TO PLAYOFFS! FaZe vs TheMongolz – HIGHLIGHTS – IEM Melbourne 2025 | CS2
MOUZ and The MongoLZ are set to face off on April 23, 2025 in IEM Melbourne’s group stage. The match is an upper bracket final decider. Both teams have qualified for the playoffs, but the winner of this match earns a direct placement in the semifinals. The loser will start in the quarterfinals opposite a to-be-decided team from the other group.
MOUZ entered IEM Melbourne following a string of great placements, winning PGL Cluj-Napoca and finishing second in ESL Pro League Season 21 and BLAST Open Spring. The team has also started IEM Melbourne strong, taking wins over BIG and Team GamerLegion to start the tournament.
The MOUZ roster remains intact even as other top European squads shake things up:
The current MOUZ roster has been at its best on Ancient, where it has gone 10-3 so far. Its next strongest is Nuke, where the team is 11-5. It’s so-so on Dust 2 and Mirage, but has gone 5-8 so far on Inferno. Finally, MOUZ instantly bans Anubis.
The MongolZ was the model of consistency for some time, taking strong placements in almost every tournament it played in. That was shaken up to some degree with a group stage elimination from PGL Bucharest.
The team has seemingly already returned to form in IEM Melbourne though, winning against Complexity Gaming and FaZe Clan. The MongolZ’s long-standing roster is present for IEM Melbourne:
The MongolZ is strong five out of the seven active duty maps, with a record between 64% and 73%. The two exceptions are Nuke, where it has a 3-4 record across the last six months, and Train, which it has been auto-banning.
WINNER TO PLAYOFFS! GamerLegion vs MOUZ – HIGHLIGHTS – IEM Melbourne 2025 | CS2
MOUZ and The MongolZ have not faced off yet in 2025. Despite competing in the same event on a few occasions, the teams haven’t crossed paths this year. Their last time playing was in the Shanghai Major, where they played twice. The MongolZ won a best-of-one group stage match, but MOUZ won a best-of-three playoff match 2-0.
MOUZ is a big favorite against The MongolZ in their IEM Melbourne group stage match. The moneylines stand at 1.5 against 2.56. The sportsbooks are clearly viewing MOUZ as a top-three team at this point, and it’s hard to argue against it.
MOUZ should be able to take a win over The MongolZ. The MongolZ are no slouches, but the underdog billing here is completely justified. Still, don’t expect MOUZ to put a beating on them. This should be competitive.
Think you know who will win? Place your bets here!
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