Liontips
Canada vs Latvia: a crushing defeat?
On May 21, Canada will take on the host of the tournament, Latvia. Will the home ice help the Latvians? Find the answer in our prediction.
Command Analysis
Canada
CanadaCanada do not have a very strong squad right now, it may even be called the weakest in recent years. Despite this, Canada are still the favorite of the World Championship according to the bookmakers. Of course, they should get through the group stage without any problems, since the class of the national team is higher than almost anyone else's. But getting to the semifinals might be a challenge.
Unlike many other teams, the Canadians have not played friendlies this year. The last time the national team played was way back in May 2019. It will be interesting to see what kind of teamwork the team will have, but, as a rule, they adapt quickly.
Latvia
LatviaLatvia have been a permanent member of the Top Division in recent years. But the team rarely rises above tenth place. Perhaps, they will show an outstanding performance at the home World Championship, but this is a bit hard to believe. They simply don't have players of the same level as Canada, for example.
Most of the squad play for Dynamo Riga, and for them, this tournament is a great opportunity to prove themselves. But the friendlies were not a success for the Latvians. In two games in a row, they were defeated by Switzerland with a score of 0:3 and then 1:2, and this is how they finished their warm-up for the championship.
Trends
Ставка1st period: total over 1.5
More than one goal was scored in three out of five H2H games.
Ставка2nd period: Canada win
In three out of four games against Latvia, the Canadians won in the second period.
Tip and bets
The Canadian team has the weakest lineup in years, but even with these players, they should beat Latvia. Most of Latvia's players are from the local team Dynamo Riga, and they clearly do not match the Canadians in class. Plus, the Canadians have beaten Latvia many times before.
Our prediction - Canada to win with Asian handicap (-1.5)
Latvia should not get crushed in the first game of the home championship, but it is also unlikely that they will score a lot against the Canadians. We think that Canada will win on class, but without upsetting the hosts with a large number of goals.
Second wager - total under 5.5 goals
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