Canada vs Latvia. Prediction and Betting Tips for 2021 IIHF World Championship (May 21, 2021).

Canada 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 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.