Ice Hockey World Cup, Group A, Matchday 3 on Tuesday, 19/05/2026, 16:20
After the strong start, the ÖEHV selection is openly dreaming of the quarter-finals, and this upcoming duel will almost completely decide who will secure fourth place in Group A in the long term.
With a view to my personal Latvia Austria tip, however, I decided at bet365 to select Win Latvia with HC -1.5 at odds of about 2.40!
The Balts are bursting with motivation and self-confidence after their brilliant 2-0 victory over Germany, which gives them enormous tailwind. The Austrians have been convincing so far, but it will be extremely difficult against the technically strong and now completely overheated Latvians.
Latvia will use this momentum and especially the rest day to force the mandatory victory and win by at least two goals!
If you prefer a more defensive hedge for your betting slip and don’t quite share my optimism about a sovereign Latvian victory, you will find a very good alternative in a conventional win bet with overtime.
The said bet on a Latvian victory including overtime and shootout is traded at most providers at a more than fair odds of about 1.50, which would still be high enough for the implementation of a sports betting bonus.
If Austria counters thanks to its euphoria and forces the match into overtime, this appearance will remain absolutely hot. In terms of quality, the Latvian squad is noticeably stronger than the ÖEHV selection.
Consequently, the individual class and the ripped-off tournament experience of the Latvians will make the difference in extra time at the latest!
Although both offensive lines are in the spotlight on Tuesday afternoon, Latvia has recently revealed glaring gaps. Against Switzerland alone, the Balts allowed a hefty 43 shots on goal, and against Germany they were also behind in terms of shot ratio!
Since Austria’s offensive department is bursting with enthusiasm after scoring nine goals against Great Britain and Hungary, another plus-six-goal match is very likely, as was the case in the last joint World Cup meeting exactly one year ago.
By the way, I also particularly noticed the Latvia Austria tip on Balcers meets, which bet365 offers at excellent odds of about 3.50. After all, the attacker has perfect arguments to color the betting slip green.
He recently proved that he delivers ice-cold in the national jersey in the win against Germany with the decisive goal and also underlined his absolute shooting quality in the historic bronze win three years ago with nine scorer points.
As a reminder, the attacking star operates at club level directly in Switzerland and knows the ice surfaces of this home World Cup inside out.
Of the total of 15 official international matches between the two nations, Latvia recorded a strong 10 victories, while Austria only left the ice as winners 5 times. The goal difference of 46:42 also speaks for the Balts.
Although the clear defeat at the last World Cup still hurts, the team has long since set the record straight: In the most recent endurance test in the April preparations, the Latvians made a clear statement with an extremely ripped-off 1-0 victory.
Conclusion: The Latvia Austria odds of the bookmakers perfectly reflect reality. In my opinion, the Balts’ role as favourites is absolutely justified! Latvia will in all likelihood show the ÖEHV selection their playing limits!
Since the quality of the squad and the international maturity of the Latvians noticeably exceed the level of the Austrians, I expect a logical demonstration of Latvian class on the World Cup stage. Consequently, there is no way around the above handicap victory with a two-goal lead for me.
