Ice Hockey World Championship semi-final, Saturday, 25.05.2024
Let me tell you: A visit to the betting shop is just as worthwhile as tuning in! Because four real heavyweights have made it to the semi-finals of the 2024 Ice Hockey World Cup.
According to my Sweden-Czech Republic prediction, the Scandinavians have their work cut out for them in Prague on Saturday.
Because they are not only playing against the hosts, but also against the crowd. But in the end, I expect the best team of the tournament so far to reach the final …
There were a total of four thrilling quarter-final pairings on offer on Thursday. The fact that three of the four lucky semi-finalists came from Group A shows just how high the power density in this group of death really was.
Sweden has undoubtedly been “the” team of the tournament so far. Like Canada, the Swedes have also won all eight of their games at this World Championship, albeit without the need for overtime until yesterday …
Because things got ugly in the hate duel against rival Finland. The Finns managed to withstand the strong physical style of their neighbors and actually forced overtime with a goal in the last minute.
But in the end, the three-crown team deservedly prevailed, having accumulated a 35:20 advantage in shots on goal until Joel Eriksson’s redemptive strike.
I’ve already told you: the support of the crowd in the stands allows the Czechs to shift up a gear whenever they’re in trouble.
The match against the USA is a good example of this. In the quarter-finals, I thought it was only a matter of time before the North Americans took the lead, but it didn’t turn out that way.
In a game with 10 penalty minutes, Pavel Zacha’s goal proved to be the deciding factor (1:0).
Although I don’t rate the Czech Republic as strong as SWE in terms of performance potential, anyone who can beat the US team, which this year was made up of a number of seasoned NHL pros, can beat anyone on a good day!
The oddsmakers see it the same way, and I think they’re right about the situation. The favorite odds of around 2.10 are due to the Swedes due to their playing strength, but with odds of around 3.30, the home bonus has been perfectly priced into a Czech victory.
Consequently, there is no real skew in the betting markets that you could profit from with a very specific value bet.
However, if I had to choose between a low-scoring and a high-scoring match, I would definitely use a verified sports betting app to select the Under 5.5 goals option.
And not just because the respective quarter-final pairings have already produced less than two total goals during regular time.
It should be a knife-edge game, but due to Sweden’s strong first line and their flawless penalty-killing rate of 100%, I see them ahead by one goal in the end.
However, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that the winning goal – as was already the case in the quarter-finals – will only be scored after the regular 60 minutes and thus in the ten-minute overtime.
To protect yourself from precisely this scenario, I recommend a combination of the two options “Double chance 1X & Under 5.5 goals”, which can be selected on any decent app and promise odds of around 2.12 when placed together.
The last joint meeting at a World Championship took place in Finland in 2022 and went 5:3 to the Swedes, as have the last three joint duels on ice since December 2023.
Admittedly, the Swiss Hockey Games, the Beijer Hockey Games and the Czech Hockey Games did not always feature the best players from both teams, but the Swedes’ 5:3, 4:1 and 2:0 victories were still not completely irrelevant.
Consequently, I remain of the opinion that you are taking a higher risk with a win bet on the Scandinavians than I did with my Sweden Czech Republic betting tip, but that you will also be offered quite reasonable odds
By the way: The World Cup still promises some exciting matches, and many fans are still looking for the best betting provider without tax.
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Conclusion: With two such strong teams, anything is theoretically possible. Because what the Czechs can’t do in terms of play, they make up for with the home bonus and their immense passion.
However, the Swedes have an advantage in terms of their playing style. Their robust style on the boards could prove to be a big problem for the rather quick and agile hosts.
Nevertheless, I am taking all the necessary precautions in my Sweden-Czech Republic betting tip by hedging against a possible overtime with the options DC 1X & Under 5.5 goals
