Olympic Men, quarter-final qualification on Tuesday, 17.02.2026, 12:10 p.m.
I think we all agree that a freebet is urgently needed if you should flirt with a blatant Switzerland Italy tip on the host. Because despite absolute dream odds, I consider this to be a sports betting ascension commando!
No, realistically, the host will be eliminated. The only question is whether he will present himself in a similar way to Finland, or – as in the games before – stand up robustly against it.
After careful consideration, and after rethinking all the impressions, I decided to bet Switzerland on 4.5 goals at top odds of currently 1.54 at Winamax Germany.
Because maybe the game ends 7-0 or 6-3, but in any case the ice comrades should be able to score at least five goals due to their superiority in the game.
After all the drama around Kevin Fiala, the ice comrades were of course shocked at first. It did indeed look bad how the professional, who had undergone surgery in the meantime, lay motionless on the ice surface in the game against Canada …
Nevertheless, they have been able to concentrate surprisingly well on their game since then. Especially since the narrow 4-3 overtime victory after falling behind against the Czech Republic was exactly what the team needed to move closer together from now on!
Italy, on the other hand, made a great start to the tournament, also because they were perfectly coached by a coaching legend like Jukka Jalonen. But the heavy 11-0 defeat against Finland sat – and the 62 shots on goal allowed were also a critical indicator!
Accordingly, you should be in good hands with the selection Win Switzerland with Handicap -3.5 at odds around 1.84. There is simply too much at stake for the ice comrades – and they are certainly capable of a sweeping victory over their neighbours.
Meanwhile, Roman Josi scores is a player bet that I highly recommend you to Switzerland Italy odds of about 2.75. Admittedly, the veteran is not as conspicuous at these Games as he usually is in the national dress, but he seems to be on the rise!
Before the NHL game was paused due to the Olympic Games, he showed some outstanding performances with the Nashville Predators – and he also hit the net in the game against the Czech Republic!
If you ask me, the strong defender has a good chance of putting a puck from the blue line into the goal against Italy. The opponent seems to be made for him!
1st period: Victory Italy with HC +1.5 at odds around 1.52 is a time-limited handicap bet, which I would sprinkle in if necessary, because I expect maximum resistance from the host, especially in the first 20 minutes.
Only then will the strength wane and Switzerland’s individual quality will take over. By the way, if you look at the previous games of the “Azzurri”, it usually went exactly like this!
The only exception, of course, is the last game against Finland, in which the blatant difference in quality became clear from the first second. However, I don’t expect a comparably dominant performance from Switzerland – at most towards the end!
As far as the direct comparison is concerned, a good bookmaker comparison with regard to your ice hockey bets for this match probably makes more sense.
Because both nations literally do not play in the same league, as the “Azzurri” are mostly at B World Championships. The direct comparison therefore has no real significance.
Conclusion: I expect Switzerland to win, but the Italians will bravely resist at times. For example, I wouldn’t be surprised at all about a score of 0:0 or 1:1 after the 1st period.
But at the latest in the intermediate period and thanks to the NHL power of players like Roman Josi or Nico Hischier, the difference in quality should become more and more recognizable after that.
The “Azzurri” will fight like lions, but they will probably also concede half a dozen goals from their ice comrades. There is hardly any way around that!
