Desperate Norway against Switzerland?
Unlike the DEB team, Switzerland has a comfortable start to the 2024 Ice Hockey World Championship with Norway according to the odds in the AdmiralBet sports betting app. Even the most pessimistic bookmakers rate a triumph of the Nati in the regular course of the game with a probability of a whopping 80 percent! Are expectations too high or are the Norwegians almost without a chance?
In fact, Switzerland only finished fifth at last year’s World Cup. Nevertheless, coach Patrick Fischer’s team are considered to have a better chance of winning the title than the German runners-up. Norway, on the other hand, will contest the tournament as one of the biggest outsiders. Successful betting tips on a Norwegian gold medal promise more than 300 times the stake. Will the favored national team ensure clear conditions in the O2 Arena on Friday at 4:20 p.m., in line with the betting providers’ assessment?
A success for the Norwegians against Switzerland is extremely unlikely. Nevertheless, the World Cup opener pits two teams against each other who have not impressed with their hunger for goals of late. Accordingly, it might be worth taking a look at the betting odds at Bet3000 for bets that Switzerland will win with a low scoring tendency. In the event of a Nati triumph in which fewer than four goals are scored by both teams, more than double the stake will be paid out. Bet3000 also offers the opportunity to take advantage of a new customer bonus of up to €100:
Switzerland – Statistics & current form
Although it has been six years since they last won silver at a World Cup, Switzerland are among the favorites at this year’s World Cup. Coach Patrick Fischer’s national team has recently impressed in terms of form. After a long dry spell of 13 defeats in a row, the Swiss have secured five wins in their last seven games.
The last triumph was particularly encouraging: in a low-scoring but efficient 1:2 victory, the national team put the Czech hosts of this year’s Ice Hockey World Championship to flight at the Czech Hockey Games. Before that, however, Switzerland lost to the teams from Finland and Sweden. On paper, a much weaker opponent awaits at the start of the eagerly awaited tournament. Between Switzerland and Norway, the bookmakers’ odds indicate that a loss against the Norwegian underdogs would be a big surprise
Will Switzerland lack offensive consistency against Norway?
Even though coach Fischer recently claimed that he would be relying on an offensive style of play based on puck possession for the World Championship, Switzerland’s results currently speak a different language. In the two duels against Latvia, the Nati turned up the heat with five and four goals respectively. However, in the last three matches, the Swiss have only managed to find the back of the net a total of four times.
The Swiss national team often find it difficult to avoid mistakes in their build-up play and create dangerous scoring opportunities, especially against stronger teams. Will Fischer’s charges manage to be more consistent in offense against underdog Norway?
Nevertheless, the new team has potential, even if the absence of Denis Malgin will leave a big gap. In addition to numerous home-grown players from the Swiss National League, Fischer has a number of NHL top performers at his disposal. In addition to Roman Josi from Nashville and Nino Niederreiter from the Winnipeg Jets, the New Jersey Devils alone provide three prominent reinforcements for the national team: goalkeeper Akira Schmid will be accompanied by his teammates Nico Hischier and Jonas Siegenthaler. Will Switzerland confirm the predictions of the best bookmakers against Norway or will the favorites make a surprising faux pas in the opening game?
Norway – statistics & current form
In the run-up to the match between Switzerland and Norway, the odds that the Norwegian team is the clear underdog are no surprise. Nevertheless, an isolated look at the last few preparation matches provides a small glimmer of hope. With three victories from the past five matches, the team’s win record is quite satisfactory.
However, it is important to note that these three victories came against Latvia and Denmark, who are by no means ice hockey giants compared to the Norwegians’ World Cup rivals. What’s more, the Norwegian national team only managed to win in overtime on all three occasions
Does Norway lack the quality to beat Switzerland?
Despite the differences in play, recent performances have revealed one thing in common with Switzerland’s record: Norway have recently struggled to score goals. In the regular playing time of the last three matches, the team ranked tenth in the world scored only one goal. To stand a chance against the Swiss team, the Norwegians will have to be more aggressive in attack.
Minnesota forward Mats Zuccarello could tip the scales in this endeavor. As probably the most important player in the national team, the 36-year-old also has Swedish support: Thomas Berg-Paulsen and Jonas Arntzen lace up their skates in the SHL league.
There are also familiar names from Germany and Finland in the Norwegian squad. While Vold Engebråten is active in the Liiga, Henrik Haukeland is known from the Düsseldorfer EG. Markus Vikingstad recently fought for the German championship title together with his teammates from the Pinguins Bremerhaven in the playoff final. Nevertheless, it is questionable whether Switzerland will be the favorites against Norway, contrary to the bookies’ predictions
Switzerland – Norway head-to-head / H2H result
In the 26 previous encounters between Switzerland and Norway, the forecast of the betting providers with a German license is underpinned by the fact that the Nati is clearly ahead with 17 victories. One match ended without a winner; the remaining eight encounters went to Norway. The last four duels between the two national teams were all won by the Swiss. In the course of those four triumphs, the mark of 5.5 goals was always undercut
Switzerland – Norway betting tip
In the run-up to the Swiss and Norwegian World Cup opener, any bets involving a defeat for the Nati would be more than risky. Even without Denis Malgin, Switzerland have the necessary quality to deny Norway a surprising underdog victory
We have no doubt that the Nati will win. However, it will be interesting to see at the start of the tournament whether head coach Fischer’s team, which is strong on the run, will struggle to score despite their superior quality or whether they will immediately impress with their efficient combination play. We agree with the role of favorites, but are betting on under 5.5 goals between Switzerland and Norway
