Will Canada show Switzerland their limits in the semi-finals?
Will the next top favorite bow out of the Ice Hockey World Championship on Saturday? According to the Interwetten Germany forecast, it is likely that Canada will win against Switzerland, but it is anything but a sure thing. With odds of 2.60, the customer-friendly betting provider gives the Nati a 38.5 percent chance of knocking the reigning world champions out of the tournament in overtime at the latest.
Will the Maple Leafs suffer the same fate against the Swiss as Germany in the quarter-finals? The DEB team found it difficult to combat the immense counter-attacking threat and solid defense of the Swiss and, as a result, had to bow out of the competition after a strong tournament. On paper, the same could happen against Canada. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the Canadian favorites are nowhere near as error-prone as the now-eliminated Germans.
Although the Swiss have a squad of great quality, we rate the odds of victory for the favored Canadians higher than the bookmakers. Bwin, for example, is offering attractive odds of 1.85 for betting tips that the defending champions will not need overtime in the semi-final on Saturday at 18:20 to reach the final again. In addition to the tempting top odds, Bwin also has a special offer for betting on the Ice Hockey World Cup 2024 in its program, where both a bonus and free bets can be dusted off:
Canada – Statistics & current form
The fact that Canada finished the group stage undefeated and still disappointed some expectations speaks volumes about the extraordinary demands placed on the ice hockey giants. Those doubts are of course long gone after the 6:2 victory over Slovakia in the quarter-finals. Nevertheless, some critics had taken notice when Canada’s World Championship opener, a 4-2 win over underdog Great Britain that was bumpy in places, was not ideal.
The Austrian sensation, in which the ÖEHV surprise team produced a 5:0 final third and pulverized a 6:1 Canadian lead, also cast doubt on the superiority of head coach André Tourigny’s team. Completely in vain, as we now know – right? For the bookmakers, at least, not much has changed in terms of the starting position.
Just like in the preliminary round duel between Canada and Switzerland, the odds of the sports betting apps imply that the favorites will play almost the same role as in the group stage. Quotes of 1.85 attest the Canadians a 54.05 percent chance of victory within the regular playing time.
Canada’s scoring threat is unparalleled at the Ice Hockey World Championship
The reigning world champions proved one thing in particular once again in the quarter-finals: a highly dangerous offense. With the six goals that Canada scored against the Slovaks, the Maple Leafs catapulted themselves to the top of the World Cup goal statistics. The Canadians have scored a total of 38 goals so far. Of the teams still represented in the tournament, only Sweden is hot on the heels of the defending champions with 37 goals.
The fact that Canada is at the top of another World Championship statistic could prove to be a disadvantage in the semi-final against Switzerland: Tourigny’s charges have spent 87 minutes in the penalty box so far in this competition. This puts them in third place in the ranking of all 16 World Cup participants. The problem: the national team has scored a whopping ten goals in 32 power plays, giving them an over-penalty efficiency of 31.25 percent. Only Germany was stronger here. However, Switzerland personally took care of their German powerplay rivals in the quarter-finals…
In any case, the Maple Leafs would be well advised to stay away from the cooler against the Nati. Despite the danger of the opponent’s superior numbers, the bookies are confident that the reigning world champions will advance to the final. Ahead of the semi-final of the 2024 Ice Hockey World Cup, betting odds of 1.49 between Canada and Switzerland in the user-friendly Neobet app indicate that the Canadians are 67 percent likely to win the game (including a potential overtime).
Switzerland – Statistics & current form
Canada could prove to be the only team at the 2024 Ice Hockey World Championship that the Swiss national team is no match for. The Swiss national team has also marched through the group stage unscathed in terms of its winning record – with the exception of the match against the Maple Leafs. At the time of the duel, there was no longer much at stake, as both teams were no longer in danger of reaching the quarter-finals. Nevertheless, it was a promising performance that Switzerland only suffered a narrow 2:3 defeat against the reigning world champions.
When they meet again in the semi-finals, the bookmakers expect not only another triumph for the Canadians, but also a below-average number of goals. Will the two title rivals carefully feel each other out before getting down to business? For Canada’s knockout match against Switzerland, a bet on under 5.5 goals is currently priced at odds of up to 1.80. Even if this implies that the betting shops are leaning towards a match with few goals, those odds are still high enough to take advantage of the attractive Bet-at-home voucher code!
Is Switzerland’s counter-attacking threat also having an effect in the World Cup semi-final against Canada?
In the quarter-final against Germany, the Nati once again demonstrated their high quality. The first period was characterized by Swiss dominance. While the DEB team visibly struggled to find a rhythm against the Swiss, Patrick Fischer’s team exuded a remarkable aplomb in their powerful style of play. In particular, the players around Kevin Fiala, Nico Hischier and Roman Josi showed their counter-attacking qualities time and again – even when short-handed. Christoph Bertschy scored the first goal to take the lead in the course of a German powerplay.
The second goal by Hischier also found its way into the opposing goal during the opening period. The other two periods were much more open, including a goal by the DEB team in the middle period, and could well have resulted in the Nati losing the lead. However, the Swiss remained constantly dangerous on the counter-attack, even in phases of the game when Germany were pressing. Defensively, the Fischer team also did an excellent job and stopped all of Germany’s attempts to equalize.
In the end, it was Bertschy again who ended the desperate DEB line-up’s hopes with an empty-netter 58 seconds before the end. Will the Nati choose a similar strategy in the semi-final against the defending champions? For an underdog coup against Canada, Switzerland will have to defend excellently again for a bet on the Nati to pay off. Otherwise, the attacking machinery of the World Cup team with the most goals could prove too dominant. However, with world-class defender Josi among others, the Swiss are well equipped
Canada – Switzerland head-to-head / H2H result
The H2H record of Canada and Switzerland confirms the bookmakers’ prediction that the Maple Leafs will go into the semi-finals as clear favorites. While the Nati have won twelve duels and forced three draws, the Canadian national team has triumphed in the remaining 43 matches. The last duel between the two nations recently took place in the preliminary round of the 2024 Ice Hockey World Championship and ended with a 2:3 victory for the favored Canadians
Canada – Switzerland betting tip
Given the offensive strength of the Canadians, it stands to reason that the Nati will show a similar style of play in the semi-final as in the successful quarter-final. An effective defense will play a fundamental role against the Maple Leafs. The fact that the Swiss have a highly dangerous counter-attacking game could be the most valuable tool for Patrick Fischer’s team on Saturday
Although the Swiss semi-finalists have nothing to hide from the defending champions and are capable of punishing their opponents’ mistakes to the utmost, we think the Canadian national team has the edge in this encounter. If the Maple Leafs’ squad, which is bursting with NHL quality, has a good day, the Swiss could be in for a rude awakening. Of course, the national team, which also plays at a high level, should not be underestimated.
Nevertheless, in our opinion, the ice hockey betting tip on a regular triumph for the favorites in the semi-final of the World Championship between Canada and Switzerland has value. Bwin currently offers betting odds of 1.85, which we play with a stake of three units
