Will the Eagles seal the fate of the Panthers?
Crisis meets hope! Augsburg’s hut is on fire – but it’s a big one. Last season, the Panthers were lucky enough to remain in the top ice hockey division due to the DEL2 champions’ lack of a license. In the final spurt of the current main round, the Panthers are once again in the relegation zone and find themselves in an awkward position. Eighth-placed Mannheim have also left a lot to be desired this season, but rightly still have hopes of advancing directly to the quarter-finals of the play-offs.
The eight-time German champions from the city of squares are in a good mood at the moment. Three points from Augsburg would mean that the Adler could then fight their way back into the top six in a direct duel against Schwenningen. German bookmakers agree: Adler Mannheim are the favorites to win against the Augsburg Panthers with clear odds
A look at the recent record of the two rivals quickly gives an idea of why the Panthers are the underdogs in the catch-up game on matchday 45 despite their role as hosts. Just one win in the last seven games is not a good foundation for a surprise victory against the dominant Eagles. Will Augsburg disappoint again on Wednesday at 7:30 pm or will the Panthers manage a similarly spectacular comeback as the Roosters did recently?
Augsburg Panthers – statistics & current form
February has certainly not been kind to Augsburg. Until a few weeks ago, the Panthers had not slipped into the relegation zone once this season. Then the perennial bottom team Iserlohn set off on an unexpected comeback and Augsburg slipped into crisis shortly afterwards. Now the red-green-whites have been in the red lantern for a few matchdays shortly before the end of the main round.
In addition, the struggling club, which would have been relegated last season if DEL2 champions Ravensburg had applied for a DEL license, is in a precarious situation. Together with the upcoming catch-up game, Augsburg still has four games to get rid of the unloved red lantern.
The gap to the penultimate Roosters, who have already played one more game, is only four points. However, their upcoming opponents are Mannheim, Bremerhaven, Düsseldorf and Munich. So there are almost only top-class opponents left on the schedule. Will the Augsburg Panthers keep a cool head against Adler Mannheim despite the conflicting betting odds and put themselves in a better starting position?
At home, the Augsburg Panthers are weakening like no other team
The Panthers are one of the weakest teams in the German Ice Hockey League at the worst possible time. Augsburg have only managed one win in their last seven encounters. That 1:2 triumph against Nuremberg, however, was only achieved in overtime. The Panthers’ last three points came ten games ago. The fact that the faltering team is one of the weakest teams in the DEL at home is also causing long faces among Augsburg fans.
Currently, no other rival is showing a greater lack of form at home than the Panthers. Augsburg have lost three games in a row at home in the Curt-Frenzel-Stadion. Will the Augsburg Panthers manage to disprove the oddsmakers’ forecast against Adler Mannheim and make amends? Betano currently has the highest odds for a regular home win
Adler Mannheim – Statistics & current form
The Adler Mannheim have the opportunity in Augsburg to put themselves in a position for the following match against Schwenningen to snatch a place in the playoff quarter-finals from the Wild Wings in a direct duel. A win in the regular season against the Panthers would see Mannheim knock seventh-placed Cologne off their perch and move level on points with the Schwenningen Wild Wings in sixth place. In terms of play, the chances are good. However, the Adler’s current lack of efficiency has caused a lot of frustration recently.
In the last match against Ingolstadt, the squares were the dominant team at home. The eight-time German champions played at a high level and kept control of the duel. As a result, coach Dallas Eakins’ charges created far more scoring chances, but made far too few of them count. After the 3:2 win against Nuremberg, which the Eagles only secured in a penalty shootout, Mannheim failed to score against underdog Ingolstadt for the second time in a row without being outnumbered – although the special teams have not been a strength of the squares this season. The result was a disappointing 1:3 home defeat with a shooting efficiency of 3.13 percent.
If you think it’s likely that a bet on under 5.5 goals will pay off in ERC Ingolstadt’s match against Adler Mannheim, because the visitors’ lack of efficiency will once again result in a below-average number of goals, you can more than double your stake at Bet365 in the event of success.
Adler Mannheim are strong in duels
Despite the annoying defeat against Schanzer, Mannheim are in good shape. Apart from their offensive efficiency, the Eagles have impressed in terms of play and have also recorded three wins in the last five meetings. On the road, however, the squares have weakened recently with just two wins from five encounters. In order to survive against the home side, who will throw everything into the match, it is essential for the Eagles to focus on their playing strengths and make clever use of their qualitatively broader squad.
One promising means for the Blue-White-Red team to regain control of the game against Augsburg is to be strong in the tackle. The Eagles have won 52.63 percent of their duels so far this season and are only surpassed in this respect by defending champions Munich. With a rate of 47.10 percent, however, the Panthers are one of the weakest teams in the DEL. Only Düsseldorf is worse here. In the match between the Augsburg Panthers and Adler Mannheim, the bookmakers’ odds imply that the squares will turn their dominance into a win this time.
Augsburger Panther – Adler Mannheim head-to-head comparison / H2H result
The direct comparison between Augsburg and Mannheim provides an interesting picture. In 111 encounters, the favored squares are clearly ahead with 72 to 39 wins and a goal difference of 311:389. Since two of the three games this season also went to Mannheim, the Eagles also have an advantage here.
However, it is striking that the decision between the two teams has never been made before the penalty shootout this season. Betting provider Crazybuzzer predicts that the probability of an away win in the clash between the Augsburg Panthers and the Adler Mannheim is 60.2 percent after overtime or a penalty shootout at the latest.
Augsburger Panther – Adler Mannheim betting tip
Augsburg, in the midst of a trend-setting slump, has an opponent who is not only playing at a high level, but also urgently needs points in the playoff battle. Accordingly, the underdogs cannot hope to be strategically careless in the Curt-Frenzel Stadium. Above all, mental strength is now required. Even a win against the Eagles will be a mammoth task for the Panthers, given the opponents still to come.
The Adler Mannheim see themselves in the comfortable position of traveling to the home-weak Augsburgers in good form. However, the eight-time German champions will not step onto the ice without pressure. In order to secure a direct place in the quarter-finals of the play-offs, it is almost obligatory to take three points from Augsburg. After all, the squares also only have strong opponents ahead of them in the final stretch of the season.
We expect the hosts to put up a tough fight, but that will not be enough against the Blue-White-Red team. Mannheim are once again highly dangerous in attack and can put the Panthers under vehement pressure with their dominant style of play. Provided their offensive efficiency also returns, we believe the Eagles can triumph in regulation time. Betting odds of up to 1.87 are available for the clash between the Augsburg Panthers and Adler Mannheim.
