Can Latvia take the lead against Germany?

The Latvian group runners-up have the chance to secure the temporary lead in the table! But the favorite is… the group penultimate? According to the odds of the best sports betting providers, Germany has a better chance of winning against Latvia than the Latvians. The only question is whether the DEB team has the necessary self-confidence after the last two devastating defeats to secure the important three points in the fight for the playoffs

On a playing level, the team of head coach Harold Kreis and co-coach Serge Aubin can certainly afford to take the ice confidently against Latvia. Even in the event of another loss of NHL legionnaire Nico Sturm, Germany has the necessary quality to deny the Latvians another point. Now that the DEB team has put the most difficult tasks against the strongest opponents in Group B behind them, things can only go uphill – or can they?

Although the last two defeats of the German runners-up were to be expected, the size of the losses has caused the bookmakers to lose a little confidence in a German victory. As a result, the odds for the match on Wednesday at 16:20 are more tempting.

Those who are also pessimistic about Germany’s chances of success, but still have the necessary risk appetite, can alternatively take a look at over bets. Bwin is expecting a low-scoring encounter and is offering unusually high odds of 2.40 for betting tips on more than 5.5 goals between Germany and Latvia.

Germany – Statistics & current form

Germany, second last in their group, are gradually finding themselves under pressure to win if they are not to fail to reach the quarter-finals. This development was to be expected in the first three group games and can even be seen as a success thanks to the three-point win against Slovakia in the World Cup opener. After all, their next two opponents were the USA and Sweden.

Despite all the hopes of a surprising success against the top favorites for the World Championship, fans and officials alike were under no illusions as to their chances of victory. Even if the DEB team had expected the current course of the tournament, a healthy mental attitude is required in order not to be discouraged by the well-deserved 6:1 and 1:6 defeats against the USA and Sweden.

It is also to be expected that runners-up Germany are now favorites against Latvia according to the betting odds. But will coach Harold Kreis’s charges also be able to emerge as favorites after the clear defeats? The Germans’ error-prone and at times overly naive defense remains an area in need of improvement

Are Germany showing their attacking prowess again against Latvia?

It’s against overpowering top teams like Sweden and the Americans that the kind of negligence Germany regularly allows itself is punished most severely. At the moment, the DEB’s defensive lines are weakening often enough to potentially play into the Latvian offense’s hands. The most sobering aspect of the most recent match against Sweden was that, in addition to the expected underdog role, there was a noticeable difference in class that could not be compensated for. Even the German offense, which offers plenty of potential in the current World Cup squad, could not change the fact that they suffered their highest defeat in 33 years against the three-crown team.

The fact that attacker Nico Sturm was sorely missed became all too clear as the game progressed, with 16 shots on goal to 46 in Sweden’s favor. The 29-year-old was suffering from a knee injury and is still questionable for the match against the Latvians. The German team had pinned a lot of hope on the first appearance of NHL forward Lukas Reichel, but in the end not much came together offensively.

After the devastating two defeats against the title contenders, it would nevertheless be presumptuous to deny the DEB team the role of favorites. Despite the mainly defensive problems, the playing quality of the Kreis squad around the German champions from Berlin is there for Germany to confirm the prediction of a German favorite victory against Latvia. Ultimately, it will come down to mental strength

Latvia – Statistics & current form

In terms of form, Latvia enter the ice against the favored DEB line-up in excellent shape. The Latvian team led by Bremerhaven keeper Kristers Gudlevskis, who recently made his first appearance against Kazakhstan and promptly celebrated a shutout, ranks second in the group table behind top World Championship favorites Sweden.

The Latvians have three triumphs and seven points from their first three preliminary round games. Head coach Harijs Vitolins’ team is riding a wave of success and is well on the way to making the play-offs. According to the bookmakers’ odds, however, Latvia are the underdogs against Germany.

Anyone who still believes in a win against the supposedly stumbling DEB team and would like to place betting tips should download the easy-to-use Sunmaker app. The reliable provider has the highest odds in its program for both a draw and a triumph for the Latvian national team within the regular playing time.

Latvia struggled twice after extra time to win as favorites

Latvia’s winning streak should be seen in the context of the German favorites’ mini-slump. The fact that the Latvians are currently in good form cannot be denied in view of their three-game winning streak. However, team boss Vitolins’ World Cup selection has so far only had to deal with outsiders.

Latvia were favorites not only in their World Cup opener against Poland, but also against France and in their most recent match against Kazakhstan. Each of these teams are underdogs with vanishingly small chances of winning the world title. Nevertheless, the Latvians fell short of the top bookmakers’ expectations on two occasions and had to settle for a draw in regulation time before overtime finally brought them victory.

Accordingly, the appearance of the group table is deceptive. Although Latvia is second and Germany second last, the DEB team has no worse chance of reaching the quarter-finals than the Latvian selection. Vitolins’ team is weaker than Slovakia, who have already lost to the Germans in their World Championship opener. In view of the fact that Germany still have all of their games against their weakest group opponents ahead of them, Germany’s starting position in the preliminary round is potentially even a little better – provided that Germany confirm their bet against Latvia that the DEB team will be favorites to win.

Germany – Latvia head-to-head / H2H result

Since the last meeting between the two national teams was about three years ago, the direct comparison between Germany and Latvia does not provide sufficient information for a prediction of Wednesday’s match. Nevertheless, the H2H record paints a similar picture to the bookies’ odds: in 17 games, the DEB team emerged victorious eleven times. The Latvians scored five victories; in one encounter there was no winner. The last showdown ended in June 2023 with a 2:1 triumph for Germany.

Germany – Latvia betting tip

A result-based analysis of the recent form curves of both teams could tempt you to place bets on an underdog victory for the Latvians. However, the different quality of the opponents that Germany and Latvia have faced so far at the 2024 Ice Hockey World Championship requires a more differentiated view. Germany’s heavy defeats against the two World Championship favorites and Latvia’s winning streak against the underdogs obscure the starting position between the two nations in terms of play.

Despite the Germans’ mini-slump, we don’t deny that the DEB line-up is of a higher standard, especially on offense. The convincing performance against Slovakia showed that although the defensive flaws are there, they don’t necessarily have to be a downfall. The increased odds of 1.80 at Interwetten, which can currently be used for an ice hockey bet between Germany and Latvia on the regular triumph of Harold Kreis’ team, harbor value in our eyes.