Will Germany even win their group?

Group victory or seltzer is the name of the game for the German national ice hockey team in their last preliminary round match against Switzerland on Tuesday. With a win, coach Söderholm’s men would jump to first place, while a defeat would most likely only put them in third place of Group A.

In turn, they would then face Sweden or Finland in the quarter-finals, two of the best teams at the World Cup so far. In this respect, despite having already qualified for the quarter-finals, there is still a lot to play for.

The DEB team also showed different faces recently. While almost everything went well in the 9:4 win over Italy (at least offensively), they almost stumbled against the absolute outsiders from Kazakhstan. Defensively in particular, there was still a huge lack of coordination.

In the course of the tournament, they conceded 16 goals, which is only the eighth best value of all teams. Switzerland is a bit ahead of them, which is why our prediction for Germany vs. Switzerland on Tuesday is for a win for the slight favourites.

First face-off of this last preliminary round match for both teams at the 2022 Ice Hockey World Cup is on Tuesday at 11:20 in Finland.

Germany – Statistics & current form

9:4 and 5:4 were the last two results of the DEB team and had the opponents not been the two bottom of the table from Italy and Kazakhstan, the results would look much better.

As it is, however, the most striking thing is the number of goals the team has already conceded in the course of the World Cup and that despite such renowned defenders as Korbinian Holzer and Moritz Seider, who both have NHL experience.

Defensive consistency is still missing

The question will be whether this stumble on defence will continue against the absolute top teams. It is almost to be feared that teams like Switzerland or, in the quarter-finals, Finland or Sweden will punish this mercilessly.

So we expect the German team to concede a few goals again on Tuesday. After all, Switzerland scores 5.0 goals per game and thus more than any other team. Since Germany themselves conceded four goals against Kazakhstan, this figure is quite possible against Switzerland again.

Stützle missing for the rest of the tournament

Another negative point for the team then comes in. Tim Stützle, their most talented striker, is out for the rest of the World Cup, as already expected. Especially against the top teams, this individual class could be missing in the end.

We only see a chance for Team Germany against Switzerland if they focus more on defence. Whether this switch can be made so quickly, however, remains questionable, which makes a bet on the Swiss team our No.1 betting recommendation for Germany vs. Switzerland.

Key Players:
G: Philipp Grubauer
D: Korbinian Holzer
D: Moritz Seider
LW: Lukas Reichel
C: Matthias Plachta
RW: Leo Pföderl

Switzerland – Statistics & current form

Switzerland finally proved against Canada that they are to be counted among the secret favourites again this year. And that despite the fact that with Niederreiter, Josi and Fiala, three of their absolute superstars are still missing.

With Nico Hischier (5) and Denis Malgin (4), they nevertheless have two forwards in their squad who are currently among the top 3 scorers in the tournament. That alone shows the depth that Team Switzerland can now boast internationally.

Strong performance against France

However, even they are not immune to slackness from time to time. Against the French, they were already trailing 0:2 after the first really weak period, before Nico Hischier started a comeback with his goal.

It was not the first time at this World Cup that the Swiss missed the start of a game. They were also behind three times in the first period against Canada. However, the fact that they were able to win both games in the end definitely speaks for their strength – both in terms of play and mentally.

Group victory as goal

With a win against Germany, they would be group winners, which of course can only be the goal to avoid the top teams in Group B. Against the vulnerable German defence, their top strikers should get some chances, which is why we predict at least four Swiss goals on Tuesday.

Generally, this is a meeting of two teams that are responsible for the higher-scoring games of the World Cup, which also makes the odds on Germany vs. Switzerland interesting at over 5.0 or even over 6.0 goals.

Key Players:
G: Reto Berra
D: Janis Moser
D: Jonas Siegenthaler
LW: Pius Suter
C: Nico Hischier
RW: Timo Meier

Germany – Switzerland Direct Comparison / H2H-Balance

The last direct comparison between these two teams was not so long ago. Exactly one month ago, the two played two test matches against each other, with each team being victorious once.

However, as both teams were still missing their top players, these clashes should be taken with a grain of salt. Since 2020, however, the German team’s direct record has been just 3:2. One more reason for the Swiss not to underestimate them.

Especially the game against Canada was very convincing for the Swiss, which is why we also see them ahead against the DEB team. For Germany vs. Switzerland, a bet on the Swiss is clearly recommended, possibly even in combination with over-points.

Germany – Switzerland Tip

Slight advantages for Switzerland and a clear tendency to over-points. That is our conclusion with regard to this prestigious and German duel. With that, we get several good betting options together.

On the one hand, a forecast on Germany against Switzerland is possible. On the other hand, bets on over-points are also possible. If we combine these two options, we do not have to go very high for a top value on the points. X2 + Over 4.5 is therefore the bet of our choice.

Of course, pure over-points also stand out as another betting alternative. The average number of goals scored in Swiss matches is 7.0, while Germany’s average is 6.5. Over 5.5 is therefore a number that should be well achieved. Accordingly, these betting odds are also good for Germany vs. Switzerland.