Sibir Novosibirsk - Hc Sochi predictions and free betting tips [22/11/2023]

The KHL regular tournament 2023/2024. The opening match of a not overly extensive game set on Wednesday is set to be a battle in Novosibirsk. Home team Sibir, currently grappling with a noticeable crisis and injury problems, are to go up against a team whose decline is more severe, namely Sochi Hockey Club.

Sibir Novosibirsk

The Novosibirsk club’s situation is dire. Yes, it can be argued that their position in the table is somewhat better than it was in October. But in terms of their on-ice performance and injury crisis, Sibir are in a bad place. For their latest match against Metallurg, Prokhorov and Alanov were among the absentees, joining the already injured Murphy and Belousov. Four key players missing for a club already struggling with squad problems. These players are rumoured to be back for this match, but official confirmation is still pending.

Sibir are currently riding a string of three defeats, though on the bright side, two of these losses were beyond regular time, earning them an additional point. Sibir currently sits eighth in the league table. Out of 33 matches, Sibir has gathered 33 points via eight regular-time wins, six beyond that and five losses, each earning a point. Sibir lost the other 14 games without gaining a point. With 96 goals conceded, Sibir is third from the bottom. They share the same position in terms of goals scored, along with Barys and Neftekhimik.

Sochi Hockey Club

In contrast to Sibir's crisis that can be attributed to injuries and selection issues, Sochi Hockey Club, despite starting the season brilliantly and even reaching third place in the conference, now finds itself in a difficult and disappointing state. Looking at their last five games, with four defeats and one overtime win, shows the extent of their woes. Even Matvey Michkov, who is earning points at an impressive rate, can't rescue the team from the table's depths.

After 33 games, Sochi holds the ninth place in the table with 28 points, earned through ten regular-time wins, three beyond that, and two losses with a point. The team lost the other 18 matches in regular time. Sochi is second from the bottom in the conference in terms of goals conceded – 119. However, after an impressive start, Sochi is eighth in terms of goals scored.

Head-to-head Matchups

Sochi and Sibir have faced each other in 21 matches. Eleven of these games ended in favour of the Novosibirsk club, while Sochi claimed victory in ten. This year, Sochi came out on top with a 4:2 score.

Forecast

Considering the prolonged crisis of Sochi, it's pretty obvious that Sibir is the favourite for this match, with odds of 1.72. Meanwhile, Sochi's odds stand at 4.30. So, the smart money is on a Sibir victory, simply because their crisis is less severe than Sochi's.

Total

If you're looking at a possible outcome other than the victory, ITO1 (3.5) at 2.33 worth a look. Yes, the chance for this outcome is very slight, but out of all the totals, it's the most realistic.