Severstal Cherepovets - Red Star Kunlun predictions and free betting tips [28/12/2023]

Continental Hockey League regular championship 2023/2024. The sixth match of the game day and by expectations, this could turn out to be the most productive match of the entire game day. Kunlun Red Star is visiting Severstal from Cherepovets.

Severstal Cherepovets

Andrey Kozirev's team is trying to secure its place in the playoffs. After the pause, they are actually performing very well in the games, even taking into account that they lost two out of four meetings, the team's performance still looks quite favourable. For instance, the last match against Tractor was a letdown due to Severstal's goalkeepers and failure to capitalize on their moments, though they outplayed their opponents.

Take into account their 1:0 win over Lokomotiv, which speaks volumes, and also their 3:1 victory over Admiral, albeit preceding a loss to Torpedo with the same scoreline. Currently, Severstal is in seventh place in the conference, after 43 matches they have 45 points. Severstal received these points as a result of 16 victories in regular time, three in the penalty shootout series and seven defeats with one point. The other 17 matches Severstal lost without additional points. Meanwhile, the Cherepovets club is fourth in the West in terms of goals scored - 133. The situation is much worse in terms of goals conceded, specifically fourth from the bottom with 130 goals.

Kunlun Red Star

The Chinese team left a very pleasant impression before the break, they literally achieved four victories out of five meetings, which became the best results since the start of the season. It seemed that China had given up on the First Channel Cup and should have come out after the break even more prepared, but no. Kunlun Red Star came out after the break completely dismantled. First, they lost to Tractor with a score of 2:5, while leading the score 2:0 in the first period, then lost to Spartak, where Kovalchuk debuted.

Their last match became a total disappointment, suffering a loss to Lokomotiv with a score of 1:2, in a match that many would not recommend for viewing. Currently, Kunlun Red Star is in ninth place in the standings, after 44 matches they have gathered 35 points. Kunlun Red Star received these points due to seven victories during regular time, eight outside it, and further five losses with one point. The other 24 matches Kunlun Red Star lost without additional points. At the same time, the Chinese are second from the bottom in terms of goals scored in the West, having only 101. On passes, the situation is only slightly better, third place and 148 pucks.

Direct Meetings

Between each other, Severstal and Kunlun Red Star have held 19 matches. Out of these, 15 victories were claimed by Severstal, while Kunlun Red Star has won only four matches. This season, Severstal turned out to be stronger twice, with the score 3:1 and 4:3 in a penalty shootouts.

Prediction

The favourite of the match is Severstal, with odds of 1.73, at the time when the victory odds for Kunlun Red Star sit at 4.20. Here, it is indeed necessary to side with Severstal's victory, simply because they have at least shown some form after the break, unlike the Chinese.

Total Over/Under Prediction

Here, I would rather bet on TO (5.5) for 2.00. The teams are scoring exceedingly much, and they have had no issues with attacking in recent matches, unlike defence, so six goals between the two is a quite realistic result.