Metallurg Magnitogorsk - HC Spartak Moscow predictions and free betting tips [28/03/2024]

It's the playoff stage of the Kontinental Hockey League. We're now in the Gagarin Cup 2024 quarter-finals. The current score in the series is tied at 2:2. This is the only series in the round that has not seen a leader emerge after four matches. All home games have been confidently won by the respective teams. "Metallurg" from Magnitogorsk will be hosting "Spartak" from Moscow.

"Metallurg" Magnitogorsk

So far, Andrey Razin's squad, in this playoff, does not resemble the team that won the Eastern Conference. Yes, you could argue that "Dynamo" even won the Continental Cup, but it's already been knocked off the playoffs. But the problems of others should not significantly affect "Metallurg". So far, let's be frank, the Magnitogorsk club has been dreadful.

Based on how the matches have been unfolding, the score should have been 1:3, not in favour of "Metallurg". However, they managed to defend their goal in two matches and score more than their opponent, so it will be interesting to see how they play in their home games.

"Spartak" Moscow

Alexey Zhamnov has certainly learned from the first matches in Magnitogorsk. "Spartak" had problems scoring and defending, but managed to correct these issues in their home games. It will be interesting to see if anything changes in Magnitogorsk. "Spartak" overall was not bad in the first matches, yes, there were terrible periods where games were lost. But to the contrary, they could have won and didn't, hence it was a failure to achieve an acceptable result.

Now, the psychological advantage is definitely on "Spartak"'s side. The Moscow club has won two matches in a row and is clearly aiming for a series victory, unlike the disheartened "Metallurg", where head coach Andrey Razin is already making excuses for defeats rather than addressing the issues.

Head to Head meetings

"Metallurg" Magnitogorsk and "Spartak" Moscow have played 32 matches against each other. Of these, the Magnitogorsk club has 24 victories to its name while the Moscow team has triumphed eight times. This season, both wins went to "Metallurg" – with scores of 3:1 and 6:2. In the playoffs, the situation remains the same as "Metallurg" also won the first match – 4:0 and the second match – 1:0. But in the third meeting, "Spartak" managed to win with a score of 5:2. And in the fourth encounter, they again emerged stronger – 1:0.

Prediction

The teams' morale is at odds with each other, and it doesn't favour the home team.

Total Score Prediction

If we were to choose a total score scenario, it's indeed hard to guess whether the match will be low-scoring or quite the opposite. It could go either way, but I'll risk saying that we should place a bet on ITO2 (2.5).