Norway - Czech Republic predictions and free betting tips [11/05/2024]

Switzerland and the Czech Republic are set to play in the second round of the Ice Hockey World Championship in the Czech Republic today.

Current form of Norway's National Team

Norway's national team commenced their performance at the Ice Hockey World Championship with a match against the Swiss team, which proved to be a significant test for the Norwegians. The first period of the game ended in a stalemate with an equal score for both teams. However, the second period witnessed Switzerland demonstrating their prowess by scoring three goals, thereby deciding the match's outcome. The game ended in defeat for Norway with a score of 2:5, where Patrick Thoresen claimed two successful points (a goal and a pass).

This match exposed severe weaknesses in the Norwegian's defence, especially during the second period, which became the team's main problem not only in this match but also in previous friendly games. In the past month leading up to the championship, Norway has also faced other difficulties, including a defeat from Latvia with a score of 0:8 in a control match which emphasised the team's weaknesses. Despite these difficulties, positive results were also showcased by the team securing victories over Denmark with scores 4:3 and 2:1, and narrowly won over Latvia with a score of 1:0 in another match.

Current form of Czech Republic's National Team

At the 2024 Ice Hockey World Championship hosted by them, the Czech national team started their performance with a tense game against Finland, clinched by the Czechs in a penalty shootout with a final score of 1:0. During regular time and overtime, both teams demonstrated excellent defensive play, allowing no goals despite 21 shots on goal, but also weren't able to score from their 27 shots.

In the final series of penalty shootouts, the Czechs converted two attempts out of four, while the Finns couldn't outplay the Czech Republic's goalkeeper even once. The Czech national team is hosting the Championship and is considered one of the tournament's favourites due to a strong lineup. This blend of experience and skill sets a promising ground for the successful performance of the Czechs in upcoming tournament matches.

Head-to-head Meetings

In recent matches between the national teams of Norway and the Czech Republic at the Ice Hockey World Championship, the Czech team dominated, winning each and every match. The most recent game between these teams took place on May 20th, 2023, where the Czech Republic won with a score of 2:0. A year before that, the Czechs also prevailed with a score of 4:1.

Another encounter took place on May 11th, 2019, in which the Czech Republic achieved a convincing victory with a crushing score of 7:2. In 2017, the Czech Republic winning in overtime with a minimal advantage of 1:0.

Prediction for the Norway - Czech Republic Match

The Czechs demonstrated in the first round yesterday that they are capable of forming a strong defence. The Norwegians had a poor start in their first match, and it seems unlikely that they will put up an excellent performance in the attack. I expect TU 5.5 - a victory for the Czech Republic with a score of 3:0 or 4:1 will be quite satisfactory.