Norway - Austria predictions and free betting tips [19/05/2024]

World Ice Hockey Championship 2024, Group A. One of the two opening matches of the day will see a clash between two teams who are theoretically still fighting for a playoff spot, but their main battle is to remain in the elite of world ice hockey. However, with a win, they would be extremely close to making it to the playoffs, that is, securing the fourth spot. Norway will face off against Austria.

Norway

Interestingly, this team has been part of the world's elite ice hockey for the past few years as a solid mid-table side. They have never managed to make it to the playoff list. However, now with the main national ice hockey tournament losing two teams, they have a chance to succeed.

They are currently only four points behind the fourth spot, which offers a playoff opportunity, with remaining matches against Austria, their direct competitor, and Great Britain, the group's main underdog.

After five matches in the tournament, Norway has one win and four losses. Interestingly, all matches ended in regulation time, and the only victory was against Denmark. The Scandinavian team has a goal difference of minus ten, having scored nine goals, the second lowest in Group A, but with 19 goals conceded, they rank fifth in the group.

Austria

The situation with Austria is also quite interesting. Unlike Norway, they are not a solid mid-table world team but rather an elevator team that moves between the different groups of the world championship.

While it seemed they would follow a similar path in this championship, Austria's performance has been fairly decent, albeit not in terms of results but gameplay. They managed to take the match against Canada into overtime, only losing 7-6. Their notable achievement was defeating Finland 3-2, coming back from a 0-2 deficit in the third period, a victory that keeps them in the hunt not just for survival but possibly even for playoffs.

Currently, they sit in the sixth spot on the table. After five meetings, Austria has four points, one win, one overtime loss, and three losses. Their goal difference is minus nine, with 15 goals scored, ranking fifth in the group, while conceding 24 goals, the second highest in the group.

Head-to-Head

Norway and Austria have clashed three times, with Norway coming out on top in all three encounters.

Prediction

BetCity sees Norway as the favourite for this match, offering odds of 2.13 for a win, compared to 3.00 for Austria. I would lean towards betting on Norway since they seem to have a better chance of winning, reinforced by their head-to-head record.