Finland U20 – Latvia U20: Latvia hcp +3,5 goals

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December 31, 2024

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Our pick: Finland U20 – Latvia U20: Latvia hcp +3,5 goals

31.12.2024 20:30

Anyone who would have guessed before the tournament that Latvia could realistically aspire to even second place in the group stage would probably be considered a very bold tipster to say the least. Such a situation can indeed occur during the New Year’s Eve program at the World Junior Championship, although it takes a confluence of results – a Latvian win over Finland in regulation time and a Canadian loss to the United States in regulation time.

Either way, the Latvians’ performance so far has been a very pleasant surprise at this tournament. They sensationally defeated the super-strong Canada after a shootout, and it was no beating from the strong United States either, although fatigue from the previous duel with the Canadians showed in this contest. On Monday, Latvia defeated a resilient Germany – Latvians are more comfortable defending and going on breakaways than creating play, which was a bit of a problem in this game. But in the end, the Latvians won, and are now assured of a quarterfinal spot.

Finland is the clear favourite for the match. Latvia is unlikely to pull off another stunt. But the Finns are not playing miraculous hockey. They lost to Canada 0:4, then beat Germany only 3:1. But in the last game, they unexpectedly beat the Americans after overtime, which made up for their previous performance. They will play Latvia for a possible second place in Group A.

What to bet on:

Finland is a more defensive-minded team, but they have a huge amount of shots in this tournament, so they play a completely different style. Despite this, the team’s productivity is a bit sluggish. Latvia, who will again rely on goalkeeper Feldbergs, who is having a great tournament, should defend a more acceptable result, losing by three goals at most.

Confidence:

6/10

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