Czech Republic vs Finland Prediction: Suomi are favourites to win the debut game

Prediction for the World Championship 2024 match between Czech Republic and Finland which will take place on May 10th. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

The Czech national team won the 2010 World Cup, after which it has been almost a decade and a half since they could not even reach the final at world championships. Since then, the Lions have won bronze medals only three times, but nothing more. At the 2023 World Cup, they were limited to the quarter-finals, where they lost to the Americans - 0:3. They intend to do much better, and the 2024 World Cup is their home tournament. The Czechs have assembled a pretty good squad. In May, they had already played three games in the home leg of the Euro Hockey Tour, in which they lost to Finland - 1:4, Sweden - 0:2, and Switzerland - 1:2.

The Finnish national team is having a great time. At three of the last four World Championships, the Suomi have reached the finals, where they have won the title twice, and once they have won the vice-championship. The only exception was the 2023 World Cup, where they lost to the Canadians in the quarter-finals 1:4, but this failure will only make them stronger. At the 2024 World Cup, the Blue and White traditionally do not bring the most star-studded squad, but each player is a proven fighter who knows his role. Before the start of the World Championship in the Czech Republic, the Finns had a great final round of the Euro Hockey Tour, where they beat the Czech Republic 4:1, Switzerland 3:1, and Sweden 4:3 to take first place in the tournament.

The Czech Republic and Finland were both unsuccessful at the last 2023 World Cup, falling out in the quarter-finals. The only difference is that the Lions are used to such an outcome of the World Championship, as they have reached the bronze medals only once in the last decade, while the Blue and White have played in the final three times in the four previous World Cups. And now, despite the Czechs' home tournament, the Suomi are the favourites in the opening game. Jukka Jalonen has built a very powerful, disciplined, and stable team that can crush any opponent in their path.

Don't expect a high-scoring game. The Finnish national team has always been known for its quality defence and pragmatic approach. In the last seven friendlies before the start of the 2024 FIFA World Cup, the Blue and Whites had only 26 shots on goal (3.71 per game on average), and in six out of seven cases, at least one of the teams scored less than two goals.