Finland vs Sweden Prediction: the Suomi to Claim Their Fourth Victory

Prediction for the Hockey World Cup Finland vs Sweden match, which will take place on May 18. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

Finland continues to prove that it is the strongest national team in the world. In recent years, the Finns have won gold and silver at world championships. Also, they became champions of the 2022 Olympics. With such a baggage of awards, the Suomi are the unconditional favorites in the World Cup at home. They invited the old squad and diluted it with several NHL players. In their three matches, Jukka Jalonen's wards defeated Norway, Latvia and the United States (11:2), which confirms their good form that allows them to meet the biggest challenges.

Sweden has not won anything serious in recent years. Under Johan Garpenlöv, Tre Kronor have not won a single set of medals, reaching the semifinals at international tournaments. At the last World Cup they could not make it to the playoffs at all. The World Cup-2022 will be the last one for their coach. So he would obviously like to slam the door loudly, except that the Yellow and Blues have failed to bring the optimal lineup. Nonetheless, they beat Austria, the Czech Republic and Great Britain by a combined score of 14:4 in the opening games, allowing them to top the Group B standings.

Finland and Sweden lead the Group B standings. After three matches, they have nine points each, four points ahead of the nearest pursuer. So they will struggle for the first line only. The favorites are the Suomi, who have more balanced lineup, while Tre Kronor continue to torment themselves with a three-team game. As a result, we are betting on Finland to win.

• Finland has won its last nine official matches.
• Sweden has won all previous matches at the 2022 World Cup.
• Sweden has beaten Finland in six of their recent seven encounters.

Both opponents are focused on destruction rather than creation so that the defense will dominate. They decrease the risk of mistakes, so the offense sometimes has too few opportunities to prove itself. Moreover, the Suomi and Tre Kronor are still fighting for first place in the group, so the tournament motivation will encourage cautious play. A total under 4.5 would be the optimal option.

For Teemu Hartikainen, the current World Cup is still complicated. In the three games, he made the only assist. Nevertheless, he earned 16 points (6 goals + 10 assists) in his 17 matches for the national team. The ex-Salavat Yulayev forward still plays in the first line at the World Cup, which increases his scoring opportunities. We might look at the bet on Teemu Hartikainen.

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