Kazakhstan vs Latvia Prediction: the Latvians Can't Fall Behind Stronger Teams

Prediction for the Hockey World Championship 2024 match between Kazakhstan vs Latvia, which will take place on May 14th. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

Kazakhstan is aiming to stay in the top division. They almost made the playoffs a few years ago, but that was more of a surprise than anything. At the 2024 World Cup, the team will probably struggle to make it to the quarterfinals, but their debut went pretty well. They beat France 3-1 in the opening match but were the first to concede in the second minute. Recently, the team played the second match. They got behind Slovakia 0-3 after the first period and eventually lost 2-6.

The Latvian national team is of a higher level but doesn't often make the playoffs at championships. The year 2023 was an exception, though. They took third place in a tough group, beat the Swedes in the quarterfinals, and won first-ever bronze medals. Of course, after such a success, the team wants at least to make the playoffs, but it will be tricky. They had already secured victories over the Poles and the French—5-4 and 3-2. Both came in overtime, so they lost two points in the matches against the group's outsiders.

The teams met at the last World Championship, where the Latvians won 7-0. Since then, the core of both lineups has been the same, so it's unlikely we'll see a completely different outcome. In the opening games against the outsiders, Latvia had a tough time but still had to beat the opponent to stay in the running. Otherwise, they won't earn enough points, as stronger teams will get ahead. So, the Kazakhs will struggle to get points as well.

This rivalry has been pretty effective in recent years. In the previous five H2H meetings, the teams have scored 31 pucks (6.20 on average), which is pretty impressive. At the 2024 World Cup, we saw that both rosters have severe problems with defense while their offense is productive. All this bodes well for an exciting and eventful match.