Kazakhstan vs Slovenia Prediction: Meeting has no tournament motivation

Prediction for the IIHF World Championship Kazakhstan vs Slovenia match which will take place on May 22nd. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available. 

The national team of Kazakhstan has already coped with their primary task at the 2023 World Cup. After several key players didn't participate in the World Championship, it became clear that it was not even worth dreaming about going to the playoffs for the team. Nevertheless, already in the opening game, they sensationally attacked the Norwegians in shootouts – 4:3. After that, there were three consecutive major defeats from the Czechs, Swiss, and Canadians, but then Galim Mambetaliev's wards managed to beat the Slovaks in shootouts – 4:3. Probably, after this success, the Kazakhs celebrated the victory so strongly that the day before they received a crushing defeat from the Latvians – 0:7, but the task for the tournament has already been solved.

The Slovenian national team has officially lost the chance to stay in the elite world division for next season. The wards of Matjaz Kopitar had a very weak World Cup-2023, and therefore their position in the strongest group will again be limited to just one tournament. From the first game, we saw that Slovenia was unlikely to be pleasantly surprised, as they lost to the Swiss – 0:7. After that, there were losses from Canada – 2:5, Norway – 0:1, the Czech Republic – 2:6, Latvia – 1:2, and the day before they did not cope with Slovakia – 0:1. So after six games, the Slovenes have precisely zero points. The gap for the round before the end of the group stage from the nearest competitor is already four points.

The Slovenian national team is failing the 2023 World Cup. Even the team from Kazakhstan tried to get points in various games at the tournament. Slovenia lost without a chance in all six previous games and every time during regular time, and therefore already reserved a relegation from the elite division. The day before, the wards of Matjaz Kopitar left their last strength on the ice, trying to resist the Slovaks, but they were unproductive. At this time, Kazakhstan was resting and preparing for the last game, which now makes them favorites.

Before the start of the 2023 World Cup, the key for Kazakhstan and Slovenia national teams would be their face-to-face fight in the seventh round, but nothing like that happened. The Kazakhs have already scored four points, and the Slovenes have not earned a single point in the previous six games. This meeting has no tournament motivation, so the competitors can afford to play open hockey, appreciating it.