Slovakia vs Latvia Prediction: Just Too Different

Prediction for the IIHF World Championship 2023 - 1 Slovakia vs Latvia match which will take place on May 13th. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available. 

The Slovak national team is one of the enigma teams at the current World Cup. They did not claim high places for a long time, but a young team began to attract attention after the bronze success at the 2022 Olympics. Moreover, at the 2022 World Cup, Craig Ramsay's wards left the group and even put up significant resistance to the Finns in the quarterfinals but still lost - 2:4. In the debut of the current tournament, they looked fantastic again, twice coming forward in the fight with the Czechs, but both times they allowed the opponent to win back, and the key was the 5-minute removal of Mislav Rosandic, when the Slovaks missed the decisive goal, losing – 2:3.

The Latvian national team is an experienced and well–played team that has already experienced many major tournaments with their current lineup. However, the 2023 World Cup is becoming unique for them. Previously, Dinamo Riga was the core of the national team, but this club did not play in the KHL last season, and all the players left for other leagues. There is no representative of the capital's team, which becomes a big problem for them. In the opening game, the wards of Harijs Vitolins began to miss the Canadians from the very first minutes. As a result, they suffered a crushing defeat – 0:6, which could break the Latvians.

The national teams of Slovakia and Latvia have been opponents of a similar level in recent years, but over the past year and a half, the picture has changed significantly. During this time, the Slovaks reached the bronze medals of the 2022 Olympics, played great at the 2022 World Cup, and got many young and ambitious guys to the main lineup of the national team. Latvians can't boast of anything like that since they failed both the Olympics and the last World Cup and even managed to lose in the debut of the current home championship – 0:6. 

Slovakia and Latvia national teams have met thrice in the last couple of years. Craig Ramsay's wards won all three games, and they were incredibly productive in attack, scoring 17 goals (5.67 on average per game) – a great result. The day before, the Slovaks scored the Czechs' goal twice in one period, which again affirmed the productivity of their attack, the Latvians missed six unanswered goals from the Canadians and could have done more, but the Maple Leafs spared the hosts of the 2023 World Cup.