Slovakia vs Latvia Prediction: Slovakia and Latvia are direct rivals in the fight for the playoffs

Prediction for the World Championship 2024 match between Slovakia and Latvia which will take place on May 19. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

The Slovak national team had a phenomenal result at the 2022 Olympics, winning the bronze medal, so now we can expect big challenges in the next tournaments. In addition, the national team again includes Juraj Slafkovski, Szymon Nemec, Pavol Regenda and a number of other young hockey players who played two years earlier in China and since then have added to their skills and experience. However, they failed to qualify from the group at the 2023 World Cup and are now determined to rehabilitate themselves. At the 2024 World Cup they started with a 4:6 defeat to the Germans, but then they managed to improve by beating even the Americans 5:4, so their chances for the play-offs are very good.

The Latvian national team has a completely opposite situation. The team failed at the 2022 Olympics, when they suffered four consecutive defeats with a total score of 7:14 in four games at the tournament, ending their performance ignominiously. It seemed that the White-Beard were wrong with the coach, but only a year later the coach proved his worthiness. The point is that at the 2023 World Cup, the Latvians not only made the playoffs, but also won bronze medals for the first time in the country's history. Of course, after such a success at the 2024 World Cup, they should have expected a great performance, but in reality, they got off to a great start in the Czech Republic, but then started to lose points, so they risk missing the playoffs.

Slovakia and Latvia are direct rivals in the fight for the playoffs, so their face-to-face confrontation is bound to be very intriguing and hard-fought. At the same time, the Slovaks, for whom the 2024 World Cup is practically a home game, should have more chances of success. They have a more solid level of skill, their squad is a blend of experience and youth, and the experienced Craig Ramsey knows how to win key games. Furthermore, the head-to-head statistics are not in favor of the Latvians, as they have lost their last five consecutive friendlies.