Slovakia vs Poland Prediction: The Slovaks play with great support from the stands

Prediction for the IIHF World Championship Slovakia vs Poland match which will take place on May 15th. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

Slovakia has had mixed success at World Championships in recent years, alternately making the play-offs and finishing bottom of the group. At the 2024 World Championship, Craig Ramsay's wards were among the favorites to reach the quarter-finals, but they had a disappointing debut when they were beaten 6:4 by Germany, their direct rivals for a place in the last four. This failure did not break the Slovaks, who defeated Kazakhstan 6:2 a day later. They didn't stop there, having played a great game against the USA the day before: the Slovaks led 2:0, then 4:1, allowing the Americans to come back but still managed to get the all-important win in extra time - 5:4.

Before the start of the 2024 World Championship, the Polish national team was regarded as the tournament's biggest underdogs. This is hardly surprising, given that this is only the second time in the XXI century that they have been among the elite of world hockey. Their first appearance came at the start of the millennium when they were knocked out of the 2002 World Championship by Slovakia 7:0, Finland 8:0, and Ukraine 3:0. At the current World Cup, the Poles are looking more competitive. In their opening match, they sensationally got a point from the Latvians, losing 5:4 in extra time, despite Harijs Vītoliņš's team being bronze medallists at the 2023 World Championship. So far, however, it has not been enough to keep them in the elite division.

Slovakia is on their way to the 2024 World Championship. They had a tough debut but have gradually found their feet and are back in playoff contention. Against Poland, Craig Ramsay's wards should be a walk in the park, but they won't be playing without spirit. The Slovaks play with great support from the stands, so they will be looking to entertain the crowd with some spectacular hockey and the opportunity to work on their personal statistics. The Poles have lost their last three games by a combined score 2:18.

The Slovakian and Polish teams have only met three times, but each time, the matches have been high-scoring affairs, with the opponents scoring 20 goals (6.67 average per game) - pretty good result. The Slovaks were far more productive, scoring 18 goals (6.00 average per game). Moreover, Craig Ramsay's wards have enjoyed scoring and conceding 42 goals in their last five matches (8.40 goals per game).