USA vs Austria Prediction: The teams are currently at different ends of the table

Prediction for the Hockey World Cup USA vs Austria match, which will take place on May 17. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

The United States is a team that is constantly underestimated. Indeed, the Stars and Stripes have not won a world championship since 1960, and more recently, they've started inviting North American college leaguers to major tournaments. The 2023 World Cup is no exception, but that hasn't stopped David Quinn's squad from producing outstanding results. Three games and three wins in regulation time on a 14:4 goal differential. Now the USA national team seems determined to contend for the title.

The Austrian team is gradually finding itself in a more challenging and tougher tournament position. The Eagles will not fight for a playoff spot, so all they have to do now is fight for survival in the world's elite division. The team unexpectedly managed to snatch a point against the French in their opening game at the FIFA World Cup 2023, losing 1:2 in overtime, but their performance since then has been far worse. For starters, the Red and Whites lost heavily to the Swedes, 0:5; the day before, they also failed to offer credible resistance to the Danes, losing 2:6. It now remains for them to fight with the Hungarians for their place in the world hockey elite.

The USA and Austria are currently at different ends of the Group A standings. The Stars and Stripes have won three straight in regulation time, while the Red and Whites have lost all three of their previous three games. The history of head-to-head encounters also speaks fiercely in favor of the Americans, who have won their last five games by a combined score of 25:9. The day before, they had a chance to rest. At the same time, the Austrians were in trouble with the Danes, and for two periods the Eagles had a chance to clinch the points. As a result, we expect to bet on the victory of the USA team with a handicap (-3.5).

Teams USA and Austria meet regularly at the world championships, where the Eagles try to play hockey against a more classy and skillful opponent. In all five of the last five head-to-head encounters, the Red and White have invariably hit the Stars and Stripes, each receiving a whole bunch of pucks in return. In all five previous one-on-one encounters, the teams scored 34 goals against each other (6.80 on average per game), so even now, the total over 6.5 pucks seems like an optimal way to make a prediction.