USA vs France Prediction: It is important for the Americans to retain first place in the standings

Prediction for the Hockey World Cup USA vs France match, which will take place on May 21. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

So far, Team USA has made an excellent impression at the 2023 World Cup. We are used to North American teams only really playing hockey in the playoffs, but now the Stars and Stripes have started to perform well from their first games at the tournament. They don't always play hard to get a positive result, but they have one too. The Americans have won five of their opening five games, all during regular time. Even the day before, they still beat the Danes 3:0 and kept their lead in the Group A standings.

The French team has already coped with the main task of the World Cup 2023. With their best squad, the Threecolours would have struggled to make the playoffs, but a host of essential players were denied a playoff appearance, and their only real goal is to remain in the world's top flight next season. There is already no question about it, Philippe Bozon's side remains in the strongest group, as they beat Austria 2:1 in overtime before pulling away points from Denmark and Hungary 3:4 and 2:3, respectively, which earned them four points and a ticket to the 2024 FIFA World Cup.

Team USA has an excellent start to the 2023 World Cup with five straight wins. The Stars and Stripes quickly reached an understanding within their squads that allowed them to play at such a high level, although one would hardly expect them to do so. It is now essential for the Americans to retain first place in the Group A standings to get a more comfortable opponent in the quarterfinals. The Three-Coloureds are no longer in contention; they have retained their place in next year's elite and can only enjoy their time at the World Cup. As a result, we should place our bet on the victory of the USA team with a handicap (-3.5).

Not only does the USA beat everyone at World Cup 2023, but they also play surprisingly well defensively. The Americans allowed just five goals in their previous five tournament meetings (1.00 goals per game average). It's unlikely that the French, who are content to retain their place in the elite division, will upset their opponent more than once in the upcoming clash. With this in mind, the optimal option for the prediction seems to be an individual total of France under 1.5 pucks, and separately we should look at the bet on the total over 1.5 points of Conor Garland.