Latvia vs USA Prediction: The teams are opponents of incomparable skill level

Prediction for the World Championship 2024 match between Latvia and USA which will take place on May 21. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

A year earlier, the Latvian national team won honours at the World Championship for the first time in its history, finishing in third place. It seemed that this success would give an impulse to the development of Latvian ice hockey, but in fact, at the 2024 World Cup they seriously slowed down. They were not placed in the strongest group, but even in such a company they risk a play-off. They already lost two points in the opening game of the championship when they beat the Poles and French only in overtime - 5:4 and 3:2, respectively. Then there was a hard-fought victory over the Kazakhs - 2:0, but after that the Latvians lost to the Germans - 1:8, and then to the Swedes - 2:7. The day before, they beat the Slovaks in a shootout 3:2, but that was only good enough for fifth place in Group B.

Team USA is one of the main favourites for the 2024 World Cup. Finally, the Stars and Stripes have invited experienced and skilful hockey players from the NHL instead of calling up numerous students to play for the national team. Nevertheless, it is impossible to call the Americans' results flawless at the group stage of the tournament. They have already suffered two defeats against the Swedes and Slovaks - 2:5 and 4:5, respectively. But in the four remaining battles, they not just won, but crushed their opponents. In the game with the Germans they won 6:1, with the French - 5:0, with the Poles - 4:1, and the day before they crushed the Kazakhs - 10:1. In the Group B standings, the team are in second place.

The Latvian and US teams at the 2024 World Cup are opponents of incomparable skill level. Yes, a year earlier the Latvians won bronze medals at the World Championship by beating the Americans in the consolation final, but at that time the Stars and Stripes brought a very modest roster, but now they have all the star players from the NHL. What's more, John Hines' wards are actively improving as the tournament progresses, and they won their last three games by a combined score of 19:2. Impressive! And now they will clearly try to get revenge for last year's failure.