Let’s do something different this time from what we are all used to and discuss about a sport that’s not as popular as it should be. Let’s go to the lovely Czech Republic and discuss about a most promising confrontation. In Trinec, at the Werk Arena, at 15:00 GMT on Sep 01, the local team Ocelari Trinec begins the new champions ice hockey league, against the visitors of SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers.
A few words on CIHL
The Champions ice-hockey league is something similar to the Euroleague basketball. 32 teams from 13 European leagues fight it out for the European Trophy and the prize money that comes with it. The difference is that no team’s position is guaranteed and those at the bottom of the table will not participate in the next season’s session. They will be replaced by others from the same country that did better on the local leagues.
The teams are separated in 8 groups where they play a robin round. The top two clubs from each group advance to the elimination phase and so on, until the final game determines the champions for the running season. Interestingly, there is no match for the 3rd and 4th place. The defeated teams of the semifinals share the distinction.
The defending champions for the 2023/2024 season, are Tappara from Finland, while the most successful club of the competition is the Swedish Frölunda HC, having claimed the title 4 times. In general, all titles have been shared by Finland and Sweden as JYP from Suomi and Luleå HF and Rögle BK, are the only other teams that have reached the top at the eight previous sessions. The same stands true for the runners up, with the exceptions of HC Sparta Praha who made 2nd in 2016/17, and EHC Red Bull Munich, who did so in 2018/19.
The opponents
Let’s follow the savoir vivre rules and begin with the visitors. Rapperswil come from Switzerland. Their record from last season was 3 wins 3 defeats, while, the friendly matches they played preparing for this one, speak of 1 victory and 2 losses. 6 points scored, 9 conceded.
A little worse was the record for 22/23 for the home side. 2 wins and 4 losses. During the preparation for this season, they have played one more friendly that the visitors, getting a balance of 2 and 2, with 6 points scored and another 6 conceded.
Stats for both will change as they both have a match to play. Trinec go against HC Kometa Brno on Aug 24, while the Swiss meet with Augsburg Panther on Aug 25. However, not a lot can change on both sides’ playstyle in the ten days left until the confrontation.
History & Odds
On this one there is none. It will be the first time that the two sides face each other. The sum of their performances, is probably what prompted the bookmakers to offer almost identical odds for the two sides. And this is what makes a bet on this one an interesting choice:
In fact, at this time there are no other offers for a score, a handicap, an over/under, or even a scorer. We have two rather unknown teams facing each other at the beginning of a season, with new players in their rosters and key players gone. So, anyone’s guess is as good as anyone’s. You may want to flip a coin on a heads or tails for this one. And this is what makes this match so interesting, from a bettor’s point of view.
What to expect
The only thing that we can say for sure is that it will be a closely contested encounter. Both sides seem to be equally capable in both offense and defense with the visitors at a slight disadvantage, having conceded more during the preparatory phase. Assumingly, they might have learned their lesson and do a bit better on that regard.
Perhaps, another aspect to look for inspiration is the fact that the locals have more experience in the tournament, having been there for a lot longer than the visitors who only participated in the last 2 seasons. However, neither side have ever made it through the initial 6-match stage to the next phase. Taking under consideration the fact that the visitors’ record was slightly better than that of the home side, the chances get equally balanced.
And this is what makes this match a good opportunity. The odds are good for profit on either side of the coin, neither side has a decisive advantage over the other, and it is quite possible, when we bring you the update a week from today, that the bookmakers may have an issue offering odds for markets like handicaps or over/under.
Update
Since the last time we talked about this event, the visitors played their match with Augsburg Panther and the hosts did the same against Kometa Brno. Papperswil won rather easily 5-0, while Ocelari lost 3-2 in extra time. The performances of both sides have led to a slight change in the odds that are now available. You can find @1.89 for a win from the home team, @1.91 for a win for the Swiss. A double chance (draw in regulation 3 periods) goes for @1.49 for Trinec and @1.53 for the Lakers.
A quite logical bet would be an over 5 at @1.82. Let’s examine why. The totals of the last 5 matches for the hosts were 5, 7, 4, 4 and 3. The equivalent totals for the visitors (with one less match played): 5, 7, 5, 3. They indicate that the more matches these 2 play the more it goes to 5 and over. However, for our taste it’s too tight so we wouldn’t recommend it.
For those that would look for period betting, we have Trinec conceding 1 in every first period they played while Rapperswil scored at least 1 or more. So, the offer of @2.9 for the visitors going ahead in the 1st period is a quite safe bet. The offers of handicaps do not make sense for us, as for some reasonable return of our investment we would need to go to no handicap at @1.89 or -1 (either side) at @2.95.
Finally, we do not see that any side can have a decisive advantage on any aspect of the match to make such a recommendation. Therefore, we will base our suggestion on the results of the latest matches the two sides played, and that would be a simple 1X2 bet on a victory for Rapperswil-Jona Lakers at @1.91. So, go open an account at the best betting tool, place a bet, and just sit back and wait for the profits to come. That’s all for this one folks!