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SKA vs. Vityaz: KHL Match Prediction
On January 5, SKA will hold another match at its home arena, where it has not lost for three matches in a row. This time, the St. Petersburg team will face Vityaz, which is not in the best shape at the moment. Our experts have prepared a forecast in which they will help you decide on the best bets, and will also tell you about the clubs' recent performances
Command Analysis
SKA St. Petersburg
Russian FederationCurrent form
SKA has been showing impressive form lately and is confidently gaining points. In the last five matches, the team has won four times, suffering only one defeat to CSKA with a score of 5:6. Despite the fact that the army men from St. Petersburg created more dangerous moments, they lost due to mistakes in defense. The play of defenders Zavragin and Moyasevic was especially unsuccessful, they missed 79% of shots. Before this match, SKA met with Admiral and was close to defeat, but snatched a victory in overtime with a score of 3:2. This time, the team defense played much better, allowing the opponents to make only 23 shots on target.
After the defeat by CSKA, the team went to Sochi, where they faced a clear underdog. Despite the fact that SKA defense was again unable to show a stable game, the team attack compensated for this shortcoming. Forward Plotnikov showed himself especially well, making three assists. As a result, the St. Petersburg team won with a score of 5:4, rehabilitating themselves before the fans for the failure. Returning to the home arena, the team once again fought with CSKA and this time still achieved their goal, defeating the Muscovites with a difference of three goals (6:3). True, it is worth noting that Rotenberg charges almost allowed the opponent to make an incredible comeback, but a timeout and a tough talk with the head coach helped the players come to their senses.
In general, SKA has been pleasing fans with success for a long period of time, and all due to the excellent play in attack. Yes, the club defense suffers greatly, which periodically leads to defeats, but often high efficiency compensates for all shortcomings. Thanks to this, the team is in fourth place in the Western Conference table, having 52 points.
Disqualifications and injuries
SKA has a new addition to its infirmary. One of the club best forwards, Kuznetsov, has been injured. Zemchenok is also injured.
Interesting trends for betting
- On average, SKA scores 3.7 goals per match
The team from St. Petersburg has been demonstrating excellent attack throughout the regular championship.
- The Army Men average 34 shots per game
High performance is primarily associated with active play in attack.
Vityaz
Russian FederationCurrent form
It might have seemed that Vityaz had finally come to its senses, as it began to earn points consistently, but the rise did not last long. The team snatched a hard-fought victory from Torpedo in a shootout (6:5), and then completely shut out Moscow Dynamo (2:0), which was a big surprise for all hockey fans. However, the “heroes” certainly did not deserve even one point, as they made 15 shots on goal, while the Muscovites had 43. The main hero was goalkeeper Dorozhko, thanks to whom the first “dry” victory in the entire history of face-to-face confrontations happened.
But the team, of course, did not have enough strength to continue playing in the same spirit. The Podolsk team hosted the current leader of the Western Conference, Lokomotiv, at home and allowed them to fully demonstrate their attacking potential, which led to a 3:5 defeat. This time, Doroshko was far from being as reliable. The match with Spartak followed almost the same scenario, in which they also had to suffer from constant lapses in defense and fail (2:4). After that, the club went to visit Kunlun, where they were finally able to give a worthy rebuff, but still lost in overtime (2:3). What is especially offensive is that Red Star tied the score just a few minutes before the final whistle.
Indeed, everything is heading towards the fact that the next season for Vityaz will be a failure. At the moment, the club is only on the penultimate line in the Western Conference table, having 37 points. However, it is worth noting that the gap from the playoff zone is not that big and is only five points.
Disqualifications and injuries
In the infirmary of "Vityaz" everything is still unchanged. Kalinin and Vashchenko will definitely not be able to take part in the upcoming match.
Interesting trends for betting
- On average, Vityaz scores 2.55 goals per match
Vityaz attacking line is not particularly productive and is often unable to compensate for lapses in defense.
- Podolsk players average 26 shots per match
It also worth noting that the club rarely takes a lot of shots.
Trends
Bet First Goal: SKA
In four out of six head-to-head matches, SKA opened the scoring
1.45Goal in each period bet - no
In four out of five head-to-head matches, the teams failed to score a goal in each period.
1.45Tip and bets
SKA is the clear favorite in the upcoming match, for which there are many reasons. Firstly, the St. Petersburg team is much stronger in all respects, which they have been proving for more than one season. Secondly, the “army men” are currently in excellent shape, and in addition to this, they will play at home, where, with the support of the fans, they have even more chances for success. It is also worth paying attention to the current form of Vityaz, which is not doing well and is inferior even to the outsiders of the league. One cannot help but note the face-to-face meetings, in which Rotenberg’s charges usually leave no chance for the Podolsk team, which they are quite capable of doing again.
Our prediction is SKA victory with a handicap of (-1.5) pucks for 1.70
Bet on total
The upcoming match promises to be quite productive. SKA, as always, will go on the attack, creating a huge number of dangerous moments in the opponent zone. However, we must not forget that the defense of the St. Petersburg team leaves much to be desired, which also applies to Vityaz. So, as a second bet, we choose total over.
Forecast - total over 5.5 goals for 1.81
Bet on the outcome of the first period
SKA will put serious pressure on Vityaz from the very beginning of the match, which the Podolsk team may not be ready for. The Petersburgers, thanks to the home advantage and the support of the fans, should earn an advantage already in the starting segment.
Prediction - SKA win in the first period for 1.87
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