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SKA — Ak Bars: KHL match forecast
On February 4, we will have a curious match in the KHL championship, in which SKA will take on Ak Bars. Bookmakers consider the Army team to be the favorite of this confrontation, although the Kazan team also looked very good in previous matches and are now on a long winning streak. In addition, the last meeting between the clubs ended in favor of the "bars" outside of regular time. What is the best bet to make this time? Look for the answer in our forecast
Command Analysis
SKA St. Petersburg
Russian FederationCurrent form
SKA occupies the sixth position of the Western Conference and has 65 points in its asset. Thanks to only one victory, the team can already climb back to second place in the standings, so, overall, things are going well for it. Moreover, she has shown excellent results lately and is now on a four-win streak, so she is absolutely confident in her abilities.
The Army team had previously dealt with Salavat Yulaev (3:2) at home, proved their superiority over Vityaz (4:1), and beat Spartak (4:3 B) on the road in a stubborn struggle and dealt with Dynamo Moscow with a score of 4:3 in overtime.. It is noteworthy that Roman Rotenberg's team had a minimal one-goal advantage in the last match until the end of the third period, but allowed the opponent to recoup. Fortunately, the St. Petersburg team did not lose their concentration in extra time and took great advantage of their scoring opportunity.
Let's emphasize that SKA is having a strong second twenty-minute game, in which it has a 66:47 ratio in pucks scored and missed. By the way, St. Petersburg players play a little stronger on their own ice than on the road, and they had already managed to score 13 wins in regular time. Ivan Demidov remains the main scorer in the squad, who managed to earn 41 points in the goal+pass system. The striker continues to score points in almost every game and shows a very confident attacking game. The Army team, however, at the same time face great difficulties in defense, and the goalie line cannot be called very strong this season.
Disqualifications and injuries
Gritsyuk, Kuznetsov and Tolchinsky will not be able to play in the upcoming match due to injuries.
Interesting betting trends
- SKA receives an average of 7.59 minutes of penalty time per match.
Army men are usually eliminated about four times per game and do not have perfect discipline.
- According to statistics, the St. Petersburg team makes 35 shots on target.
At the moment, the club remains one of the most throwing in the league.
Ak Bars Kazan
Russian FederationCurrent form
Ak Bars is in the fourth position of the Eastern Conference and is still quite capable of claiming leadership in the standings. The team is separated from the first place by only six points, and at the same time it has four more matches in reserve, so it definitely does not intend to give up. Moreover, she's been playing very well lately, and she's been winning match after match. At the moment, Anvar Gatiyatulin's team is on a series of three victorias.
Kazan unexpectedly lost in the home arena to Siberia (0:1), then they defeated Victoria in the derby with Salavat Yulaev (4:3 OT). After this victory, they went on the road and first beat Lada (3:1), and then, not without problems, but still dealt with Kunlun with a score of 6:3. In the confrontation with Red Star, the Leopards played the second and third game segments as successfully as possible, which they left behind.
Ak Bars usually spends the third period most successfully and demonstrates high performance in it, having 61:43 on abandoned and missed goals. The club also continues to operate extremely reliably in the minority and has 84.9% majority neutralization, being one of the best in the league in this indicator. By the way, Barca play a little better offensively on the road than on their own ice, and usually open up the opponents' defenses at least three times. Of course, Kazan's defense is also not perfect, and sometimes they allow the opponent too much in their own zone, which is why they are not in a favorable position for themselves.
Disqualifications and injuries
Babenko, Miller and Safonov will not be able to help their team in the upcoming confrontation.
Interesting betting trends
- According to statistics, Ak Bars gets 7.18 minutes of penalty time per match.
Kazan players are usually eliminated about four times per game.
- Ak Bars has 21.8% of the majority sales at the moment.
The team, on the whole, performs well in the majority and uses on average every fifth attempt.
Trends
Bet 1st period: total less than 1.5 pucks
In four out of five matches involving Kazan, the first period was inconclusive.
1.90The bet of the 2nd period: the victory of the guests
In three out of five matches against SKA, the guests achieved victory in the second leg.
3.20Tip and bets
We think Ak Bars can claim two points in this matchup. Kazan players play more systematic hockey than the army men, who rely solely on a powerful offensive line and skilled forwards. It is due to good discipline and a clear game plan that the "bars" can defeat their opponent even on the road. In addition, many previous meetings between the teams were in favor of the guests. As part of the current guest series, Gatiyatulin's squad goes without defeats, therefore it is unlikely to concede within the regular time this time.
Forecast - Ak Bars will not lose in 1.85
Betting on an individual total
Ak Bars has been very effective in previous meetings and has exposed the defenses of many opponents at least three times. Kazan demonstrate a decent attacking game when they play away, and throughout the season they use their moments well. SKA, as we noted above, has problems playing defense, and goalkeepers often make blunders. In the last three matches out of five, the hosts conceded at least three times, so it makes sense to take the individual total of the Kazan team.
We take the individual total of Ak Bars more than 2.5 goals for 1.90
Bet on the total total
SKA almost always relies on open hockey and is used to operating on opposite courses. Previous matches involving the St. Petersburg team turned out to be quite productive and ended with more than five goals scored. Ak Bars played their last matches against the Army team brightly, so they often played with six or more goals. It is likely that this time the clubs will also prefer to play in a similar style.
We bet on a total of more than 5.5 pucks for 1.82
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