Will the DEB team secure its first win?
Just a false start, or a total disaster? In our Germany vs. Latvia prediction for the 2026 Ice Hockey World Championship in Switzerland, the German team’s second game is already a do-or-die situation—or, more precisely, a battle for a spot in the quarterfinals.
After all, the next two opponents, Switzerland and the USA, won’t be any easier—quite the opposite. That’s why the DEB team should build on the positive aspects of their 1-3 opening loss to the Finns, namely their defense—led by a once again outstanding Moritz Seider.
Against the strong Scandinavians, they kept the game close until five minutes before the end, and only their lack of power-play efficiency (0 for 5) prevented an upset. This defense must now hold up against the Latvians as well, as they should by no means be underestimated.
At the Olympic Games three months ago, the DEB team lost 3-4 to Latvia despite having Draisaitl, Stützle, and Peterka on the roster. That’s why our prediction for Sunday’s Germany vs. Latvia match is another hard-fought and close game that could very well go into overtime.
A close game also means there might not be many high-quality scoring chances. That points to a low-scoring match where the 5.5-goal mark won’t be surpassed. So, for Germany vs. Latvia, the odds on Under 5.5 or, alternatively, Under 3.5 goals by the German team are definitely worth betting on.
Germany – Latvia Head-to-Head Record
While Germany won three of the last five head-to-head matches, the most recent one took place just three months ago at the Olympics, and the Latvians emerged victorious with a 4-3 score. That alone shows that the Latvians have been significantly better and more balanced in recent years than in earlier matchups.
The fact that Team Germany is also missing its three best forwards—Leon Draisaitl, J. J. Peterka, and Tim Stützle—doesn’t exactly help their offensive game either—which became clear against the Finns. So we don’t expect the DEB team to score more than three goals against the Latvians either.
Can that be enough for a narrow win? Yes, it can, if their defense is as solid as it was against the Finns. However, we don’t see them leading by more than one goal here, which makes the betting odds of Latvia +1.5 absolutely viable for Germany vs. Latvia.
Germany – Latvia Tip
Three of the last five matchups ended with a one-goal victory for one of the teams, and we expect the same for Sunday. If we go back a bit further, it was actually seven of the last eleven matchups.
Since we also view their current form as absolutely on par (after all, Latvia beat Slovakia in the preseason), we consider a bet on Latvia +1.5 to be our recommended pick for Germany vs. Latvia.
As an alternative, we’ve already considered the under bets, and we can specifically recommend the under 1.5 for the first period. In the DEB team’s last six games, an average of just one goal was scored in that period. So for Germany vs. Latvia, our prediction is also for a slow start to the game.
