Published Feb 16, 5:32am ET by
Alex Dudley - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Feb 16, 5:32am ET
Credit: Shutterstock
Winter Olympics hosts Italy will be in playoff action on Feb 17 when they take on Switzerland for the right to face Finland in the quarterfinals.
Italy have struggled against some of the world’s best hockey teams, falling to three straight losses in Group B.
Meanwhile, the Swiss showcased their quality in Group A, winning two of their three overall to finish as the runners-up in the group standings behind Canada.
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|
|---|---|
| Switzerland | -1650 |
| Italy | +925 |
Patrick Fischer’s Switzerland are ranked as the third-best nation in the world, but they are yet to win an Olympic medal of any color since 1948.
However, there are signs that they could better their eighth-place finish from Beijing in 2022. The Swiss finished Group A in second, beating France 4-0 in their opening game, before overcoming Czechia in overtime on Sunday.
Their only defeat was a humbling 5-1 loss against Canada on Friday. That defeat signals that a gold medal is unlikely, but they could have a leading chance to win a bronze if overcoming Italy.
This year’s Winter Olympics hockey always looked like it was going to be a struggle for Italy.
The nation has never won an Olympic medal in the sport, and they finished in eleventh place in their previous appearance in the event back in 2006. The Italians suffered three straight losses in Group B, conceding a total of 19 goals and scoring just three times.
A sign of their weakness was reflected on the final matchday, struggling to an 11-0 loss against a talented Finnish team.
| TOTAL | Switzerland | Italy | DRAWS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WINS | 1 | 1 | 0 | - |
| GOALS | 7 | 5 | 2 |
I still believe Switzerland has the quality to win the bronze medal at the Winter Olympics this year. Therefore, they should have the offensive players to power to a routine win against the Italians on Tuesday.
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Pick
Switzerland
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