Russia vs Switzerland. How will the opening match of the Olympics turn out for Russian hockey players?
The men's hockey tournament of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games starts with a match between the national teams of Russia and Switzerland. The meeting will be held on the ice of the National Sports Palace in Beijing on February 9.
The Russian squad is sent to Beijing under the leadership of Alexei Zhamnov, for whom the Olympic Games will be the first major tournament in the role of head coach of the national team. In favor of Zhamnov is the fact that four years ago, at the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, it was Zhamnov who was the second coach of the national team, which eventually took the gold of the Olympics. The refusal of the NHL leadership to let its players go to the Olympics has made significant adjustments to the formation of the national team, but here all the teams are in the same conditions, the lion's share of hockey players in the Olympic tournament spends the current season in Europe. The base club for the Russian national team was the capital CSKA, which delegated seven representatives to the national team at once. SKA, Metallurg, Lokomotiv, Avangard are represented in the national team by three hockey players, Dynamo and Ak Bars by two.
This season, the Russian national team participated in two stages of the Euro Hockey Tour, playing a total of seven matches. In Finland, at the Karjalla Cup, the Russian team, playing in the experimental team, took only third place, having won one victory in three matches played. The Russian team played much better at the home Channel One Cup, scoring three victories and losing only to the Finnish team in overtime. In many ways, the composition of that team became the prototype of the Olympic team, with the exception of a few hockey players.
Switzerland
Swiss hockey is on the rise, which is eloquently evidenced by the results of the performance of the national team on the international arena in recent years. In 2013 and 2018, the Swiss team reached the finals of the World Cup, losing in both cases to the Swedish team 1-5 and 2-3, respectively. At last year's world championship, the Swiss reached the quarterfinals, losing at this stage of the tournament in a series of post-match shootouts to the German team.
In Beijing, the Swiss national team is sent in a line-up, entirely formed from players playing in the local championship. At the same time, the Swiss have a number of hockey players with extensive experience in the NHL. Reto Berra, Yannick Weber, Rafael Diaz, Sven Andrighetto, Christophe Berchi have spent more than one season in the strongest Hockey League in the world, so the Swiss team should not be underestimated. The problem may be the average age of the team, the Swiss are taking to Beijing a fairly old team, which, given the busy calendar, is rather a minus.
Our Expert Predictions & Analysis on Russia vs Switzerland
RussiaThe Russian squad is sent to Beijing under the leadership of Alexei Zhamnov, for whom the Olympic Games will be the first major tournament in the role of head coach of the national team. In favor of Zhamnov is the fact that four years ago, at the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, it was Zhamnov who was the second coach of the national team, which eventually took the gold of the Olympics. The refusal of the NHL leadership to let its players go to the Olympics has made significant adjustments to the formation of the national team, but here all the teams are in the same conditions, the lion's share of hockey players in the Olympic tournament spends the current season in Europe. The base club for the Russian national team was the capital CSKA, which delegated seven representatives to the national team at once. SKA, Metallurg, Lokomotiv, Avangard are represented in the national team by three hockey players, Dynamo and Ak Bars by two.
This season, the Russian national team participated in two stages of the Euro Hockey Tour, playing a total of seven matches. In Finland, at the Karjalla Cup, the Russian team, playing in the experimental team, took only third place, having won one victory in three matches played. The Russian team played much better at the home Channel One Cup, scoring three victories and losing only to the Finnish team in overtime. In many ways, the composition of that team became the prototype of the Olympic team, with the exception of a few hockey players.
Switzerland
Swiss hockey is on the rise, which is eloquently evidenced by the results of the performance of the national team on the international arena in recent years. In 2013 and 2018, the Swiss team reached the finals of the World Cup, losing in both cases to the Swedish team 1-5 and 2-3, respectively. At last year's world championship, the Swiss reached the quarterfinals, losing at this stage of the tournament in a series of post-match shootouts to the German team.
In Beijing, the Swiss national team is sent in a line-up, entirely formed from players playing in the local championship. At the same time, the Swiss have a number of hockey players with extensive experience in the NHL. Reto Berra, Yannick Weber, Rafael Diaz, Sven Andrighetto, Christophe Berchi have spent more than one season in the strongest Hockey League in the world, so the Swiss team should not be underestimated. The problem may be the average age of the team, the Swiss are taking to Beijing a fairly old team, which, given the busy calendar, is rather a minus.
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