Czech Republic U20 vs Latvia U20: prediction & betting odds December 31, 2025

The meeting of matchday 6 of the 2026 World Junior Championship between the Czech Republic and Latvia will take place on 31 December at 3M Arena Mariucci in Minneapolis. Czech Republic vs Latvia: prediction, betting odds and statistics.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic beat Finland 2:1 in overtime in their previous World Junior Championship match. This was the side's second consecutive win at the current tournament, with only one defeat so far. After three games the squad has accumulated just 22 penalty minutes, making them one of the most disciplined in their group of five. In the Group B table the team sits third with five points.

The Czech Republic have added forward Radim Mrtka to the roster; he was originally absent due to injury.

• Conceded at least two goals in regulation time in 8 of their last 9 World Junior Championship games.
• The team did not win by at least a two-goal margin after 60 minutes in 7 of their last 8 matches at this tournament.
• They did not score more than one goal in the first period in 5 of their last 7 World Junior Championship games.

Latvia

Latvia beat Denmark 6:3 in their previous World Junior Championship match, recording their first victory of the tournament. Three players registered three points each for the side. In Group B the squad has the lowest scoring output, with seven goals, while, after Denmark, it has conceded the most with 13 goals. Among their group of five they sit fourth with four points.

• No more than six goals were scored in regulation time in 5 of the side's last 7 World Junior Championship matches.
• The squad did not concede more than three goals after 60 minutes in 5 of their previous 6 matches at this tournament.
• Latvia did not score more than two goals in regulation time in 7 of their last 9 World Junior Championship games.

Czech Republic Vs Latvia: Match Prediction

The Czech Republic will be at least fresher than Latvia in the upcoming match, given that they play after a rest, unlike their opponent, which had to resolve tournament matters the day before. At the same time the Czech Republic clearly have an incentive to win and move up, aiming for an easier opponent in the quarter-finals, so they should not underestimate the opposition.

At the current World Junior Championship the Czech Republic have won 2 of 3 matches (1 in OT). Latvia have beaten only Denmark, but the squad did cause problems for Canada. Nevertheless, we believe the Czech Republic will be ready for the opponent's potential surprises, so they should not follow Canada's path.

We note that in 2 of the last 3 head-to-head meetings at the World Junior Championship the Czech Republic managed to win by at least a two-goal margin. Given their motivation, we do not expect them to win by a smaller margin.

Prediction: Czech Republic (-2)