Italy will start with Germany. © FISG
For the badly devastated Blue Team, the Ice Hockey World Championship in Latvia will begin with a game against Germany on Friday. The roles are clearly assigned.
20. May 2021
The Germans go to the World Cup with great ambition. At least the quarter-finals must be held, even the World Cup gold does not exclude the players. “We all have very big goals for ourselves,” top defender Moritz Cedar said. Role models are Fins, who surprisingly became world champion in Slovakia in 2019. For the Germans, the quarter-final against the Czech Republic ended two years earlier. A year ago PyeongChang had a sensational Olympic silver.
Germany’s top star Leon Driesetel will not be in the World Cup to be held in Riga. He is busy with the NHL playoffs, as does his Edmonton teammate Dominique Kahun and world-class goalkeeper Philip Grubauer. NHL exceptional talent Tim Stutzle is also unavailable. Although some veteran DEL players have also canceled and are making ten World Cup debuts, Finnish coach Tony Soderholm is confident about mixing in his team. A key player is Moritz Cedar, who is considered the future NHL’s top defender. Two-time Stanley Cup winners Tom Kuhnhackel and Tobias Ridder, who are the only NHL regulars on the team, are also needed.
Italy as an outspoken outsider
Azzurri goes into the match against a neighbor as a clear underdog – also because some key players will not. Giorgio de Bettin, who represented national coach Greg Ireland at the start of the World Cup, did not want to grieve at the final press conference: “A World Cup is always a challenge for Italy. Of course, it looks even bigger this year. But I believe that despite all the difficulties, the players are ready. “
As is well known, there is no charge in this World Cup as the B-World Cup has been canceled and no nation has been promoted. Therefore, the young Italian team can also gain valuable experience from the point of view of the domestic Olympics in 2026.
“Germany have an interesting team – even if some of the top players are not.”
Giorgio de Bettin
Commenting on the upcoming rival, De Bettin said: “Germany have an interesting team – even if some of the top players are not among them. They are quite aggressive and I hope they put a lot of pressure on them. Their strength and physique The pace is there. ”The Cortina legend has yet to announce who will defend the Italian goal against Germany.
“We want to look good as a team.”
Daniel frank
Among other things, Daniel Frank was asked about his new role as captain in PK: “It is definitely a huge honor for me and something special. I got a chance to play with great captains like Alexander Egger or Anton Bernard and I tried to learn a lot. I want to move forward for younger players – especially with my mindset. We want to look good as a team. “
Blue team wants to look forward
Regarding a cold start for Azurri in the World Cup, Merano said: “Of course we missed two Test matches against Austria and Switzerland. Even though the last few weeks have not been mentally easy, we still have to get into the game against the Germans with a positive attitude. ”
Incidentally, this is the 19th World Cup game between Italy and Germany. There have been 5 wins, 3 draws and 10 defeats for Azurri so far. The last breakthrough was in 2001, when the Blue team won 3–1 in Hanover. The last meeting was in the 2017 World Cup. At that time, Germany won 4–1 under the leadership of Superstar Drisatal. On Friday, the game will begin at 3:15 pm. sports news Keeps you up to date with the live ticker.
Ice Hockey World Championship in Latvia: Friday’s game
Germany – Italy (3:15 pm)
Russia – Czech Republic
Canada-Latvia (7.15 pm)
Belarus – Slovakia (7.15 pm)
Author: Mr.
