DAY 3: Program Starts with Asian Battle, Fans to See Two Nordic Derbies – 03.12.2018

Unlike on the first two days, there won’t be three games played in each arena today. O2 Arena will host four matches, whereas Arena Sparta at Podvinný mlýn only two. The third match day starts at the O2 Arena at with the game between Singapore and Japan. Most probably, the highlights of the day will be the matches between Nordic countries. In the afternoon Finland will take on Denmark and the Monday program will be closed by the clash between Sweden and Norway.

Singapore will play against Japan to retain the second position in group D, whereas Japan will try to recover from the thrashing by Slovakia. Both teams faced each other four times at the world championships, with Japan winning three of the encounters, including their last meeting at the WFC 2012, where Japan won the 15th place match 5-3.

The Latvians will take on Germany and if they win, they can think of ending on the second position in group A. This would guarantee them direct qualification into the quarterfinals. This is, however, conditioned by the Czech loss against Switzerland. Germany, on the other hand, will try to fight hard and win back the lost self-confidence following their crushing loss 1-13 against Switzerland. The Latvians will rely on the skills of their legend and all-time scoring leader Atis Blindse, who posted three assists during the last head-to-head encounter at the WFC 2014 and also recorded one assist in yesterday’s win against the Czech Republic.

The opening Monday’s match at Arena Sparta will feature Poland and Australia. Poland has already played two games, posting one win and one loss. The Australians, whose squad includes the Czech Gartner twins, played only one game in Prague so far against Estonia. And they didn’t succeed, losing 5-11. Australia relies on the skills of the two aforementioned Czech brothers and Daniel Gartner even leads his team’s scoring stats with four points (3+1). If the Poles succeed, they will most probably advance to the elimination stage. On the contrary, for the Australians a loss would mean the end of play-off hopes.

The first of the two Nordic battles will be played by Finland and Denmark. Their clash at the O2 Arena starts at 16:45. Both teams began their campaign in Prague with a loss – Denmark was outplayed by Norway 3-9, while Finland was overcome 4-5 by Sweden in a tight match. The Finns, whose roster includes some of the world’s best players, are clear favorites here. And the head-to-head record also speaks in their favor. Finland and Denmark met six times at the world championships and the Finns won all six matches with overall score 49-6.

The second match at Podvinný mlýn will feature Estonia and Thailand. Following their two victories, Estonia leads the group C and with a win against Thailand they would secure their first place as well as advancement to the play-offs. On the other hand, the Thais will fight for their first success at the tournament, which is going to be a very tough task against Estonia. The Estonian side has three scoring leaders with four points – Proos (2+2), Rydell (2+2), and Pähn (2+2). Thailand doesn’t have a single player with more than one point at the moment, but still the Estonians should be alert. Especially against the duo Rinefalk – Thaidit, who were among the top five scoring leaders at the World Championship in 2016.

The final match of the day will be the second Scandinavian derby – Sweden vs. Norway. The eight-time world champions and the defending silver medalists from the previous championship entered the tournament with a precious win against their biggest rivals – Finland. And the Norwegians succeeded in their opening match too, outclassing Denmark 9-3. Of course the Swedes are huge favorites as their squad includes the likes of Enström, Galante Carlström, or Nilsson. But Norway isn’t without a chance. Against Denmark, Olesen shone with five points (2+3) and Lindgjerdet with four points (3+1). Sweden and Norway met in the group stage at the previous World Championship in Riga too, with Sweden winning 8-2.


World Floorball Championship – 3rd December:

Singapore – Japan 10:00, O2 Arena

Latvia – Germany 12:45, O2 Arena

Australia – Poland 15:30, Arena Sparta

Finland – Denmark 16:45, O2 Arena

Estonia – Thailand 18:30, Arena Sparta

Sweden – Norway 19:30, O2 Arena