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There's really no justification for these odds at the Polish team except for the fact they host this tournament. They have players from the home league and cannot be such heavy favorites against Japan, even though I think this is a 50-50 game, only because the Poles are hosting it. Poland lost to Great Britain twice in the preparation games. GB played a lower division and I really don't have much respect for that team. Japan are compact, faster, hard-working and even though Japan might sound exotic if you don't follow hockey normally, you couldn't be more wrong. They played a close game with Hungary the other day while Poland displayed less against Italy, who controlled the match and 10 shots more. Poland just got back into this division in which Japan are a household name and have far more experience. That is why the odds are not reasonable. Poland will need to play Ukraine to avoid a knock-out. Japan are more likely to win or play a close game than Poland being dominant.