France Ol. vs USA Ol. prediction: WORLD: Olympic Games betting tips on match 2024-07-23 19:00.
[p]Host nation France are bound to be full of confidence heading into the Olympic games having secured morale boosting friendly victories over Paraguay and Dominican Republic by an aggregate score of 11-1 recently. That extended their run leading to this summer’s showpiece event to no defeat in five matches (W3, D2), a solid foundation for iconic coach Thierry Henry to build on.[/p]
[p]He’ll be looking to rebuild his stock on the sidelines after difficult spells at Monaco and Montreal, yet his ambitions weren’t helped by the fact many of his proposed selections, including Real Madrid star Kylian MbappĂ©, were blocked from participating by their clubs. However, he will still be able to rely on a host of star players, including new Bayern Munich recruit Michael Olise and former Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette, who is one of three overage players who’ll represent France – along with Sevilla’s LoĂŻc BadĂ© and RB Leipzig’s Castello Lukeba. [/p]
[p]While France will be looking to replicate their Gold medal success of 1984, the Olympic powerhouse of the USA will be chasing a first-ever football medal at the modern games. Having not qualified since 2008, expectations aren’t likely to be high for Marko Mitrović’s men, with the head coach having been appointed in September 2023 after spending a year-and-a-half at the helm of the Under-19s.[/p]
[p]He’ll be hoping the inclusion of veteran Walker Zimmerman could be key in helping steer his young guns through this tricky opening contest. The centre-back has earned 42 senior international caps and was part of the Stars and Stripes squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, appearing in all four matches as they reached the knockout stages. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Lacazette last represented France at a major tournament in the Under-20 World Cup, finishing the tournament as joint top scorer (G5). Duncan McGuire scored in USA’s last pre-Olympic warm-up game, with the Orlando City man saying he “wanted to jump up and down like a little kid” when he got the phone call to say he’d made the squad. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: France are bidding to become the first European nation since Spain in 1992 to win Football Gold – Spain were also the host nation that year. [/p]