THE opening match of Men’s Olympic Football will take place in Saint-Étienne on Wednesday, 24 July when Argentina go toe to toe with Morocco.
The two teams have been drawn in Group B alongside Iraq and Ukraine but both are expected to make it through to the knockout stages.
In fact, both teams are considered to have a decent chance of winning the Gold Medal with Argentina priced as pre-tournament third-favourites and Morocco fourth-favourites.
After winning the 2022 World Cup and the last two editions of the Copa America, Argentina will expect more glory but expectations should be tempered somewhat due to the age restrictions on Olympics squads. Despite that, four of their World Cup-winning squad are set to take part.
The bookmakers believe that Argentina will come out on top in this clash of the titans on Wednesday night. La Albiceleste may not have the likes of Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martinez in their squad, but they are still the 8/13 favourites with Betfred. Meanwhile, a Morocco victory has been priced at 4/1 and a draw has been priced at 13/5.
How the bookies view it: Argentina backed to win
One of the biggest names to be taking part in the football at the Olympic Games is Julian Alvarez. The Man City forward was not only part of the 2022 World Cup winning squad but also played a prominent role in Argentina’s recent Copa America triumph.
It’s a surprise that Man City have allowed Alvarez to take part in the Olympics given that it will mean him missing the start of the Premier League season but their loss is Argentina’s gain. Alvarez has scored nine goals for his country, including two at the recent Copa America.
Morocco’s biggest threat will come from full-back in the form of their Achraf Hakimi. The 25-year-old is regarded as one of the best attacking full-backs in world football and had a sensational World Cup in Qatar, helping Morocco to the semi-finals.
The majority of the Argentinian squad is made up of players who ply their trade at club level in South America so it will be fascinating to see some of this untapped talent. The more familiar names in the squad include Nicolas Otamendi and Geronimo Rulli.
Morocco have taken a strong squad to the Olympics, taking full advantage of the four over-age picks. Bologna’s Oussama El Azzouzi is a doubt for the opener after missing training this week.
Argentina: Rulli – Lujan, Di Cesare, Otamendi, Amione – Almada, Medina, Hezze – Zenon, Alvarez, Simeone
Morocco: Mohamedi – Hakimi, Boukamir, El Wafi, Nakach – Targhalline, Bouchouari, Richardson – Akhomach, Rahimi, Ezzalzouli
It’s difficult to make too many history-based predictions for this one given the uniqueness of both squads. The Argentinian national team are on an incredible winning streak. though, and they have won six of their last nine by a margin of two or more goals. Argentina to win with a -1 handicap is priced at 15/8 with Betfred.
This Olympics match between Argentina and Morocco will be played on
Jul 24, 2024 and kick off at 14:00. Check below for our tipsters best Argentina vs Morocco prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.