THE closest group at the football tournament for the 2024 Olympics will reach its conclusion on Tuesday afternoon when Ukraine take on Argentina in Lyon.
All four teams are level on three points going into the final round of fixtures, so it is a case of win or bust for both Ukraine and Argentina on Tuesday, in addition to Morocco and Iraq who face off in the group's other match.
Both sides won their last match which sets us up for a cracker in Lyon. Here is our Ukraine vs Argentina prediction.
How the bookies view it: Argentina are expected to win
After their dramatic and controversial loss to Morocco on matchday one, Argentina bounced back well against Iraq at the end of last week. Their performance and victory has given the bookies confidence that they will do what's required of them against Ukraine. An Argentina win is priced at 4/7 with Betfred while a Ukraine win has been priced at 4/1. The draw can be had at 11/4.
Recent head-to-head: A first-ever meeting
This is the first time that Argentina and Ukraine have ever met on a football pitch, which shouldn't come as too much of a shock given they are part of different governing bodies. They were due to play a friendly match in 2010 but it was postponed and never re-organised.
The Olympic/u23 sides have never met before, either. This is the first time that Ukraine have participated in football at the Olympics whereas Argentina are two-time champions.
Players to watch: Can Alvarez break his tournament duck?
Julian Alvarez is yet to find his best form at the Olympics, which can perhaps be explained away by the fact the 24-year-old has come into the tournament on the back of 50+ appearances for Man City during the 2023/24 season and four starts in the Copa America.
The forward is certainly suffering from an element of burnout but he did perform better against Iraq than he did against Morocco, registering the assist for Thiago Almada's opener. If there was ever a match for him to break his Olympic duck then this is it with Argentina facing an early exit if they lose.
Igor Krasnopir is one to keep an eye on for Ukraine. The 21-year-old came off the bench against Morcco and scored the winner in the 98th minute to keep Ukraine's Olympic dreams alive. That goal should have been enough to earn him a start on Tuesday.
Predicted line-ups
Argentina could be without Lucas Beltran for this one after the forward was forced of at the end of the first half against Morocco. Ukraine, meanwhile, will be without Volodymyr Salyuk after the midfielder was sent off against Iraq.
Ukraine: Fesyn – Martynuk, Batagov, Talovierov, Krupskyi – Khlan, Rubchynkyi, Kryskiv, Mkkhaylenko, Bragaru – Krasnopir
Argentina: Rulli – Garcia, Di Cesare, Otamendi, Barreto – Medina, Hezze, Fernandez, Almada – Alvarez, Gondou
Anything else catch the eye?
All four matches involving Ukraine and Argentina at the Olympics so far have seen a minimum of three goals scored which suggests we could be in for a high-scoring affair on Tuesday afternoon. Over 2.5 goals is priced at 8/11 with Betfred.
This Olympics match between Ukraine and Argentina will be played on Jul 30, 2024 and kick off at 16:00. Check below for our tipsters best Ukraine vs Argentina prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
