FEW people had Egypt and Paraguay down as potential medallists for men's football at the Olympics but they head into this quarter-final in the knowledge one of them will have a crack at bronze at least.
The Egyptians kicked off Group C with a disappointing draw against the Dominican Republic but ended it strongly, edging out Uzbekistan then shocking Spain to finish top of the pile.
Paraguay had an even worse start as they crashed 5-0 to Japan in their Group D opener but an early red card played a big part in that collapse.
They bounced back by beating Israel 4-2 with two late goals then secured their place in the knockout stages by defeating Mali 1-0 in a tense decider.
With both sides plotting similar paths to the last eight, this could be a tight game in Marseille and nerves could play a factor too with a semi-final spot up for grabs.
How the bookies view it: Paraguay the marginal favourites
This is a tricky game to call and it's reflected in the odds, with Paraguay slight favourites at 11/8 with Betfred. Egypt are 7/4 shots and the draw will be popular with punters at 21/10.
Head to head: More history will be made
The Olympics have thrown up plenty of first-time clashes and this quarter-final is no different with these teams never having faced off before.
Players to watch: Fernandez on a roll
Marcelo Fernandez delivered after I picked him out as the man to watch for Paraguay against Mali. He's now on three goals for the tournament and could be worth a punt for anytime scorer once that market is priced up.
Ibrahim Adel was the Egyptian hero against Spain as he netted twice to seal a memorable win over a team who are second-favourites to go all the way in Paris. The winger could get some joy against Paraguay in this quarter-final too.
Probable line-ups
After that impressive win over Spain, I'd imagine Egypt will go with the same side that shocked Spain. Wilder Viera sat on the bench throughout for Paraguay against Mali despite being available again after his red card in the opener. That suggests he won't start this game either and Paraguay should also be along similar lines to their last outing.
Egypt: Alaa, Fayed, Eid, Abdelmaguid, El Debes, Shehata, Koka, Elneny, Faisal, Adel, Zizo.
Paraguay: R Fernandez, Nunez, De Jesus, Rivas, Balbuena, M Fernandez, Cantero, Enciso, M Gomez, D Gomez, Perez.
Anything else catch the eye?
Egypt have been solid in defence so far and only a last-gasp consolation for Spain stopped them from racking up a third successive clean sheet, ruining two of my bets in the process.
Paraguay's games have been more free-scoring but games in the knockout stages are often less open so it could pay to bet against a lot of goals here. Under 2.5 goals pays just 4/5 but the odds are better at evens if you bet against BTTS.
Although they don't have any scorer prices yet, Bet365 do have a market on cards. Egyptian skipper Mohamed Elneny looks worth a punt at 3/1 to go in the book while Paraguay stopper Leonardo Rivas is 7/2 in the same market.
This Olympics match between Egypt and Paraguay will be played on Aug 2, 2024 and kick off at 18:00. Check below for our tipsters best Egypt vs Paraguay prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
