THE two pre-tournament favourites will go head-to-head in the quarter-finals of men's Olympic football on Friday night when France take on Argentina in Bordeaux.
Hosts, France, are one of only two teams in the men's draw to have won all three of their group matches with Thierry Henry performing well in his role as head coach.
Argentina, meanwhile, have had to bounce back from an opening day controversial loss to Morocco to qualify for the knockout rounds. Despite winning their last two matches, they could only qualify as Group B runners-up which is why this blockbuster tie is happening now.
How the bookies view it: France go in as favourites
France are regarded as the slight favourites for this clash, thanks in large to the fact they have home advantage as the tournament hosts. A France win has been priced at 21/20 with Betfred while an Argentina victory has been priced at 23/10. A draw, which would take us to extra time and potentially penalties, is priced at 11/5.
Recent head-to-head: The latest chapter in a long rivalry
As two huge footballing nations, Argentina and France have met on several occasions in major tournaments over the years. In total, they have played against each other 13 times with four of those coming at World Cups. Argentina have won 7/13 while France have won 3/13.
This is the first time that the two nations have faced off at the Olympics which makes this even more of a special occasion.
Players to watch: A battle between two PL strikers
Two of the Premier League's best strikers will take to the field on Friday night with Jean-Philippe Mateta set to lead the line for France and Julian Alvarez doing the same for Argentina.
Neither player has been at their best during the tournament, however, Mateta did manage to get off the mark in France's most recent match against New Zealand. The 27-year-old is one of France's over-age players and came into the tournament in red-hot form after scoring nine goals in Crystal Palace's last six matches of the season.
Julian Alvarez, meanwhile, is yet to score at the Olympics and there are plenty of people who believe the Man City man is burned out after a hectic schedule for club and country over the past 12 months. Given the importance of this match, can he pull a big performance out of the bag?
Predicted line-ups
Thierry Henry was able to rest several players for the match against New Zealand but he is expected to bring back the likes of Michael Olise and Alexandre Lacazette for this one. Argentina are expected to go in unchanged after their dominant display against Ukraine.
France: Restes – Sildillia, Bade, Lukeba, Truffert – Kone, Akliouche, Chotard – Olise, Lacazette, Mateta
Argentina: Rulli – Lujan, Otamendi, Di Cesare, Soler – Fernandez, Simeone, Medina, Almada – Alvarez, Beltran
Anything else catch the eye?
France have scored seven goals at the Olympics so far, putting the full squad to shame after their tepid performance at Euro 2024. Meanwhile, Argentina have netted six times, with both teams scoring at least once in every match they've played. Both teams to score is priced at 5/6 with Betfred.
This Olympics match between France and Argentina will be played on Aug 2, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best France vs Argentina prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
