NEW Zealand will take on the USA on Saturday, 27 July in what is an important fixture in Group A at the 2024 Olympics.
New Zealand beat the odds to beat Guinea in their opening match and if they can do the same here then they will have secured qualification for the knockout rounds before they even have to play France.
The USA, meanwhile, were beaten 3-0 by France in their opening match and will need to win this one to ensure their fate is in their own hands going into their final match against Guinea.
How the bookies view it: USA backed to win
Despite being dispatched rather comfortably in their opening match against France, the bookies believe that the USA will respond with a win when they take on New Zealand. A win for the USA has been priced at 8/11 with Betfred while New Zealand are considered outsiders once again at 16/5. The draw, which would certainly suit New Zealand, has been priced at 5/2.
Recent head-to-head: Advantage USA
The USA and New Zealand have met three times in the past on the football field, although on all three occasions, it was the full first-team squads that battled it out. Out of the three previous encounters, the USA have won two and one has ended in a draw.
The two sides have never met before at u23 level or at the Olympic Games.
Players to watch: Can McGuire steady the USA ship?
If the USA are to play their way back into the tournament then they are likely going to be relying on Orlando City's Duncan McGuire to get amongst the goals. The 23-year-old signed for Orlando in 2023 and now has two MLS seasons under his belt and made his debut for the full USA team earlier this year.
After being snubbed from their Euro 2024 squad, McGuire has been trusted with leading the line at the Olympics amid rumours that he could be playing his football in the EFL Championship next season. After scoring 20 goals in 50 appearances for Orlando City, it is now up to him to step up to the plate for his country.
New Zealand will be hoping that Matthew Garbett can have another big game to fire them into the knockout stages. The NAC Breda man converted the rebound from his missed penalty to give his team the lead in their opener against Guinea.
Predicted line-ups
There will likely be calls for changes to the USA team ahead of this one but on the injury front, they are operating without any issues. New Zealand will almost certainly line up with the same starting XI that performed brilliantly against Guinea.
New Zealand: Paulsen – Boxall, Surman, Bindon, Sutton – Bell, Bayliss – Garbett, Singh, Herdman – Waine
USA: Schulte – Harriel, Robinson, Zimmerman, Tolkin – Dietz, Tessmann – Aaronson, Yow, Parade – McGuire
Anything else catch the eye?
Although three goals were scored in their win against Guinea, New Zealand are likely to play for a draw here which makes another goalfest unlikely. To add to this theory, only three goals were scored across both of the USA's final warm-up matches before the Olympics. Under 2.5 goals to be scored is priced at 1/1 with Betfred.
This Olympics match between New Zealand and USA will be played on Jul 27, 2024 and kick off at 18:00. Check below for our tipsters best New Zealand vs USA prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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