Ukraine vs. Argentina Prediction on July 30, 2024

Match info

With both teams having equal chances of progressing to the quarterfinals, Ukraine and Argentina will face one another in the last round of the group stage (Group B) at the men’s football tournament at the Paris Olympics 2024. The kick-off is at 5 p.m. local time on Tuesday, July 30 at Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Lyon.

Meeting statistics

The current form of Ukraine

The Ukrainian national team has never before advanced to the Olympics, but this time around, it has truly succeeded. The “Blue and Yellow” were outstanding in 2023 at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship. They competed well and advanced to the semi-finals, where they were defeated 1-5 by the Spanish squad. But this was sufficient for a trip to the Paris Games.

Except for two, every player Ruslan Rotan called up is participating in the Ukrainian championship. The majority of the players—four—including Danylo Sikan, the squad captain, were assigned from Shakhtar Donetsk. Maksym Talovyerov and Dmytro Kryskiv, Sikan’s teammate, were added to the squad as players older than 23, which is the age limit for men’s Olympics (only three over 23 players can take part per team).

There’s instability on this team. There has been a lot of talk about the clubs not wanting to send their leaders to the Olympics, but sadly, this is now unchangeable, and Ukraine is no exception to that. There are several players called by Rotan who are capable of excelling at the Summer Games in the French capital; above all, Kryskiv, Talovyerov, Sikan, and Rubchynskyi. It’s noteworthy that none of the team leaders from the 2023 Euro U-21 top-4 squad will attend the competition.

The current form of Argentina

In any major event, Argentina is, of course, the favorite. And even more so if we’re discussing the Olympics, due to Argentina’s triumphant inertia coming from its two consecutive Olympic victories—2004 and 2008. It’s significant that Javier Mascherano, the coach of Argentina’s current Olympic team, was involved in winning gold medals at both of these two Games as a player.

Older football players who don’t meet the Olympic football age limit but are allowed to compete always draw attention when they are a part of any Olympic squad. In Argentina, these are the expected status figures; however, neither Leo Messi nor Lautaro Martínez, for instance, are present. The players who are over 23 in the squad are Julián Álvarez, Nicolás Otamendi, and goalie Gerónimo Rulli. They were all members of the squad that won the gold medal in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and they recently won the 2024 Copa América, even though Rulli didn't play a minute in either of the mentioned competitions. However, there’s a wealth of talented footballers in Argentina. The two most promising players on the Olympic squad are striker Luciano Gondou and midfielder Thiago Almada, and they are likely to be jokers, not the invited world champions. Argentina is keen to change the perception, failing to exit the group stage of the last two Olympics in Rio and Tokyo.

Match analytics

Argentina has developed football to a far greater degree than Ukraine has. These two are not comparable. Prior to Morocco breaking its winning streak here in Paris, the Argentina Olympic team hadn’t lost at the official level in nine games (four victories and five draws). The controversial match against Morocco ended with Argentina leveling the score in stoppage time, and in a situation that seemed to be an offside, which triggered Moroccan fans to invade the pitch. In the end, the VAR ruling disallowed the Argentine goal. Since there are many goals in the South American team’s games in the Summer Games, the best wager is on Argentina to win, with a total of over 3.5.

However, bookmakers weren’t interested in launching odds for the men's football Olympic tournament group stage, and it’s doubtful they'll do so for knockouts. If any bookies decide to prepare odds, they’d be Bet365, Betfred, Paddy Power, and other best football bookies, so check them from time to time. For now, you can bet on the tournament winner (outright), as bookmakers do have odds for this market only (for now). Argentina is the favorite No. 3 for gold, while Ukraine is the favorite No. 10.