USA vs. China Prediction on July 29, 2024

Match info

The women’s volleyball competition at the Paris Olympics 2024 is expected to draw a lot of interest, following the recent opening ceremony. On Monday, July 29, the US national team will play China at the sixth pavilion of the Paris Expo Porte de Versaille starting at 5 p.m. local time. Both teams have always had great squads, and this Group A Round 1 match is additionally intriguing because the two teams have won the last two Olympic Games—the Americans won in Tokyo, while the Chinese team won gold four years before that in Rio.

Meeting statistics

The pool format for the women’s volleyball tournament is a unique feature now compared to the event in Tokyo; they are divided into three groups of four instead of two groups of six, so there are fewer opportunities for errors. The top two teams from each group and the two best third-place teams will move on to the quarterfinals.

The current form of the USA

Even though the volleyball format for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021 and the Paris Games this year differs slightly, the U.S. women’s national team’s objective is still the same: play hard and win. Flexepin betting sites give them an edge in the upcoming game.

The Americans achieved their objective in Tokyo, leading to first Olympic gold medal for the program. Eight players from these Games, including the legendary outside hitter Jordan Larson, who won MVP there, are back on the US squad for Paris. After 2021, now a 37-year-old player announced her retirement, but she later found motivation and returned to help the team earn a trip to Paris. Four remaining players are coming to the Olympics for the first time.

The USA’s general rehearsal for the Paris Olympics wasn’t quite fruitful. In the 2024 FIVB Women’s Volleyball Nations League, Karch Kiraly’s ladies were eliminated by Italy in the quarterfinals. After that, Americans were better than their rivals five times in six games, but these were of much lesser significance (2024 NORCECA Women’s Pan American Cup Final Six and friendly internationals) and with combined rosters involved.

The current form of China

China, a three-time gold medalist at the Olympics, underperformed in the Tokyo Olympics three years ago. Even though they were the favorites to win the trophy again, they played far worse than expected and didn’t pass the group stage. China is led on the court by three-time Olympian veterans Zhu Ting, Yuan Xinyue, Zhang Changning, Gong Xiangyu, and Ding Xia, and is coached by newly-promoted Cai Bin, who took over for the illustrious Lang Ping in these Olympics in Paris. As for the other players on the roster, these will be the second Olympics in their professional careers.

Ting, possibly the greatest volleyball player in Chinese history, will participate in Paris and assist her younger colleagues in providing the spirit required for gold, despite the controversy surrounding her comeback because it was allegedly merely for the purpose of competing in the National League this summer.

Head-to-head

The Chinese team defeated the USA 3-1 in their most recent encounter, which took place at the Nations League this May. Through the long history of their rivalry, the USA and China faced one another 43 times, and the former was more successful, but only by three wins: 23-20.

Match analytics

If you have confidence that the favorite, the USA, will win decisively, you’d want to bet on a point handicap which is available at longer odds than betting on the USA’s moneyline victory. PuliBet set 2.09 odds for a -9.5 spread on the USA.