The opening day of the Olympic men’s football tournament sees all 16 sides in action at various times across Thursday and by the end of it we might have a feel for which sides are going to make it into the knockout stages.
Quite often we see some tournaments begin slowly but that isn’t the case here as there are a couple of really juicy matches on the card not least the one between Argentina and Portugal which could be a cracker. Mexico vs Germany is another game which looks like a belter on paper.
Group A
The tournament kicks off with Iraq taking on Denmark. With Brazil in the group both sides know if they want to qualify they can’t afford to lose either of the matches they play which don’t involve the Samba Boys so both are under pressure here. On the face of it odds against on the Danes looks a little big but there is a trappy feel to this one.
The second game in the group sees Brazil taking on South Africa in Brasilia with the eyes of the nation on them and Neymar to see if they can get off the expected emphatic start. South Africa might well be looking at this one as a damage limitation exercise it must be said.
Group B
Sweden and Colombia open things up in this group. This is a real group of death but the thing to remember is the heat in Manaus is going to play a significant role and that could give the edge to the Colombians who will be much more suited to the intense humidity.
The other game is a very interesting one between Nigeria and Japan, also in Manaus. It will be interesting to see if the heat has died down by this time and whether either side take any risks in what is likely to be a tight group throughout.
Group C
The big match in this group on the opening day is the one between the defending champions Mexico and Germany in Salvador. Mexico will be keen to open up their campaign with a win but Germany are decent at any level and that looks a real arm wrestle.
Fiji make their tournament bow in the later game when they face a South Korea side who will be looking to back up and better their run to the semi-finals in London four years ago. Some see South Korea as dark horses in this tournament and if they are to justify that tag they have to win this match.
Group D
Honduras face Algeria in the opening game in this group. If these two are expected to be the cannon fodder in this section then it is vital that they don’t lose this match otherwise their slim chances of qualifying diminish rapidly. With that in mind though I fancy both sides might have a bit of a dip and chance their arm.
The main event in this group though is the one between the twice champions Argentina and Portugal, the European Championship Under 21 runners-up. Admittedly this Portugal squad is much different to the one which was touched off in that final last year but that doesn’t mean they are without a hope. Argentina are expected to go well and it will be interesting to see how they respond.
Betting
I’m going to take a largely watching brief on the opening day of the competition but there is one bet which I like and which makes perfect sense to me and it is on the defending champions against Germany.
The Mexican league is now up and running and has been for a couple of weeks which means all of their players will have done their pre-season training and be up to speed where with the Bundesliga not getting underway for another three weeks the German players will only just be starting their preparations so they might be a little rusty in this match.
We know that Mexico take this competition seriously, you don’t call up Oribe Peralta in a Copa America year if you have no interest in this tournament, and that can be half the battle when betting on this competition. I fancy they might come through with a win here but it is early days so I’ll have the draw on my side and go with Mexico on the Asian lines.
Tips
WON – Back Mexico (+0.25AH) to beat Germany for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with 188bet
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