The gold medal will be won and lost in the men’s football at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Saturday when two footballing heavyweights collide for the prize as the defending champions Brazil take on the pre-tournament favourites Spain.
You wouldn’t say both these sides have flown through the draw so far so we might be in for a tense and nervy conclusion to the competition but whenever the quality that Brazil and Spain have are on a pitch together fireworks could ensue at any time.
Brazil
The Brazilians have been very hit and miss in this tournament which is a weird one when you consider the stars they have in their squad. They have performers in some of the top European leagues so they would have been expected to really dominate this competition but although they have made it through to this final that hasn’t really been the case. Nevertheless, they have made it through to this gold medal clash and have the chance to defend their title.
I think we would have expected more from Brazil in front of goal in this tournament, especially after the opened the competition with a 4-2 win over Germany but that was as good as it has got in many ways which is less than ideal. They haven’t been too bad at the back which helps but if we don’t see a top performance from them here then we would probably be left disappointed from this campaign regardless of whether they win or not.
Special Offer
OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH 888SPORT AND BET £10 TO GET £30 IN FREE BETS PLUS A £10 CASINO BONUS! PERFECT OFFER TO USE ON THE OLYMPICS! CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO JOIN. USE CODE 30F. NEW ACCOUNTS ONLY. 18+ T&Cs apply (See image for significant terms). Gamble Aware.
Spain
I guess the same criticisms can be levelled at Spain as well. They have been very ordinary in front of goal with the exception of the 5-2 win over the Ivory Coast in the quarter finals but even then they needed extra time to get that win. They also needed extra time to come through the semi-final and we saw in the bronze medal match that the fresher side looked exactly that and won with a fair bit in hand. Spain will need to guard against that.
The other thing that might not benefit Spain is that six members of this squad were involved in the Euro 2020 tournament earlier in the summer so they must be feeling quite jaded by now. Spain could really do with seeing a lot of the ball in this final you feel but that is far from guaranteed against a technically proficient Brazil side. One thing is for sure, if Spain are going to win this gold medal we will need to see the best of them.
Betting
I’m expecting a tight final here but given the odds on under 2.5 goals the bookmakers are as well. I don’t expect many goals at all and probably wouldn’t put anyone off a punt on the under 1.5 goals at a more attractive price but that isn’t really a line I like to get stuck into. I have to think that the minutes in the legs of this Spanish squad are going to catch up with them though so I’ll back Brazil to win the gold medal.
I don’t think there has been a whole lot between these two sides in this tournament but when Brazil have been good they have been very good and in Richarlison, Matheus Cunha and Gabriel Martinelli they have some classy operators who should be able to handle the big stage. Spain do have those as well but this side has been much like the one in the Euros where their chance conversion has been very poor. That could cost them whether it is over 90 minutes or 120.
Tips
Back Brazil to win Gold Medal for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with 888sport
Back them here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2021
