Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Olympic Games Men’s Football clash between France and Guinea, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
After a tournament-opening victory, hosts France seek to confirm their quarter-final place at the Paris 2024 Olympics against Guinea at Allianz Riviera on Saturday.
Thierry Henry‘s men began Group A with a 3-0 win over the USA, while their opponents lost narrowly against New Zealand.
Match preview
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Despite notching a 3-0 triumph over Team USA on Wednesday, France‘s victory looked more comfortable than the final score suggested.
Three second-half goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Michael Olise and Loic Bade spared Les Blues from an embarrassing result, and they aim to build on that victory in Saturday’s match.
Henry’s side may have knocked the stuffing out of the Americans with two goals in eight minutes through Lacazette and a brilliant Olise strike, but chances conceded at the other end will worry Les Blues’ coach.
After coming through the pressure of their first match as hosts, France now seek another triumph to book their place in the quarter-finals regardless of the result in the group’s other clash against New Zealand and the United States.
Having failed to make it into the knockout stage since reaching the quarters in 1996, the 1984 winners are favourites to outdo their group stage exit from the previous Games in Tokyo.
Henry’s men are undoubted favourites for Saturday, but they must be wary of the threat of Guinea, having witnessed the latter’s battling qualities in the 2-1 loss to New Zealand.
Kaba Diawara will still be disappointed following his team’s inability to keep the game level for an extended period after Amadou Diawara pegged back the South Pacific side.
However, no sooner had Diawara made it 1-1 in the 72nd minute than Ben Waine scored for New Zealand to make it 2-1 for Darren Bazeley‘s team.
The upshot of that result means the tournament debutants lost their first-ever match at the Games and face a more daunting proposition against France on Saturday.
Avoiding a loss in Nice would be seen as a miracle, while anything more will go down as one of the biggest shocks in Olympic football history.
France Olympic Games Men’s Football form:
Guinea Olympic Games Men’s Football form:
Team News
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Olise’s goal showcased the quality of Bayern Munich’s recent acquisition, and the playmaker’s ability to pull a rabbit out of a hat makes him an undoubted game-winning star.
Having seen two of his overage players — Lacazette and Bade — deliver the goods against the Yanks, Henry will hope for the same from his experienced captain and the centre-back.
Naby Keita played for the first time since March in the loss to New Zealand — the Bremen midfielder was suspended by his club last season — but the captain aims to guide this young Guinea side to an unexpected shock result against France.
Soumaila Sylla will hope for an improved showing between the sticks for Diawara’s men after conceding a penalty and making an error leading to a New Zealand goal in the West African nation’s tournament debut.
France possible starting lineup:
Restes; Sildillia, Bade, Lukeba, Truffert; Millot, Kone, Chotard; Olise; Mateta, Lacazette
Guinea possible starting lineup:
Sylla; Balde, Cisse, Soumah, M. Keita, Diallo; N. Keita, Toure, Diawara, Moriba; Bah
We say: France 2-0 Guinea
A victory takes France into the competition’s last eight, and the tournament hosts should have enough to secure a routine win against opponents expected to focus on frustrating and containing the more fancied home side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.