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- Olympic Football ⚽️ & Pre-season Friendlies 🏅 First Look 👀
Olympic Football ⚽️ & Pre-season Friendlies 🏅 First Look 👀
Exciting Matches Ahead: Rising Stars & Teams Gearing Up for Glory 🌟🏆⚔️
Erik Jansson
July 23, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes
Olympic football & Pre-season friendlies first look
The Olympics football kicks off on Wednesday with Argentina vs Morocco with France taking on the USA later…
Hey there MVP,
The early qualifying rounds for the Champions League continue this week and we look at some of the small teams looking to make it big. And, although the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics is scheduled for Saturday, the Olympic football tournament begins on Wednesday. There will be 16 teams competing in the men's tournament, including host country France, European champions Spain, and World champions Argentina. We’ll be covering the interesting games and keeping a close eye on any up and coming talent getting a chance in the Olympics.
There’s also plenty of pre-season friendlies scheduled and we’ve got you covered with the most interesting matchups.
This week we’ve also got the latest football news, including the biggest transfers across Europe and the Kingdom.
Today's game plan:
🇦🇷 Argentina vs Morocco 🇲🇦 | Wednesday | 14:00 BST
Don’t sleep on the Olympic football…it’s true that the young squads feature plenty of unknown names with few stars but there’s a chance to see the next generation of rising talent. For example, here’s a young R9 ‘O Fenômeno’ at the 1996 games.
Form & Team News
As the 2024 Olympic Games get under way in Paris, the most anticipated clash in the opening round of group games is between Argentina and Morocco. A very young Argentina team is managed by former Olympic gold medalist and Liverpool man Javier Mascherano. Javi takes his team into the Olympics fresh off the back of the senior squad winning another Copa America —finally Argentina are experiencing a run of success and all Messi fans can relax.
The 2024 Olympic squad is a different kettle of fish to the senior team though. There will be no Messi and no Emi Martínez in goal. Instead this is a team with very few recognisable names, other than Benfica’s Otamendi and Man City’s Julian Alvarez. Check out the full squad below, as per we’ll be taking note of any standout performers over these Olympic games.
Full Argentina 2024 Olympic squad:
Goalkeepers: Leandro Brey (Boca Juniors), Geronimo Rulli (Ajax)
Defenders: Marco Di Cesare (Racing Club), Julio Soler (Lanus), Joaquin Garcia (Velez Sarsfield), Gonzalo Lujan (San Lorenzo), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Bruno Amione (Santos Laguna)
Midfielders: Ezequiel Fernandez (Boca Juniors), Santiago Hezze (Olympiacos), Cristian Medina (Boca Juniors), Kevin Zenon (Boca Juniors)
Forwards: Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Luciano Gondou (Argentinos Juniors), Thiago Almada (Atlanta United), Claudio Echeverri (Manchester City), Julian Alvarez (Manchester City), Lucas Beltran (Fiorentina)
With this blend of youth and experienced leaders like Nicolas Otamendi and the still-young Julian Alvarez, this is an Argentina team that will look to challenge for Olympic gold.
GR Argentina predicted lineup | Geronimo Rulli, Joaquin Garcia, Nicolas Otamendi, Marco Di Cesare; Kevin Zenon, Ezequiel Fernandez, Santiago Hezze, Cristian Medina; Thiago Almada, Julian Alvarez, Claudio Echeverri
Morocco were crowned the 2023 Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations winners, and this Olympic squad features most of those African champs. Tarik Sektioui took over the U-23 & Olympic football teams at the beginning of 2024, and he brings his extensive experience both as a former international and as a coach.
On the back of the Africa Cup of Nations win and good showing in the 2022 World Cup, Morocco’s preparation under new manager Sektioui has been intense. Hos teams tend to prioritise tactical discipline and workrate. These qualities will be essential if Morocco are to get a result against Argentina and navigate through a tough Group B, that also includes Iraq and Ukraine.
Full Morocco 2024 Olympic squad:
Goalkeepers: Munir Mohamedi (Al-Wehda), Rachid Ghanimi (FUS Rabat)
Defenders: Achraf Hakimi (captain) (Paris Saint-Germain), Akram Nakach (Union de Touarga), Mehdi Boukamir (Charleroi), Adil Tahif (RS Berkane), Zakaria El Ouahdi (Genk)
Midfielders: Benjamin Bouchouari (Saint-Étienne), Bilal El Khannous (Genk), Yassine Kechta (Le Havre), Oussama Targhalline (Le Havre), Oussama El Azzouzi (Bologna), Amir Richardson (Reims)
Forwards: Eliesse Ben Seghir (Monaco), Soufiane Rahimi (Al-Ain), Ilias Akhomach (Villarreal), El Mehdi Maouhoub (Raja Casablanca), Abde Ezzalzouli (Real Betis)
The Moroccan squad reflects Sektioui’s strategic approach as he aims to blend domestic talent with experienced players from European clubs. The key players are Achraf Hakimi from PSG and Al-Ain’s Sofiane Rahimi but look out for the creative flair of younger talents like El Mehdi Maouhoub and Amir Richardson.
GR Morocco predicted lineup | Munir Mohamedi, Achraf Hakimi, Mehdi Boukamir, Adil Tahif, Zakaria El Ouahdi, Benjamin Bouchouari, Bilal El Khannous, Yassine Kechta, Soufiane Rahimi, Amine Elouazzani, Abde Ezzalzouli
This Week’s Shocker…
Enzo Fernandez and other members of the Copa America-winning Argentina squad were filmed singing a questionable chant about the France national team.
Wesley Fofana on Instagram: "Football in 2024: uninhibited racism''
It is not looking good for Enzo Fernandez…
— george (@StokeyyG2)
7:09 PM • Jul 16, 2024
The lyrics have been termed derogatory with some of Fernandez’s teammates in the Chelsea dressing room perceiving the singing as racist. Since the video went viral on social media, players and others have been distancing themselves from Fernandez. Chelsea and Enzo fernandez PR teams are fighting fires.
Around the world…
Under Ineos leadership Manchester United are getting their business done swiftly. There are reports that the club are ready to offer £17 million to Palmeiras for Colombian midfielder Richard Rios after he impressed at the Copa America.
Finally, the Pierre Emerick Aubameyang to Saudi saga is over! The Gabon forward has now completed his move from Marseille after scoring 17 goals last season.
The President of Bayern Munich Uli Hoeness has admitted that defender Matthijs De Ligt may leave Bayern this summer. Multiple clubs are interested in the Dutchman, with Eriuk Ten Hag keen on signing his old Ajax player.
Brendan Rogers’ Celtic have added another signing in this window, bringing Paulo Bernardo to the club on a permanent deal. Bernardo joins other arrivals Kasper Schmeichel and Viljami Sinisalo in what is shaping up to be a tidy transfer window for the Scottish champions.
Marseille manager Roberto de Zerbi has said he is not interested in his players’ private lives as Mason greenwood joins his squad. Greenwood’s previous employer Manchester United have reportedly included a buy-back clause in his Marseille contract, indicating they are open to bringing him back to Old Trafford in the future.
Games to keep an eye on…
Shamrock Rovers vs Sparta Prague | Tuesday | 18:00 BST
Fresh on the back of their 2-1 aggregate win over Vikingur Reykjavik, Shamrock Rovers take on Sparta Prague in the second round of Champions League qualifying. Johnny Kenny will look to continue his goalscoring form.
Ferencvaros vs The New Saints | Tuesday | 19:00 BST
The New Saints travel to Hungary to take on Ferencvárosi in this Champions League qualifier. This is the first leg of the second qualifying round tie and it could prove to be a money spinner for TNS, if they can make it through to the third and final qualifying round.
Manchester City vs Celtic | Wednesday | 00:30 BST
Manchester City and Cletic play this pre-season friendly in the US, as both clubs complete US tours. Celtic got their tour off to a winning start with a big 4-nil win over DC United on Sunday. Chelsea are also in the States and will play Celtic on Saturday.
Uzbekistan vs Spain | Wednesday | 14:00 BST
The newly minted European champions take on Uzbekistan in the Olympics in Paris. This Spain squad draws players mainly from clubs across La Liga, including Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsí and Fermín López; Girona’s Miguel Gutiérrez, and Valencia’s Diego López up front.
France vs USA | Wednesday | 20:00 BST
The battle for Group A begins on Wednesday, as France and the USA begin their Paris 2024 Olympics campaigns. USA are here on merit and should offer the typically talented French squad a physical test.
GOAT Trivia…
Say congrats to…
Happy birthday to Marc Cucurella [@cucurella3], the Spanish left-back turned 26 on Monday.
On this day in football…
On 23rd July back in 2010, the French Football Federation suspended every member of their World Cup squad at the request of coach Laurent Blanc.
The action was taken after Blanc accused his team of mounting a player revolt during the tournament. The French campaign was already dead in the water after they lost their first two games to Uruguay and then Mexico. Then Nicolas Anelka was sent home for questioning the authority of manager Raymond Domenach. The final group match saw France lose to South Africa, ending a terrible tournament. White flag.
Goal of the week…
Our goal of the week is this cut-in and hit from Amad Diallo in Man United’s recent pre-season friendly with Rangers.
☝️⚽️
@Amaddiallo_19 scored our first goal of the summer! ☀️
#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd)
7:14 PM • Jul 21, 2024
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