Argentina vs Morocco, Olympics Football 2024, Today Match Prediction

Argentina vs Morocco Match Prediction & Analysis

On the opening day of the Men's football in Paris Olympics 2024, we will get to see the new crowned European and South American champions. First up, the South American Champions, Argentina, will kick off their campaign against the FIFA 2022 semi-finalists Morocco in group B.

Argentina qualified for the Olympics through the 2024 CONMEBOL pre-Olympic tournament hosted in Venezuela, where they finished second behind Paraguay. Coached by former Barcelona and Liverpool great, Javier Mascherano, Argentina will embark into the Olympics with hopes of regaining the gold that they won in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In addition to the gold medal from the Beijing Olympics, La Albiceleste won gold in Athens in 2004.

Morocco, on the other hand, will return to the event after a 12-year absence, having missed out in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. They qualified for the event by winning the 2023 U-23 African Cup of Nations, defeating Egypt in the final. Coached by Issame Charame, the Atlas Lions will aim to improve on their best result of qualifying for the second round of the 1972 games in Munich.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Argentina Preview

After winning gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics as a player, Javier Mascherano has a rare opportunity to win a medal as the national team coach. Similar to the 2008 Olympics, where Riquelme and he guided Messi, Angel Di Maria, and Aguero, this team also boasts veteran players to mentor the young talent.

Veteran players such as Julian Alvarez and Nicolas Otamendi will be tasked with guiding the inexperienced players on the team. They were both part of the 2022 World Cup and 2024 Copa America winning squads.  

Among the squad, Manchester City's Alvarez is a standout player, having scored a combined seven goals for La Albiceleste in the last two major tournaments. Other experienced players include Santiago Hezze, who just won the Europa Conference League with Olympiacos, and forward Lucas Beltran, who lost in the final against Fiorentina.

In addition to the aforementioned names, two more are worth mentioning: Thiago Almada and Claudio Echeverri. Thiago Almada, who previously played in MLS, finished as the top scorer for La Albiceleste in the CONMEBOL pre-Olympic tournament with 5 goals and 2 assists. 

Likewise, Echeverri has had an impressive few months since he was unveiled as a Manchester City signing in early January this year. The teenager has starred in many Argentina youth games where he has scored 13 goals, including those at the U-17 World Cup held in November last year. 

When it comes to tactics, Mascherano is likely to deploy a 4-3-3 formation, which he has used in the friendly games leading up to the tournament.

Argentina Probable Starting XI - Leandro Brey (GK); Marco De Cesare, Joaquin Garcia, Gonzalo Lujan, Nicolas Otamendi, Bruno Amione (Defenders); Ezequiel Fernandez, Santiago Hezze, Cristian Medina (Midfielders); Thiago Almada, Claudio Echeverri (Forwards)

Morocco Preview

Compared to other African medalists, Morocco has achieved very little in the Olympics, with their best performance being advancing to the second round in 1972. Given their recent success in the U-23 African Nations Cup and the senior team's World Cup run in 2022, the Atlas Lions will face higher expectations than ever before. It's up to coach Tarik Sektioui, who took over in February after Charai's departure, to manage these expectations and deliver a memorable performance.

Since taking over, Sektioui's U-23 squad has only played two games, losing both, including a 1-0 defeat to Ukraine U-21. Prior to his tenure, Morocco had a strong record, including a victory over the reigning gold medalists, Brazil. Sektioui will have a tough task at hand as he aims to replicate the senior team's achievement in Qatar. For that, he will heavily rely on the squad's most experienced player, the 25-year-old PSG star Hakimi Achraf.

Hakimi's pace and crossing ability make him Sektioui's greatest weapon in the tournament.  Other players to watch include Abde Ezzalzouli (Real Betis), Zakaria El Ouahadi (Genk), and Ilias Akhomach (Villarreal), who all have experience playing in big leagues.  Abde and Zakaria were instrumental in the team's African Cup of Nations victory. Abde finished the tournament as the leading goal scorer with 3 goals and 3 assists, making the team of the tournament alongside Zakaria.

Like Mascherano, Sektioui prefers a 4-3-3 formation, but there's a possibility of a 5-4-1 being deployed in the opening match.

Morocco Probable Starting XI - Munir El Kajoui (GK); Achraf Hakimi, Ayman El Wafi, Mehdi Boukamir, Akram Nakach (Defenders); Bilal El Khannouss, Benjamin Bouchouari, Yassine Kechta (Midfielders); Abdessamad Ezzalzouli, Ilias Akhomach, Soufiane Rahimi (Forwards)

ARGENTINA vs MOROCCO
Winning Prediction

Argentina is the clear favorite to win this match. This is justified by the quality of players in the Argentine side, even though they are missing some players of a similar age group who were part of the Copa America squad. Additionally, the Argentina U-23 has only suffered one defeat in their last ten games. Meanwhile, Morocco, led by a new coach, is yet to win a game.

Considering the teams and their recent form, Argentina is the favorite for this match. However, Morocco is comprised of players who primarily feature in the French and Spanish leagues. Therefore, we can expect them to put up a good challenge. Nevertheless, Argentina is still expected to win.

Argentina U23 to Win (2-1)

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