Uzbekistan vs Egypt, Olympics Football 2024, Today Match Prediction

Uzbekistan vs Egypt Match Prediction & Analysis

Two nations desperate for a win will collide at Nantes' Stade de la Beaujoire stadium in Group C. Uzbekistan, runners-up at the AFC U-23 Championship, suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Spain, leaving them at the bottom of Group C.

Egypt, the 2023 U-23 African Cup of Nations finalists, were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by the Dominican Republic, despite dominating possession. The Pharaohs now face a must-win situation as they prepare to confront Spain in their next match. While both teams are eager for victory, the pressure is perhaps greater on Uzbekistan, who must rebound from their opening loss.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Uzbekistan Preview

One of coach Timur Kapadze's hopes before the tournament was to avoid a heavy defeat against Spain. His team achieved that, forcing the heavily favored Spanish to work hard for their victory. After a disappointing first half with only 37% possession, Uzbekistan improved to nearly 50% in the second, troubling the Spanish defense.

However, statistics can be deceptive. Spain dominated midfield after the initial stages of the second half. Nevertheless, Uzbekistan gained some positives from the match. Much of their attacking play revolved around midfielder Abbosbek Fayzullaev, though he lost possession frequently, 21 times in total. His style bears some resemblance to Dembele, and Kapadze will hope for a standout performance from him on Saturday.

Tactically, Kapadze is expected to revert to his preferred 4-3-3 formation instead of the 4-2-3-1. This could give players like Eldor Shomurodov of AC Roma a more prominent role in the match.

Uzbekistan  Probable Starting XI - Nematov (Goalkeeper) ;  (Goalkeeper)Mirsaidov, Khamraliev, Khusanov, Yuldashev ( Midfielder) (Defenders); Buriev, Kholmatov; Fayzullaev, Jaloliddinov, Odilov (Midfielders); Shomurodov (Forward) 

Egypt Preview

The game between Egypt and the Dominican Republic followed a similar pattern to the one between Uzbekistan and Spain. It just didn't have any goals. Egypt dominated the first fifteen minutes of the game,but looked out of sorts after that. However, the Dominican Republic rallied in the latter stages of the second half after appearing to run out of gas, similar to Uzbekistan versus Spain. In the end, they only have themselves to blame for failing to convert their opportunities into goals. 

The problem with Egypt's eleven, based on what we saw in the first game, is that their wingers lack the ability to cut into the centre or make overlapping runs from full-backs. The majority of their attacks were based on crosses or long balls from the back. They delivered approximately 24 crosses in the first encounter, compared to 14 from the Dominican Republic, while effectively delivering approximately 51% of long balls to the Dominican Republic's 44%. The most important takeaway from the game for Egypt was how sturdy the defence appeared. 

Considering how dependent Egypt is on their crosses, left back Karim Eldbees, is going to be the key player for the Pharaohs going forward as he had a success of 100% in the game when it came to crosses against Dominican Republic. Not to mention he had an accuracy rate of 80% when it came to the long balls. Given this, it wouldn't be a bad idea for Rogerio Micale to use a 3-5-2 formation in the game against Uzbekistan on Saturday. 

Egypt Probable Starting XI - Alaa (Goalkeeper); Fayed, Eid, El Debes, Tarek( Defenders) ; Elneny, Sayed, Kamal(Midfielders); Adel, Faisal, Mazhar (Forwards) 

UZBEKISTAN vs EGYPT
Winning Prediction

Uzbekistan holds a 2-1 head-to-head record against Egypt in U-23 competition, but the Egyptians secured a 2-1 victory in their most recent meeting. Given Egypt's defensive record – they've conceded fewer than two goals in their last 15 matches – we anticipate a low-scoring affair with an expected goals (xG) total under 2.5.

The importance of this match for both teams suggests a cautious encounter. While Uzbekistan have struggled recently, with no wins in their last five matches (excluding a game against club side Graces), Egypt's strong form since January undefeated in that period gives them the edge. Our prediction is a draw or a win for Egypt in this Group C clash.

Uzbekistan (1) - Egypt (1)

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