France vs. Argentina: Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

Argentine and French players will meet on Friday in the men's World Cup final rematch as they vie for a spot in the 2024 Olympics semi-finals in Paris.

At Bordeaux's Matmut Atlantique, the two heavyweights from different continents will square off. The winner will advance to a semi-final match against either Egypt or Paraguay, which anybody can win.

Previous matches and head-to-head

In the men's football competition, hosts France lived up to expectations and then some during the group round. They were among only two teams to win all three matches, scoring seven goals and maintaining three clean sheets. The other team was Japan.

The unstoppable men of Thierry Henry set the tone early in Group A with a 3-0 thrashing of the USA; yet, all three of their goals came in the second half, a pattern that was replicated when Kiliann Sildillia scored in the 75th minute to upset Guinea.

But in Tuesday's group final match against New Zealand, Jean-Philippe Mateta broke France's first-half scoreless streak. Henry's second-half specialists Desire Doue and Arnaud Kalimuendo scored three goals in the second half and easily won their section.

Les Bleus, who haven't won a knockout match at the Olympics since winning their sole gold medal in the men's competition 40 years ago, will face their first quarterfinal encounter since the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Despite losing five of their last six men's matches in the quarterfinals, the current Olympic hosts have gone nine without a loss since ending the Tokyo 2020 Games with a humiliating 4-0 loss to Japan. This streak is particularly noteworthy given their difficulty in quarterfinal contests.

After a grueling and unpleasant loss to Morocco in the tournament opener, Argentina wasted no time sweeping Iraq and Ukraine to finish second in Group B, just behind their African opponents.

Thiago Almada was highly anticipated before the tournament began, and the first-ever MLS World Cup champion lived up to the billing, scoring the opening goal in each match. In Tuesday's 2-0 victory against Ukraine, Claudio Echeverri, who is headed to Manchester City, provided the finishing touch in extra time.

Although Argentina's short Olympic drought has ended, they were tied with Morocco in points, goal differential, goals scored, and allowed. However, they had to settle for second place on head-to-head points due to their contentious loss to the Atlas Lions.

Argentina has advanced to the knockout round for the first time since their second and most recent gold medal win in 2008. They were eliminated in the group stage in 2016 and 2021, and they had just one loss in their last five quarterfinal matches.

Although the senior French and Argentine teams had an epic duel in Qatar fifteen months ago, this will be their first time playing in the men's Olympic football event; Brazil was the only team to defeat them in 1988.

France x Argentina Team News

France coach Henry made several changes for Tuesday's match against New Zealand, including the inclusion of Kalimuendo and the much-wanted Rennes youngster Doue, who were asked to defend their participation.

Neither player, however, should be surprised if they see a return of captain Alexandre Lacazette, Bayern Munich newcomer Michael Olise, and Mateta, Crystal Palace's striker, in the quarterfinals.

Loic Bade, Adrien Truffert, and the adolescent goalkeeper Guillaume Restes are adding new legs to the back line. Restes will replace Obed Nkambadio, a 21-year-old compatriot, as the last line of defense. The health of Enzo Millot, who suffered a training injury, is still uncertain.

Regarding Argentina's availability, Javier Mascherano should have the same players as in the victory over Ukraine. Lucas Beltran, who made a second-half appearance after withdrawing early from the Iraq victory, should be available again.

As Mascherano maintains his 4-4-2 formation, Beltran, who was substituted for Julian Alvarez late in Tuesday's victory, could start the match up front alongside the Manchester City player, just as he did before.

Even if the 18-year-old protégé only required 10 minutes to make an impression in the last group game, Giuliano Simeone and Almada should keep starting in the wide positions, and Echeverri should be relegated to another replacement appearance.

Our Predictions

France to win @ 2.17 on Sky247.ng

The French were allowed to rest some of its best players during the middle of the week. Still, Argentina's famous players were not given a break because of their unpredictable group position, so they may need more time coming into this match.

No matter what happens, we're still rooting for the home team to go to the semi-finals, even if Henry's squad should lose despite their flawless defensive record.

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