France u23 vs USA u23 Match Preview, Odds, and Predictions

France and the United States will kick off their 2024 Summer Olympics campaigns in the men's football tournament in Paris on Wednesday, setting the stage for what might be a Group A showdown.

In Marseille, France, the Orange Velodrome will play home to the Games, while across the Atlantic, Guinea, and New Zealand will be looking to throw a wrench into the Olympic system.

Head-to-Head and Previous Matches

While France has been a perennial dark horse in the men's Olympic football event, its 1984 squad surged to its first and only gold medal, ending a lengthy drought that had plagued it for years.

Les Bleus made their first appearance of the 21st century at the postponed Tokyo 2020 Games, which was a lackluster event after shockingly failing to qualify for the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 editions.

Thierry Henry, head coach and record scorer for Arsenal, understands how to fight fire with fire. In the group stage, France fell to Mexico and Japan, surrendering four goals in each match.

As the 2024 Olympic hosts, France avoided the qualifying process altogether. Since then, they've been on a roll, winning three of their four friendly matches and drawing two. Their most recent victories were a 7-0 thrashing of the Dominican Republic and a 4-1 thrashing of Paraguay.

Even though Henry's squad needed a miraculous goal from Michael Olise to salvage a 1-1 draw against Japan last Wednesday, France remains a strong contender to finish in the top three, if not win the highly-coveted gold medal.

Due to Brazil's ineligibility, a new men's football Olympic champion will be named this summer. The United States, which last won silver in 1904 and has since seen its women's team win four golds, may feel that their moment has finally come.

Led by former Yugoslavia youth international Marko Mitrovic, the United States coasted to Paris in 2022 by defending their CONCACAF U-20 Championship title, a necessary step in reviving national confidence after the seniors' disappointing Copa America campaign.

The United States automatically qualified for the Games by advancing to the final. They ended a 16-year exile from the men's Olympic football event and reestablished their iron hold on the championship with a 6-0 demolition of the Dominican Republic.

The United States National Team did not participate in the 2012, 2016, or 2020 Olympics after exiting in the group stage in 2008. During their pre-game preparation, they lost 2-0 against Japan and won 1-0 against Paraguay.

Before Wednesday's match, the United States and France had never met in the men's Olympic football tournament; however, the American women's team defeated Les Bleus 4-2 in London 2012 and won three consecutive gold medals.

France x USA Team News

France is poised to use a 4-3-1-2 formation at the Paris Olympics this year, with Alexandre Lacazette (forward) of Lyon and Jean-Philippe Mateta (marksman) of Crystal Palace leading the charge.

Manu Kone of Borussia Monchengladbach stands out in the middle of the field. At the same time, Olise, a newcomer to Bayern Munich, should start behind the two, reconnecting with Mateta, who left Selhurst Park not long ago.

Castello Lukeba, a highly regarded central defender for RB Leipzig, may get some attention, but the goalkeeper will be 19-year-old Guillaume Restes of Toulouse, a regular in Ligue 1.

While the United States roster is much lighter, goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina of Chelsea and Columbus Crew's Patrick Schulte—who seems to be on Arsenal's radar—are ready to engage in an intriguing goalkeeping showdown.

Overage central defenders Walker Zimmerman and Miles Robinson might face France's two seasoned center forwards. At the number ten position, Utrecht's Paxton Aaronson, brother of Brenden Aaronson, acts as the team's mastermind.

Our Predictions

France to win @ 1.50 on Sky247.ng

There should be only one victor from Wednesday's first match between France and the United States. However, a possible one-two in Group A might materialize later on.

Even though Henry has some very skilled and clinical attackers, Les Bleus has some up-and-coming young players and should be able to live up to the expectations set for them before the tournament in Marseille.

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