USA U23 vs Guinea U23 prediction 30.07.2024 | Olympic Games

• Competition: Olympic Games
• Date: Tuesday, 30th July, 2024
• Kickoff: 18:00 UK / 19:00 CEST
• Venue: Stade Geoffroy-Guichard (Saint-Étienne)

Before the final third round of the Group Phase in the Olympic Football Tournament, the fate of Group A is still undecided, as all four teams have a chance of securing a spot in the Quarter Finals. At Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne, the USA U23 team will face off against Guinea U23 in a decisive match for advancement to the next round.

USA U23 qualified for the Olympics following a dominant run in the CONCACAF U20 Championship, where they won the title and were super impressive in the knockout round, winning four games with an incredible 16:0 goal difference. In the Olympics, after two rounds, USA U23 is in a good position as they hold 2nd place with three points. They need only one point to advance, provided that 3rd placed New Zealand does not secure a victory against France U23. In fact, the USA U23 could progress even with a minimal loss to Guinea U23 if France U23 defeats New Zealand U23, which is expected.

Guinea U23 finished fourth in the U23 Africa Cup of Nations, initially failing to secure the Olympics. Then, they had to face off against the fourth-placed team from the AFC U23 Asian Cup, Indonesia. They eventually beat the Asian team and secured the Olympics. So far, they have not won any points in the Olympic tournament, but with a two-goal difference win against USA U23, the African team will secure the quarter-finals. However, they also need France to win against New Zealand. So, despite losing both games, Guinea's chances are not that poor.

USA U23 vs Guinea U23 pick: Over 2.5 goals

USA U23 were over 2.5 goals in both games in the Olympics. Their offense looks pretty good, especially against mediocre teams. In this tournament, they scored four goals, and in the qualifying tournament, they were super efficient as well, so we believe they could score a couple of goals pretty easily. On the other hand, their defense was far from impressive in the Olympics, and we are not convinced they can keep a clean sheet against anyone.

Guinea U23 scored just one goal so far, but they were super unlucky as they had three goals disallowed due to offside. Two of those were against France U23, so even though the numbers do not look great, we believe they are deceiving, and that Guinea U23 could deliver a good offensive performance.

Additionally, Guinea U23 needs a win with a two-goal difference, and we expect them to go all in from the very start. That could very much mean an open match. Considering all the above, we expect a high-scoring game, most likely with both teams scoring.