A great match will be played this Sunday for the Olympic Games 2020 on Basketball. France faces USA in the first match of the Olympics group stage. They are positioned in Group A together with the Czech Republic and Iran. Before this tournament, both teams have played some friendlies to prepare for this big tournament. France has made a disappointing start, losing all the friendlies. They played against Spain two times, 86-77 and 79-87. The last opponent was Japan, where again they were defeated 81-75. NBA stars in this team, R.Gobert, and Fournier weren't able to make a difference. France's head coach said that there is nothing to worry about and guaranteed to the fans that in Olympic Games will be another face of this team. On the other side USA played four friendlies. They didn't start very well, as they lost the first two games against Australia and Nigeria. They turned things around in the next matches, showing great strength, winning against Argentina 108-80 and 83-76 against Spain. Who will start their journey with a win? We invite you not to miss this game. France – USA.
Head-to-head matches
Both teams have met each other four times earlier. USA has won three times and lost one. The last match between them was played in 2019 in the world cup quarterfinals. France won 89-79 and eliminated USA from the tournament. A disappointing result for USA, who was the favorite team to win World Cup, but France, with an excellent 4th quarter, turning everything in their favor (79-89).
Injury update
USA comes to this tournament as the #1 favorite team to win Olympic games 2020. Fortunately, no injuries during four friendly matches before the start of the tournament. Another great news for this team is that D.Booker, Middleton, and Holiday have joined the national team of USA. They arrived late because they participated in the NBA Finals (Suns vs. Bucks). Even for France, there are no injuries reported, so it's expected to be a hard-fought game.
Predictions, odds, and where to watch it
After a poor performance in friendly matches before the start of the tournament, France hopes to show another face of the team, performing as they did in World Cup 2019, where they advanced to the semifinals. The excellent performance of R.Gobert and N.Batum in the NBA can help France go all the way through this tournament. A very young and ambitious team comes to the Olympics to take the best and fight until the end. On the other side, USA is the strongest team in this tournament. With NBA stars in their squad, it will be tough for other teams to claim a victory. Durant, Booker, Lillard, Lavine, etc., had an excellent season in NBA. Now they are all reunited for the same objective, to win this Olympics. The game will be transmitted on CT sport, Discovery+, Kanal 5 (Swe), TVP 1. Bookmakers see USA as favorites to win this game with 1.15 odds. France to win has 6.00 odds, and to win France with an +12.5 HA odds are 1.75. As for more odds, you can check bet365, 1xBet, William Hill, or Bwin
Prediction: France to win the game (+12.5 Pts Handicap)
Game information
Date: July 25, 2021
Time: 2:00 PM (CET)
Venue: Saitama super arena(Tokyo)