Spain vs Argentina: La Roja will finally show their level

Spain and Argentina’s only other time at the Olympics was in 1996 when the White and Sky Blues won 4-0. Can they win again? We predict that La Roja will be stronger!

Before the Olympics began, Spain were dubbed the main favourites in the football tournament, as they brought a formidable squad to Tokyo that featured six participants from the recent Euro-2020. It looked as though they would come out and blitz their opponents, but that was not the case. Already in the first game, La Roja were held to a dull draw against Egypt. The Spaniards had been struggling with Australia but, without Mikel Oyarzábal’s goal in the 81st minute, set up a 1-0 win that allowed Luis de la Fuente’s side to top the Group C standings.

While Spain brought to the Olympics a powerful squad, Argentina decided to surprise the entire footballing public with a tandem of Ponce and Gaich. And so it turned out that already in the first leg of the Games, the White and Sky Blues suffered a sensational defeat against Australia 0-2. The main anti-hero of the game was Francisco Ortega, who before the break first committed an unnecessary offence for a yellow card. After a minute too aggressively behaved in the penalty area and was sent off. His suspension may have helped the Argentines still beat Egypt 1-0 in the tournament’s second game, preserving their chances of qualifying from the group.

Spain and Argentina have had a poor start to the Olympic football tournament, but that does not stop them from keeping their chances of qualifying from the group. This is especially true for La Roja, who arrived in Japan with a solid name line-up that has been sluggishly entering the competition but is slowly beginning to rock. Alas, the White and Sky Blues do not have a lot of resources to improve. That is why the chances of their success in the upcoming battle are so high. Therefore, we suggest betting on Spain to win for 1.89.

The Spanish team is very peculiar, so it is essential to score the first goal for them. This is also true for the adult national team, as well as for the Olympic team. At the Tokyo Games, Luis de la Fuente’s side failed to score for over 170 minutes, with Mikel Oyarzabal’s first goal coming in the 81st minute of the second leg against Australia. There is no doubt that the Spaniards will now be more assertive and efficient at home, and Argentina’s defence is far from assured. That being the case, Spanish Total Over 1.5 goals for 1.99 seems to be the best option.

The Spanish national team begins a significant football tournament without a striker as the last decent forwards have long since finished their careers. The selection of forwards old enough to play at the Olympics is particularly poor, but La Roja have one such player in their bid. Rafa Mir spent last season on loan at Huesca, where he scored 13 goals in La Liga. Yes, he still only comes on as a substitute at the Games, spending a few minutes in the closing stages, but he manages to create a threat to the opponents’ goal even in that time. In such a situation, it is worth looking at a bet on Rafa Mir’s goal for 3.20.