Egypt U23 vs Dominican Republic U23 Prediction: Egypt to win and no BTTS

At Stade de la Beaujoire on Wednesday evening, the Under-23 teams from Egypt and the Dominican Republic will begin their Olympic campaigns in Paris in 2024. Spain and Uzbekistan are also in Group C, thus neither team can afford to lose their opening match in Nantes.

Egypt U23 finished second in the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations, which earned them a spot at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. However, they were unable to retain their title after losing 1-2 to tournament hosts Morocco in extra time. For the first time in sixty years, Rogerio Micale's team will be competing in two consecutive Olympic Games. They will want to present themselves in a far better light than in Tokyo four years prior when they were defeated by eventual victors Brazil in the quarterfinals.

The Dominican Republic U23 team, meanwhile, advanced to the final of the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship with a stellar performance and lost to the United States by six goals. This marks the team's first-ever qualification for the Summer Olympics in 2024. Ibai Gomez's team is understandably viewed as underdogs in their group stage as they are new to the tournament, but they will make every effort to prevent a humiliating showing in the competition.

Egypt advanced to the quarterfinals of the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics after winning the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil four years prior, losing only to Brazil in the final eight. Despite failing to retain their African championship last year, they qualified for Paris 2024 by coming in second to competitors from the region, Morocco. For the first time since Tokyo 1964, the Pharaohs will participate in consecutive Olympic competitions. Now led by Rogerio Micale, the team will try to win their first-ever football medal.

The very experienced Micale, a 2016 gold medallist with Brazil, has called up Mohamed Elneny and Ahmed Sayed to the squad, taking advantage of a regulation that permits three players who are overage to join the team.

Egypt, who defeated Ivory Coast twice in June, drew 1-1 with Ukraine last week, defeated Iraq 2-1 in their previous friendly, and now hopes to place in the top two in Group C.

The Dominican Republic will be playing football for the first time in the Olympics this summer, thus they will begin as underdogs to make it to the knockout stage even though their opening opponents are 13-time finalists. Los Quisqueyanos recovered from placing last in their Tokyo 2020 qualifying group to go to the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship final in 2022 and earn a ticket to Paris.

That Under-23 squad, led by Basque manager Ibai Gomez, fell 6-0 to the United States in the final, but they now have an opportunity to achieve unprecedented success.

Players of Dominican heritage have been more willing to come forward and accept selection as a result of qualification; Leeds United's 27-year-old Junior Firpo is one of three overage players in the team this summer. But as their novice head coach and their skilled French opponent, Thierry Henry's club, demonstrated recently in a 7-0 friendly loss, the Dominicans have work ahead of them.

Several players, such as Hamdi Fathi, Mahmoud Trezeguet, and Mohamed Salah, either declined calls to the Egypt national team or had their clubs refuse to let them play. Amid a tight competition for the championship, local powerhouses Al Ahly and Pyramids FC wouldn't allow certain veteran players to go, and Ahmed Nabil Koka hurt his foot in the team's most recent friendly against Ukraine. However, Ahmed Sayed, a forward for Zamalek, and rising talent Ibrahim Adel—who scored twice against Iraq the previous game—should be in the final third of the pitch. Mohamed Elneny begins in the middle of the Pharaohs' lineup.

The final 21-man Dominican Republic roster is primarily composed of dual-national players who play abroad, in contrast to Egypt, whose selection is primarily made domestically.

Egypt, who have been playing well lately, should be able to finish in the top two in Group C, while the Dominican Republic will view any goal or point as a bonus. Anticipate more Pharaohs glory in Nantes, followed by more difficult tests against Uzbekistan and Spain.