Ukraine vs Argentina Prediction: Both teams need a win in this game

On Tuesday, July 30, in Lyon, there will be an Olympic football match between the national teams of Argentina and Ukraine at 17:00 (GMT+3). After their first two matches, all four countries in Group B are tied on three points, making this a winner-take-all competition as they attempt to qualify for the knockout stages.

The Ukrainian team's opening Olympic match ended in defeat. After a surprising defeat to Iraq, Ruslan Rotan's team managed to tie the score against Morocco in their most recent game.

The Ukrainians exhibited bravery and managed to steal a vital win in extra time. Interestingly, when Salyuk was sent off, the squad played with ten men for the majority of the second half.

Surprisingly, the Argentinians, who were among the top favourites to win the gold medal at the Olympics, lost their initial match against Morocco. The Argentina stars were enthused by the controversial match, and the encounter against Iraq put the record straight. Mascherano's team needs to win the last game with three points to move up in the group after two games, but their opponent will also be driven to do so.

To ensure their spot in the playoffs and not rely on the outcome of the parallel match, both clubs must win. I think experience and talent will win out, and I think the Argentine squad will win.

Ukraine

Ukraine defeated Morocco 2-1 in the last seconds on Saturday at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, preserving their hopes of making their first-ever Olympic knockout tournament appearance. Volodymyr Salyuk was sent off in this match, but the Blue and Yellow prevailed dramatically thanks to a goal from substitute Igor Krasnopir in the eighth minute of stoppage time. Dmytro Kryskiv had opened the scoring in the 22nd minute before Soufiane Rahimi levelled the score from the spot in the 64th.

This came after a 2-1 loss to Iraq in the first Group B match on July 24, when goals from Aymen Hussein and Ali Jasim in 18 minutes reversed Valentyn Rubchynskyi's opening goal in the 53rd minute and turned the tide of play.

Head coach Ruslan Rotan will be hoping his team, which is competing in its first-ever Olympics football competition, can pick up where they left off against Morocco as they attempt to create history on Tuesday. 

The star-studded Argentine team presents Ukraine with their hardest test to date, although La Albiceleste's shocking first-day loss to Morocco should instill confidence in them before the match.

Argentina

After losing to Morocco, Javier Mascherano's team rebounded admirably, defeating Iraq 3-1 on Saturday afternoon in the Parc Olympique Lyonnais. Both sides tied the score at halftime thanks to goals from Thiago Almada and Aymen Hussein, but second-half goals from Luciano Gondou and Ezequiel Fernandez gave Argentina a crucial win and saved face.

This was a much-needed outcome for the South American heavyweight, who startled everyone on July 24 when they lost 2-1 to Morocco in the group stage, with Rahimi scoring twice to give the Atlas Lions all three points.

Argentina will be hoping to avoid a repetition of their Olympic experience in 2021, when they finished third in Group C, narrowly behind Egypt in second place on goal differential, after earning four points from three games. La Albiceleste are one of just six countries with two gold medals in multiple competitions. Their first came in Greece in 2004, four years before they defeated Nigeria 1-0 in the championship game courtesy of a goal from Angel Di Maria in the second half.

Argentina might break their record of not making it out of the Olympic group stages since their victory in 2008 if they win three points on Tuesday.

Expert Betting Tips

Argentina and Ukraine will play for everything on Tuesday, and with the stakes high, neither country will require any further inspiration. To ensure their spot in the playoffs and not rely on the outcome of the parallel match, both clubs must win. 

Although we anticipate a fierce battle from Ukraine, Mascherano's team has the talent and firepower to win the match, thus we are betting on them to take all three points at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais.

Experience and talent will win out, and we think the Argentine squad will win.