An action-packed day of football from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is planned for Thursday, with matches scheduled throughout the day. There’s plenty for followers to get excited about with some of the competition’s top teams and players in action. Today, followers of the beautiful game will be treated to the likes of Mexico, France, host nation Japan, Spain, Argentina, Germany and Brazil. Cancel any other plans you may have because this will be a day worth following.
The play gets underway nice and early, with the opening games scheduled for a 09:00 GMT kick-off slot. Our team of football content writers will take you through the best games of the day as well as the standout matches scheduled throughout this delayed summer Olympics. In this preview, we focus on the blockbuster contest involving Mexico and France, which will be shown live on TV in many nations worldwide.
The rivals are meeting for the first time, and with both nations holding hopes of progressing to the knockout stages of the competition and challenging for a medal position, we look all set for a thrilling 90 minutes and action. Which team will grab the three points and get off to the perfect start? Let’s take a closer look.
Mexico hoping to challenge for gold
Mexico have been added to a group alongside France, Japan and South Africa. At first glance, the Mexicans were one of the pundits’ picks to finish in one of the top two spots and qualify for the next round. They certainly have the talent and squad depth to achieve that, but they know the importance of getting off to a good start. Lose here, and they could find themselves playing catch-up on the others from early on. Mexico face what is expected to be their main rivals for pole position, but Japan as the host nation can’t be easily written off.
Team Mexico have played in six Olympic Games and are the former winner of the gold medal, having caused a shock result in London back in 2012. The team found themselves written off for the title in England but performed well above expectations and finished fully deserving of their prize and as worthy champions. That group of players went on to achieve great things in the game. Can this team live up to that standard and bring the glory days back to Mexican football?
Mexico face a tough opening game against the French on matchday one before taking on the hosts in game two. They then complete their three group games against South Africa. This group of players will want to take a maximum of nine points and send out a message of intent to the rest of the competition. However, a draw with France wouldn’t be the worst result for them, and it’ll be interesting to see how both teams line up for this clash.
France were able to name a strong squad after Olympic officials ruled that teams could extend their age group to under 24-year olds with three overage players in the squad. In most games, the cut off is set at under 23. Still, as Tokyo 2020 had to be delayed by 12 months due to the coronavirus outbreak and resulting lockdowns, it was judged fair on nations and players who had already been selected to take part to relax the rules for this one competition. That will help France’s chances of winning gold.
On paper, France has one of the best young teams at the tournament, and they could, with the under 24 rule, name a squad that is close to the one they took to this summer’s Euro 2020 tournament. With football still playing catch up on last year, players have already battled through a gruelling schedule. They’ve crammed in a league campaign at club level, Euro 2020 and now the Olympic Games. In just a few weeks, players will return for their club sides in the Premier League, Ligue 1, La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga.
It remains to be seen if France are good enough to win gold at Tokyo 2020, but the players will be inspired by the nation’s past performances in major competitions. This aspiring group will understand that if they are to have any chance of becoming future stars for the senior team, they must perform at this level. They qualified for the games after reaching the semi-finals of the Euro under-21 championships in 2019.
Mexico v France prediction
This match provides us with a clash involving two teams who believe they are good enough to advance to the knockout rounds. They both know avoiding defeat is crucial in this opening game, and we may see them set up to play for a point. Both sides are capable of scoring the goals needed to win all three points, but it will be a tense 90 minutes with neither manager willing to take any unnecessary risks.
This is a young French side with most of their players employed in Ligue 1, so they will be desperate to prove themselves. Some of the players have been given a chance due to the busy schedule that they may not have received otherwise, so the pressure is on them to make the most of this opportunity. They must stand up and be counted.
There’s a bit more experience in the Mexican side, and fans will be hoping that makes the difference. They were surprise gold medal winners in London, but that was nine years ago, and much has changed in football since. Do they have what it takes to roll back the years? Followers certainly hope so, and we’ll have a clearer picture after this clash.
Olympic Games odds
The pre-match betting odds available at 22bet has Mexico priced at 4.3 to win this match while France can be backed at 1.885. The draw is yours at 3.44. As well as the match winner, there are dozens of pre-game and in-play options available to bettors.
Want to know more about the betting odds for the game? Check out the BTTS, Handicap, Teams to Win and other markets and bet on Mexico v France on 22Bet!
