The race to win the gold medal in the Olympic football tournament heats up as the quarterfinals get underway. One of the ties of the round will see the clear favourites for gold, Spain, take on the Ivory Coast.
Olympic Football Preview
Spain remain the favourites to win the gold medal, as they eased through the group stages as group winners. However, they won just one of the three games that they played, and were held on two occasions. Spain have struggled in front of goal throughout the competition to this point, as they have scored just two goals, which is the joint-worst attacking record of the teams that have made it through to this round. However, defensively they have been very good. Spain have conceded just one goal, with that coming in their final group game as they were held 1-1 by Argentina. That result was enough to get Argentina through, as they crashed out finishing third in Group C.
The Ivory Coast also did very well to reach the next round of the Olympics. On paper, they have a quality squad that should give Spain a good match in the quarterfinals of the competition. They managed to make it through Group D without losing a game, as they also ended the group phase with the same number of points as the Spanish. They picked up one win, and were held to draws against Germany and Brazil. Ivory Coast have scored one more goal than Spain so far at the Games, but have also conceded one more goal. They come into this game after drawing 1-1 against Germany in their final group stage fixture.
Spain vs Ivory Coast Head to Head
This isn’t a fixture that is played that often on the international stage. The two nations have met just once previously, as Spain claimed a 3-2 win in a thoroughly entertaining fixture. That win was in an international fixture though, which means that this game will have increased stakes.
Spain vs Ivory Coast Prediction
A case could be made for both nations in this quarterfinal showdown. Spain certainly have the quality in their squad, but they have struggled to put the ball in the back of the net. Therefore, we wouldn’t rule out a potential shock win for the Ivory Coast.
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