Iraq Olympic take on the visitors Ukraine Olympic in the round 1 match of Olympic Games group stage. The match will be played on Wednesday, July 24th at Parc Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon).
Iraq has proven to be one of the strongest young Asian teams. The "Lions of Babylon" performed exceptionally well in last year's U-23 Asian Cup this spring. They won their group, despite starting with a 1-2 loss to Thailand – they then defeated Tajikistan 4-2 and Saudi Arabia 2-1, although by the third match, Saudi Arabia had already secured their place. Iraq narrowly defeated Vietnam 1-0. In the semifinals, they faced Japan, the eventual tournament winners, and lost 2-0. However, in the end, the team managed to secure a 2-1 extra-time victory over Indonesia, earning the bronze medal and a direct ticket to the Olympics. In France, the team played a friendly match against Egypt and lost.
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Ukraine had a strong performance in last year's U-21 Euro. In the group stage, they almost defeated Spain (Abel Ruiz equalized 2-2 in the closing minutes) and won twice, confidently advancing to the playoffs. There, they surprisingly defeated France 3-1 in the quarterfinals. However, they seemed to have spent too much energy, as they couldn't put up much of a fight against the familiar "La Furia Roja" in the semifinals, losing 1-5. In 2024, especially now, the reluctance of clubs to release young stars in the summer has become apparent. This isn't just about Mudryk and Chelsea – even representatives of the UPL were causing headaches. Despite this, they managed to win the prestigious, albeit friendly, Toulon Tournament (which mainly featured younger teams) and played a couple of friendlies in France.
Of course, such an exotic matchup has never occurred before. Despite all the caveats, Rotan's team clearly has many advantages. We believe they will capitalize on them – bet on the victory of the "Yellow and Blues."
Prediction for the match: Ukraine Olympic to win.
