France vs Argentina – 2024 Paris Olympics – Team News and Updates

01 Aug 2024 ScoreWaves Staff view

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The 2024 Paris Olympics Men’s football tournament has reached a crucial juncture, as two of the tournament favorites go head-to-head for a place in the Semifinals.

Both Argentina and France were considered the pre-tournament favorites to claim the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Many football fans felt that this match up could be the potential final of the tournament. However, these two nations will face each other in the Quarterfinals, much earlier than most had anticipated.

Both teams have shown glimpses of their immense promise as well as moments of weakness throughout the tournament. Therefore, fans can expect an enthralling game between two teams going hammer and tongs for a berth in the Semifinals.

France vs Argentina – Match Preview

France have been the most impressive team of the tournament. Under the leadership of Gunners and France legend Thierry Henry, Les Bleus have outclassed every opponent they’ve faced. They started their Olympic campaign with a resounding 3-0 victory against the USA. Captain Alexandre Lacazette, new Bayern Munich star Michael Olise and Loic Bade registered their names on the scoresheet.

But their next match against Guinea wasn’t as straightforward. Les Bleus had to toil hard for a victory against the African Nation. Freiburg defender Kiliann Sildillia scored a winner deep into the second half, which handed Les Bleus their second win of the tournament. In their third game, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Desire Doue and Arnaud Kalimuendo registered their names on the scoresheet, as France dismantled New Zealand by a scoreline of 3-0.

Les Bleus dominated their group, winning all three games. However, the Quarterfinals have often been a stage where several previous French teams have faltered. In fact, France's last victory in an Olympic knockout game was at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Thierry Henry and his men would look to get over this hump this year. However, their task has gotten a whole lot harder, as they now face Argentina in the quarters. Unlike France, Argentina have somewhat underperformed. La Albiceleste lost their opening game to Morrocco by 2-1. But they bounced back in impressive fashion winning their next two games against Iraq and Ukraine.

Despite recovering well from their opening round defeat, Argentina finished second in their group, behind Morrocco. As a result, they now face France in the quarters. However, unlike France, the Argentinians have a stellar Quarterfinals record. In fact, they have been knocked out in the Quarterfinals just once in their last five attempts. Their sole loss came at the hands of Brazil at the 1988 Olympics.

France vs Argentina: Team News and Updates

French coach Thierry Henry made wholesale changes against New Zealand, with Rennes duo Desire Doue and Arnaud Kalimuendo being handed their first starts at the tournament. Both Doue and Kalimuendo were on the scoresheet against the Kiwis. However, Henry would most likely revert back to his preferred front three of Lacazette, Olise and Mateta for the quarters.

Furthermore, the center back pairing of Loic Bade and Castello Lukeba picks itself. However, Henry maybe without midfielder Enzo Millot for France’s quarterfinals clash against Argentina. Millot picked up a knock during France’s recent training session.

Thierry Henry’s Argentinian counterpart, Javier Mascherano, will also have to deal with a few injury absentees. Fiorentina forward Lucas Beltran was withdrawn early during Argentina’s 3-1 win over Iraq because of an injury. But the 23-year-old made a late cameo in La Albiceleste’s 2-0 victory over Ukraine.

Manchester City bound Claudio Echeverri also put his name into starting contention after he scored the crucial second goal in Argentina’s 2-0 win against Ukraine. The 18-year-old needed just ten minutes to leave a mark on the game. But Mascherano would return to his preferred forward pairing of Julian Alvarez and Lucas Beltran.