New Zealand vs France – 2024 Paris Olympics - Team News and Squad Updates

The 2024 Paris Olympics football tournament has reached a crucial juncture, with multiple quarterfinal spots up for grabs.

However, Arsenal legend and French coach Thierry Henry can sit back and relax, as his men have already clinched a quarterfinal spot with a game in hand. On the contrary, New Zealand can't afford to let up on the final matchday of the group stages because they need to win their final game, and it's against the tournament favorites, France.

France – Living up to the Hype

Before the 2024 Paris Olympics began, football fans considered teams like Spain and Argentina as contenders for the gold medal. However, none were as widely considered favorites as France. With the Olympics taking place in Paris, there was a prevailing sentiment that the gold medal in football was France's to lose. The home advantage, coupled with their talented squad, made many believe that France had the best shot at Olympic glory. So, have they lived up to it?

Yes, the French Men’s National football team have delivered on their pre-tournament hype. Les Bleus opened the tournament by trashing USA by a scoreline of 3-0. Captain Alexandre Lacazette, new Bayern Munich star Michael Olise and Loic Bade registered their names on the scoresheet.

However, their next match against Guinea wasn’t as straightforward. Les Bleus had to toil hard for a victory against the African Nation. Furthermore, the host nation was spared their blushes, as Abdoulaye Toure opened the scoring for Guinea just before the half-time whistle. But after a lengthy delay, VAR ruled the goal as offside.

Freiburg defender Kiliann Sildillia settled French nerves when he scored a winner deep into the second half. Having already booked a place in the Quarterfinals, France isn’t under any sort of pressure, but they would surely like to end the group stages with a win against New Zealand.

New Zealand vs France – Team News

New Zealand started their Olympic campaign in stellar fashion, notching up a hard-fought 2-1 win against Guinea. Matthew Garbett and Ben Waine were the scorers on that day. However, they were soon brought back down to earth, after USA thrashed them by a scoreline of 4-1 in the second round.

Following their defeat at the hands of the USA, New Zealand currently occupy the third spot in Pool A, tied with the USA on 3 points (albeit with an inferior goal difference). This means that the Kiwis must get a positive result against France in their last group-stage match.

Despite the difficulty of the task ahead, New Zealand can take solace from the fact that they will head into the tie with a fully fit roster.

France also goes into this tie with a fully fit roster. But with Quarterfinals qualification virtually sealed, Thierry Henry may decide to rest a few of his star players. New Bayern Munich recruit, Michael Olise, has already registered 3 goal contributions at the tournament. With a Quarterfinals berth on the line, this will surely be an intriguing game to watch. But can New Zealand advance to the Quarters?

New Zealand vs France – Kick-Off Time and Date

The game is scheduled to take place on 30th July 2024 (Tuesday) at the Stade Velodrome, Marseille. The match will kick off at 10:30 PM (Indian Standard Time).