On July 25, the Olympic men’s soccer team will have a focal point battle, Australia U23 will face the most luxurious team of this Cup, Spain U23. Although it is only a U23 echelon game, both teams have a very strong lineup and will probably become another wave of the team’s golden generation. Especially Spain, this time almost brought more than half of the national team, the whole team is worth nearly 600 million euros, is definitely the favorite of the champion.
Australia U23
Australia did not bring as many over-aged players to the Cup this time, as they did in the last game, only center forward Duke reached 30 years old, all other players are under 24 years old.
Australia’s record in friendlies before the start of the main tournament was very poor, losing all four of their friendly matches from June onwards. While it is true that they have played against strong teams like Mexico, such a losing streak in youth matches is not really common.
That’s why they attracted so much attention after their win over Argentina U23 in the last round. The results of the friendlies are not enough to measure the competitive level of the regular season.
Spain U23
Spain also didn’t bring any over-age players this time, as they used all U23s in their last match against Egypt. Because of the postponement of the Olympics, 24-year-olds are not considered overage for this year’s Cup, with Oyasabal and Simon both meeting the criteria.
Almost every player in this Spain team is a star, and they bring more than half of their national team squad, but none of them are overage. Pedri, who played almost full in the Euros, also came to the Olympics this time, refusing Barca’s offer to ask him to take a vacation and insisting on participating in the Olympics.
But considering Spain’s historical situation at the Olympics, the chances of their group exit are not low, despite the luxurious lineup. After all, it is only a U23 tournament, and it is difficult to ask these young stars to give their best in such a competition platform. And continuing to play soon after the Euros, some of the key players in their squad will definitely be affected in terms of fitness, especially their core Pedri.
Comprehensive analysis
All things considered, Spain’s squad is certainly far stronger than Australia’s, and even far stronger than all of their opponents in this year’s Cup. With England barely fielding their young national team players, Spain’s U23s are the most luxurious squad in this age group.
However, without Busquets as the leading player, their performance is certainly not comparable to the Euros.
In view of these factors, it is more favourable for Spain to get the victory, which is also to give respect to the 600 million euro price tag.
Prediction one：Spain to win
Prediction two：Australia 1-2 Spain
