2016 Olympic Men’s Soccer Expert Predictions

Posted by Henry Watkins on Wednesday,July 27, 2016 2:40, EDT in

Given that soccer is the most popular sport in the world, you would think that the Olympic Games would be considered one of the best places to showcase it. That has not proven to be the case, though, but the Olympic Committee is doing all it can to change that. The tournament is now limited to players under the age of 23, but each team also gets to invite three over aged players into the squad, which means that we get a chance to see some legitimate talent on display. The Olympic soccer event in Rio may well be the one that gets people genuinely excited about the games, as there are a number of teams who could make their mark at the tournament. Let’s take a look at the likely betting odds favorites to take the gold.

A Closer Look At The 2016 Olympic Men’s Soccer Expert Predictions

 

 

Make no mistake about it, Brazil are in this to win it. The last time they hosted a major tournament was at the 2014 World Cup, where they ended up going down 7-1 in the semi-final to Germany. They want to wash that bad taste out of their mouths, and they are bringing a hugely talented squad with them. Brazil served notice that they would be going for gold when they sent a weak squad to the Copa America earlier this summer. The most notable absence was Neymar, who was held out of the team so that he would be ready for the Olympics. Brazil are the team to beat here.

The biggest rivals to Brazil are generally the teams that you would expect to see at any major soccer tournament. Argentina are heading o Rio with a very talented squad that includes Angel Correa up front. The Atletico Madrid man netted 4 times at the South American youth cup last year, and may well be the one who challenges Neymar for the scoring title at the Olympics. You also have to look at Germany, as they are always a legitimate challenger at every single tournament they take part in. It would come as a major surprise if they didn’t get near the medal podium this time around. You also cannot forget about the defending champions Mexico, as they have also used their over age picks to send a trio of very good players. The pick of the bunch may be Oribe Peralta. This is the man who scored the winning goal that secured the gold medal for Mexico 4 years ago.

 

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Those are the teams that are most likely to dominate the betting lines at the Olympic soccer tournament, but let’s not forget that teams from Asia and Africa have traditionally performed well at this event. If I had to pick a dark horse from that group, it would probably be South Korea. I don’t think they can win it, but if Son Heung-min can find his shooting boots, which he has proven he can, the Koreans might just get to the medal podium.

It may come across as something of a safe prediction, but I really don’t see Brazil letting down their home fans on two consecutive tournaments.