Let’s have a look at the Olympic Soccer finals betting picks.
There are only a few more days to go at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and that means that we’re reaching the business end for a lot of the sports.
We’ve already seen some great sporting moments. And we’ve also seen the triumph and heartbreak that only an Olympic Games can provide.
One of the events reaching its climax is the women’s and men’s soccer competitions. Remarkably, even though it was one of the first events to start, the Olympic Soccer Gold Medal matches are still to be played.
In the women’s competition, Canada takes on Sweden in the Gold Medal match. While in the men’s competition, Brazil meets Spain in a real heavyweight final match-up. Below we preview the two finals and bring you our soccer betting picks.
Starting with the women’s competition, and the Gold Medal match between Canada and Sweden takes place on Thursday (Friday in Japan).
Both these sides left Rio in the 2016 Olympics with medals, but not gold. Sweden finished runners-up to Germany in the final, while Canada left with the bronze.
No matter who wins this match, there will be a new champion, as neither of these nations has won soccer gold at an Olympics before.
So let’s have a look at how these two teams shape up ahead of Thursday’s showdown, starting with Canada.
Coach Bev Priestman’s team came through their group in second place. They qualified with two wins and one draw. In their quarter-final they drew 0-0 with Brazil, needing penalties to finally get the job done.
In the semi-finals, they caused heartache to local rivals America, as the Canadians beat the much-fancied USA team 1-0 in Kashima.
This was a sensational win for the Canadians, as it was the first time they had beat the USA team in over 20 years. It was also only their third ever win over their major rivals.
Moving onto the Swedes, and they are looking to go one better this time around. In 2016 they finished runners-up to Germany, and they know this is now the time for this group of players.
In the group stages, Sweden was exceptional. They qualified from a group including USA, New Zealand, and Australia with a 100% record. In doing so they defeated the USA 3-0, Australia 4-2, and New Zealand 2-0.
In their quarter-final match with Japan, Sweden comfortably beat the hosts 3-1. They then had a tight tense semi-final with Australia, with just one goal deciding that match.
Going into the final, both teams know they will have to be at their best to win gold. Both sides had remarkably tough semi-final matches and will need to recover both mentally and physically for the Gold Medal match.
For Canada, they need to remain focused on the job at hand. They already effectively played a final against the USA in the semi-final match. They don’t want to experience the high of beating the USA and then losing the Gold Medal match.
While for Sweden, they made light work of making the semi-finals and then had to dig deep against Australia. They now know they can dig deep for the win, and they may well have to do it again.
• Venue – National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
• Date – Thursday, August 5, 2021
• Time – 10:00 pm ET
Sweden looked like an unstoppable force in the group stages, and then they proved they have the durability to fight it out in the semi-final. They are favorites with all the best betting sites, and it’s hard to go against them here for my pick.
The match odds on the Moneyline (90 mins) is -118, and on the recent form, I can’t see any other outcome.
Pick – Sweden To Win in 90 mins @ -118
I’m expecting this match to be a tight contest. Yes, I see Sweden winning, but not by a landslide. 1-0 or 2-0 has a good chance of being the scoreline, so I think under 2.5 goals has a great chance of winning here.
Odds of -275 might not be the best, but I can see this pick coming in.
In the men’s competition, it’s a real battle of soccer’s elite teams with Spain and Brazil contesting the Gold Medal match.
Brazil are the defending champions, having beaten Germany 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 scoreline on home soil 5 years ago
This year, in the group stages, Brazil qualified with ease. This was thanks in the main to Richarlison, who scored 5 or their 7 goals. In total, Brazil won 2 and drew 1 on their way to topping the group.
The knock-out stages haven’t been as comfortable for the defending champions. In the last 8 they only managed a 1-0 win over Egypt, while in the semi-finals, they were held 0-0 by Mexico. Eventually winning 4-1 on penalties.
As for their opponents Spain, they’ve had to battle to reach the final.
In their group, they qualified in the top position with two draws and one win.
They followed that up with a 5-2 win over Ivory Coast in the last 8. After 91 minutes, Spain went 2-1 down and was heading out. A 93rd-minute stoppage-time equalizer saw the game go to extra-time, where the Spanish romped to a 5-2 win.
The semi-final was a proper tight affair, as they again needed extra time to force the win. This time Asensio scored after 115 minutes to give Spain a 1-0 win over hosts Japan.
• Venue – International Stadium, Yokohama, Japan
• Date – Saturday, August 7, 2021
• Time – 7:30 am ET
Spain is one of those teams that dominate the ball and outplay their opposition, but don’t turn possession into goals often enough.
Throughout the whole Olympics competition, this has been evident. The Spanish needed extra time to win both their quarter and semi-finals and in the group stage, they won only one from three.
I can’t see that being enough to beat a Brazil side that has eased through their group, albeit slowing down a bit in the knock-out stages.
It promises to be a tight game, and like in the women’s final, odds of just -275 looks too short to take under 2.5 goals, but I can see that pick winning.
In the 90 minutes Moneyline odds with Bovada, the betting is close. Brazil is +145, The Draw is +170, and Spain is +187.5 – suggesting a close match.
This could go to extra time or even penalties, and I believe that plays into the hands of Brazil. The defending champions are -125 to win the Gold Medal, and that looks a good value pick to me.
Pick – Brazil To Gold Medal @ -125
About the Author
Dean is primarily a fan of English football who regularly attends games, and combining his hobby with his job, he is now a full-time sports betting writer. Rather than going down the educational route into sports journalism, Dean learned his trade by writing for his English football betting website since 2009, where he now boasts nearly 15 years of experience. After writing about football daily for years, Dean has taken the skills he learned and now uses them to great effect writing for numerous affiliate sites across the internet. A general all-around sports enthusiast with a passion for English football and cricket, Dean is also well able to turn his hand to writing about golf, tennis, F1, boxing, snooker, darts, and North American sports. Combining his extensive knowledge and experience with British humor and wit, Dean has developed into a trusted voice within the sports betting industry.
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