Overview
After an unexpected loss to U23 Morocco in a controversial opening match, U23 Argentina managed to bounce back in the second round. The young Argentine players defeated Iraq with a score of 3-1 to secure their first crucial 3 points.
After two rounds, all 4 teams in Group B have 3 points each. The current standings are U23 Argentina, U23 Ukraine, U23 Morocco, and U23 Iraq. With the current situation, the outcome of this group promises to be extremely unpredictable.
With a better goal difference than the other teams in Group B, a win or a draw against U23 Ukraine will help U23 Argentina advance directly to the quarterfinals. Conversely, a loss will eliminate coach Javier Mascherano's team.
Even if they win, U23 Argentina also needs to pay attention to the developments of the match between U23 Morocco and U23 Iraq. Depending on the result of this match, Albiceleste will determine whether they finish first or second in the group (in case they don't lose to Ukraine).
According to tournament regulations, the top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals. If Argentina finishes second in Group B, they could potentially face France - the team currently leading Group A with 2 consecutive wins.
U23 Argentina has a more experienced and higher-quality squad than U23 Ukraine. Moreover, the European representative will be missing key player Saliuk due to suspension.
The South American representative aims to avoid repeating their performance at the 2021 Olympics, where they were eliminated in the group stage with 4 points after 3 matches.
Since winning the championship in 2008, Argentina has not been able to advance past the group stage of the Olympics, a poor record that Albiceleste will not want to repeat.
Score Prediction
In the last 5 matches, both U23 Argentina and U23 Ukraine have successfully scored against their opponents. Therefore, the match between the two teams will be fast-paced, exciting, and likely to have many goals.
Notably, in the last 5 matches of U23 Argentina and 4 out of the last 5 matches of U23 Ukraine, goals have been scored in the last 25 minutes.
Prediction: U23 Ukraine 1-2 U23 Argentina
The match between U23 Ukraine vs U23 Argentina takes place at 22:00 on July 30 (Vietnam time).
