Group A matches feature the host nation Great Britain making its long awaited debut against Senegal and the United Arab Emirates facing off against Uruguay. Which team has the edge? Here are breakdowns of both matches.
Great Britain Vs. Senegal 3 p.m. ET
This match is historic in a number of ways. It groups together players from all of the United Kingdom Nations and most importantly it represents the debut of 38-year old Ryan Giggs on the international stage. Giggs plays for Manchester United and is one of the most decorated players in English soccer history. However, he was never given a chance to perform on the national team. Now he gets his chance to add an international medal to his collection and he will do so as the captain of the Great Britain Team.
They looked sloppy in a match against Brazil last week and were called out by superstar Neymar who stated that he was not sure that the British would present much of a threat. They will try to prove him wrong.
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PEARCE Stuart |
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Standing in England's way to start the tournament will be Senegal who comes into the tournament as a heavy underdog and the last team to qualify for the tournament. They were disqualified during the U-23 championships with a loss to Egypt in the Semi-finals, but were redeemed with a playoff win over Oman. During their five matches they only got one goal from a striker (Abdoulaye Sane), emphasizing the Lionceaux offensive woes. They will rely on star Cheikhou Koutate, who helped Anderlecht capture the Belgian crown last season.
The Senegal squad will look to make an impression in their first match ever at the Olympic Games.
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DIOUF Abdoukarime |
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Prediction: 3-2 Great Britain. Great Britain will be fueled by fan support and a superior squad. The British will be a tad sloppy as they try to adjust to one another and the pressure, but Senegal will prove to be no better.
United Arab Emirates vs. Uruguay 12 p.m. ET
During qualifications, the United Arab Emirates cruised to 7 wins and three draws in their ten matches, including a 7-1 destruction of Sri Lanka. They also highlighted their qualification with wins over Australia and Uzbekistan, both considered favorites to make the tournament. This is UAE's first appearance at the Olympic Games and based on their confident play to qualify, there is no doubt that they may be able to steal some points in the group stage.
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REDHA Mahdi |
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Uruguay might be the favorite of the group as they sport such top talent as Edison Cavani, Nicolas Lodiero, and of course Luis Suarez. The team had a tough qualifications tournament as they made it out of the group stage with only 4 out of a possible 12 points. However, in the final stage, they bounced back with 10 of 15 points including a solid 1-0 win over Argentina. However, the glaring result that Uruguay will look to erase is a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of the Brazilians. They did not have Suarez throughout that tournament and based on his Copa America 2011 play (in which Uruguay came out as champions), he can make a huge difference for this club.
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TABAREZ Oscar |
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Prediction: 2-0 Uruguay. Suarez will have a big game and UAE will struggle with Uruguay's counterattack.
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