Group play at the Men's soccer tournament at the Olympics 2012 will come to its conclusion on Wednesday.
Group A is wide open with three teams still in the hunt for two spots. The United Arab Emirates will play for pride while Uruguay, Great Britain, and Senegal battle for qualification to the Quarter Finals.
Senegal vs. United Arab Emirates 2:45 p.m. EDT
The Africans followed up a dramatic 1-1 tie to Great Britain with a dominant 2-0 upset over favorite Uruguay. The match against the UAE may seem like a cakewalk, but the UAE have been a better team than the results suggest. They will be playing for pride and the hope of not being the worst team in the tournament.
Senegal will continue to rely on Moussa Konate for offense as the 19 year old has been a revelation with all three Senegal goals. Senegal needs just one point to qualify for the next round so a draw does not hurt.
Prediction: UAE plays a tremendous match forces Senegal to a 2-2 draw. Konate tallies at least one goal.
Great Britain vs. Uruguay 2:45 p.m. EDT
Coming into the tournament, these two teams were expected to make it through to the quarterfinals. The likelihood of that happening after this match depends heavily on the UAE destroying Senegal and both teams drawing. Otherwise, it is likely that the winner of this group advances.
Great Britain can afford just a tie to advance though a win guarantees the home squad the top spot in Group A. They have been consistent through two matches with a variety of players pitching in for goals. Craig Bellamy has led the way with a goal and assists throughout the contest. He has been Britain's most dominant player through three matches.
Uruguay came into the tournament as favorites, but have yet to play that way. They got past the UAE but often looked lethargic and questionable. Doubts were confirmed when they got dominated by Senegal the following match. Luis Suarez, a breakout star in the 2010 World Cup and the 2011 Copa America, has been quiet and largely ineffective. Uruguay needs a win to get to the next round but must find a way to outplay arguably the most consistent team in their group through two matches.
Prediction: Nothing is stopping the British and Uruguay will be sacrificed with a 2-1 win by the home crowd. Look for Bellamy to continue his dominant play.
Final Group Standings
Great Britain: 7 points, 2 wins, 1 draw
Senegal: 5 points, 1 win, 2 draws
Uruguay: 3 points, 1 wins, 2 losses
UAE: 1 point, 1 draw, 2 losses