By David Salazar (staff@latinospost.com) | First Posted: Jul 26, 2012 11:01 AM EDT

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.

Goalkeepers

1

Jack BUTLAND

18

Jason STEELE

Defenders

2

Neil TAYLOR

3

Ryan BERTRAND

4

Danny ROSE

5

Steven CAULKER

6

Craig DAWSON

12

James TOMKINS

14

Micah RICHARDS

Midfielders

7

Tom CLEVERLEY

8

Joe ALLEN

11

Ryan GIGGS

13

Jack CORK

15

Aaron RAMSEY

16

Scott SINCLAIR

Forwards

9

Daniel STURRIDGE

10

Craig BELLAMY

17

Marvin SORDELL

Coach

PEARCE Stuart

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.

Goalkeepers

1

Ousmane MANE

18

Papa CAMARA

Defenders

2

Saliou CISS

4

Abdoulaye BA

5

Papa GUEYE

6

Zargo TOURE

9

Kara MBODJI

16

Pape SOUARE

Midfielders

3

Ibrahima SECK

8

Cheikhou KOUYATE

10

Sadio MANE

13

Mohamed DIAME

14

Idrissa GUEYE

17

Stephane BADJI

Forwards

7

Moussa KONATE

11

Kalidou YERO

12

Ibrahima BALDE

15

Magaye GUEYE

Coach

DIOUF Abdoukarime

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.

Goalkeepers

1

ALI KHASEIF

18

KHALID EISA

Defenders

2

SAAD SUROUR

3

ABDULAZIZ HUSSAIN

4

MOHAMED AHMAD

6

Ali ALAMERI

8

Hamdan AL KAMALI

11

AHMED KHALIL

14

ABDELAZIZ SANQOUR

Midfielders

5

AMER ABDULRAHMAN

7

Ismail AL HAMMADI

12

HABIB FARDAN

13

KHAMIS ESMAEEL

15

OMAR ABDULRAHMAN

16

RASHED EISA

17

MOHAMED FAWZI

Forwards

9

AHMED ALI

10

ISMAEIL MATAR

Coach

REDHA Mahdi

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.

Goalkeepers

1

Martin CAMPANA

18

Leandro GELPI

Defenders

2

Ramon ARIAS

3

Diego POLENTA

4

Sebastian COATES

5

Emiliano ALBIN

6

German ROLIN

13

Matias AGUIRREGARAY

Midfielders

8

Maximiliano CALZADA

10

Gaston RAMIREZ

12

Jonathan URRETAVISCAYA

14

Nicolas LODEIRO

15

Diego RODRIGUEZ

17

Egidio AREVALO

Forwards

7

Edinson CAVANI

9

Luis SUAREZ

11

Abel HERNANDEZ

16

Tabare VIUDEZ

Coach

TABAREZ Oscar

Prediction: 2-0 Uruguay. Suarez will have a big game and UAE will struggle with Uruguay's counterattack.

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