Olympic Games Paris 2024 Soccer Quarterfinals Egypt vs. Paraguay

The group stage is over and the knockout round of the men’s soccer tournament is here. Egypt has made it to its second straight knockouts at the Olympics and will be facing off against Paraguay in the quarterfinals.

Paraguay were looked at as the favorite in their group but a 5-0 defeat to Japan in their opening game put qualification in jeopardy. They bounced back in a 4-2 win over Israel and secured their qualification with a 1-0 win over Mali. It clinched their progression in the tournament as the second seed in their group, they’ve looked good attacking but their defense has left a lot to be desired. 

Egypt was not seen as favorites in their group, and an opening day draw against the Dominican Republic tempered expectations for the Pharaohs. Still, they managed a win over Uzbekistan and shocked Spain in the last game of the group stage to finish top of their group. They have scored the least amount of goals of any team that has made it to the knockout round. Egypt has leaned on their rock-solid defense to win games, and have finished the chances they’ve gotten to beat their opponents. 

Egypt’s best performance offensively was their final one against La Roja so there’s a good chance that their manager Rogerio Micale will keep the faith with Osama Faisal, Ibrahim Adel, and Ahmed Sayed leading the line. Adel scored a brace in the 2-1 win over Spain that secured them their spot in the quarters. Their captain Mohamed Elneny has been an integral part of their defense, in his role as a shield just in front of their back four. 

For the Paraguayans Marcelo Fernandez has been lethal in attack. He scored a brace in their win against Israel and scored the winner for them against Mali. Another standout for La Albirroja has been Julio Enciso, the Brighton & Hove Albion attacker has been electric. Playing direct football whenever he’s in space he looks to shoot or take someone on to create a chance. Diego Gomez has also been important in unlocking opposing defenses, he has two assists and has been a creative spark in their midfield. 

Men’s Olympic Soccer Quarterfinals Egypt vs. Paraguay Best Bet

The fact that Egypt is coming into this game as underdogs means this bet is a good look. I think the Egyptians have shown just how strong they are defensively throughout the tournament. They have not had a single match where they lead in possession, and yet have only conceded once. They’ll make Paraguay work to create clear chances, and with La Albirroja’s defensive fragility, they could be exposed on the break. Egypt won’t need a ton of chances to find a winner. 

Best Bet: Egypt to Qualify for the Next Round (+110)

Men’s Olympic Soccer Quarterfinals Egypt vs. Paraguay Best Prop Bet

With Paraguay scoring as much as they have this may feel like a bit of a risk. Still, this for me is a natural extension of Egypt winning. If the Egyptians are going to move on they will have to once again limit their opposition’s chances. I expect them to defend deep and be comfortable giving up possession, with their focus on defense and not looking to press the issue this could be a scoreless game until the dying moments. 

Best Prop: Under 1.5 Goals (+230)

Men’s Olympic Soccer Quarterfinals Egypt vs. Paraguay Prediction

Egypt is coming into this game as slight underdogs, despite the fact that they have not lost during the Olympics. While the Pharaohs have been impressive defensively they have struggled to score and that may be giving some people pause as to their ability to win. Still, their win over Spain was impressive, and I believe people are overlooking Paraguay’s own deficiencies. While La Albirroja hs displayed offensive firepower, they’ve looked extremely fragile in defense. They’ve ceded possession and invited pressure onto themselves and have not dealt with it well. This game feels like it will be one with few clearcut chances, and Egypt have shown they only need a handful to move on. I believe they’ll once again show their quality.  

Egypt 1 – Paraguay 0