Brazil, USA made Olympic 'chalk'
VegasInsider.com
The 2016 Summer Olympics from Brazil will feature soccer tournaments for both the men and women, which will begin on Aug. 3 and conclude on Aug. 20.
Sportsbook.ag has listed Brazil as a 4/5 favorite (Bet $100 to win $80) to capture the men’s tournament on its home soil.
The Brazilians have never won an Olympic gold medal in soccer but have come in second and third the past two games.
Another South American country, Argentina, is next on the betting board with 11/2 odds. The Argentine football team won the Olympic games in both 2004 and 2008.
Mexico won the gold medal at the 2012 Olympic games from London and is a 16/1 choice to repeat in Rio de Janeiro.
The men’s tournament features 16 teams and all players must be under 23-years-old with the exception of three senior players.
The women’s tournament will feature 12 nations looking to capture the gold medal and Sportsbook.ag has the United States listed as 1/1 favorite (Bet $100 to win $100).
USA has captured four of the last five gold medals in the Olympics while earning a runner-up spot in the 2000 games.
The United States have played 29 games over this span and have posted a 24-3-2 mark while outscoring opponents by 35 goals.
Germany is right behind Team USA at 10/3 odds (Bet $100 to win $333) while Brazil and France are listed as 6/1 choices.
Listed below are the odds for both the men and women tournaments per Sportsbook.ag.
Odds to win Men's Olympics 2016 Soccer Gold Medal
Brazil 4/5
Argentina 11/2
Germany 6/1
Portugal 9/1
Nigeria 14/1
Colombia 16/1
Mexico 16/1
Denmark 22/1
Sweden 22/1
Japan 33/1
Algeria 40/1
South Africa 40/1
Honduras 125/1
South Korea 125/1
Iraq 150/1
Fiji 500/1
Odds to win Women's Olympics 2016 Soccer Gold Medal
USA 1/1
Germany 10/3
Brazil 6/1
France 6/1
Canada 12/1
Sweden 12/1
Australia 16/1
China 22/1
New Zealand 66/1
South Africa 66/1
Colombia 80/1
Zimbawe 200/1
Olympic Soccer Betting Preview
By Covers.com
Excitement is building ahead of the 31st Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this summer, with the world’s biggest sporting event set to take centre stage once again. Football may be the most popular game on the planet, but it must share the limelight with some ‘smaller’ sports in what promises to be another amazing summer spectacle.
Running from August 3-20, with 16 teams competing for the medals, the action will take place in five other locations across the country; Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Sao Paulo and Manaus, and in seven stadia.
While all sides will field under-23 squads, a maximum of three older players may be selected. Here is our betting preview, featuring six sides with varying possibilities of success.
Brazil - Even
Having hosted the Confederations Cup and World Cup in the last three years, winning and reaching the semi finals in those respective competitions, Brazil are very much used to a party atmosphere and are rightly favourites here.
While the majority of their squad are based at home, three big hitters, in the shape of Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos, their talisman, Barcelona’s Neymar, and Lazio star Felipe Anderson could inspire them.
Santos midfielder Thiago Maia is just 19 years of age and a real star in the making who Brazil will also look to, while striker Gabriel Jesus will use the tournament as a way of furthering his impressive reputation.
The Selecao may not offer much value, but they are the safest bet for victory.
Argentina - 6/1
Gold winners in Beijing eight years ago, La Albiceleste will fancy their chances of a repeat this time around. Spearheaded by Atletico Madrid striker Angel Correa and PSG’s latest signing Giovani Lo Celso, they will hope to avenge the senior side’s disappointments in final defeats in the World Cup and Copa America since 2014.
While alongside Portugal in Group D, Argentina should progress with ease, given the talent in their squad. Jonathan Calleri, of Sao Paulo and a former Boca Juniors star, will likely shine too, while West Ham fans will have an eye on Manuel Lanzini.
Germany - 7/1
Die Mannschaft are unlikely to go home without a fight in Brazil, having enjoyed success at all levels in recent years, including in the World Cup just two years ago.
Of all the teams in the tournament, Germany arguably have the strongest first eleven, with a real spine to their side. Schalke 04 attacking midfielder Max Meyer will grab most of the headlines alongside Sven and Lars Bender, but Niklas Sule is a towering centre half who will prove tough to get past, while striker Nils Petersen scored 21 goals in 32 games for Freiburg last season.
Arsenal’s speedy and imposing winger Serge Gnabry will also provide another attacking and tactical option. As always, sensible money is on the Germans to go far.
Colombia - 16/1
There has been quite a lot of excitement surrounding Colombian football since their impressive World Cup in 2014, when they reached the quarter finals.
While not amongst the red-hot favourites, there is definitely something in a flutter on them, with a nucleus of talented young players being added to by experienced striker Teo Gutierrez.
Their squad may not be filled with household names, but they could do some damage in the games and an each-way bet could well be worth it.
Mexico - 22/1
When they met a star-studded Brazil side in the final at Wembley four years ago, few expected Mexico to prevail, but they did so with a 2-1 victory.
Defending gold will prove tough, but with Hirving Lozano, a 20-year-old striker from Pachuca supposedly interesting Manchester United, in their ranks, they will be confident of making a big splash.
An early clash with Germany in Group C will determine how far they can go, while also facing Fiji and South Korea.
Despite their lengthy odds, there could be something going for a bet on them.
Nigeria - 25/1
One of three African qualifiers, Nigeria are the side most likely to cause a threat to the more established tournament nations. Despite the senior side’s failure to reach the African Cup of Nations in 2017, the under-23s will benefit immensely from the inclusion of Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel.
Up front, 19-year-old Roma forward Umar Sadiq is a bright talent, with the Super Eagles being drawn in Group B alongside Sweden, Colombia and Japan
An unlikely winner? Perhaps not, but they are no pushovers.
Others
Amongst the other ten sides, Sweden, winners of the European title at under-21 level last time, will be a side to keep an eye on at 25/1, while South Korea (66/1), Japan (40/1) and Colombia (16/1) will also provide good representation for Asia and South America respectively. Honduras, Iraq (both 150/1) and Fiji (1000/1) are among the outsiders, as Portugal (10/1) look to continue their senior side’s success. Algeria (50/1) and South Africa (80/1) complete the line up.
Good value bets:
Argentina to score most goals 9/1
Mexico to beat Germany in opening game 21/10
Colombia to get a medal 11/4
Sweden to get a medal 7/2
Mexico to to win 22/1
Brazil one win away from Gold
By Sportsbook.ag
Will the Pressure of Being the Host Nation Swallow up Brazil's Mens Soccer Team?
With the 2016 Rio Olympic games in its final days, the bigger tournaments are coming to an end and that means that all eyes in Brazil will be on the Mens Gold Medal match in Soccer.
As excited and hopeful Brazil was to host these Olympics and see their athlete's succeed on home soil, they made no quarrels about the fact that if they could only finish the Olympics with one gold medal, it HAD to be in Mens Soccer.
The nation eats, sleeps, and breathes the sport of Soccer and after decades of being a world powerhouse in the sport, winning World Cups and other various international tournaments, the country has never claimed Olympic gold.
The 2016 games on home soil were meant to be the showcase for this nation to finally claim that elusive title and now they are simply 90 minutes away from that goal.
Sportsbook.ag Line: Brazil (+105), Germany (+260), tie (+240) ; Total: 2.5
The Brazilian team started the tournament feeling the enormous pressure they were under as they nervously played to consecutive 0-0 draws with South Africa and Iraq; two nations Brazil was expected to dominate.
The fact that a nation historically known for its offense and spectacular goals wasn't able to score a single tally in their first two matches set off alarm bells all over the country and many wondering if more Olympic heartbreak awaited Brazil.
Yet, after a 4-0 thumping of Denmark in the final Group stage game, and subsequent 2-0, and 6-0 victories in the quarter's and semis, this Brazil squad has made it's way to the Gold Medal Match without allowing a single goal in the tournament.
Defense might not be what the Brazilian nation is known for, but playing solidly in their own end has helped steady the nerves and pressure they obviously felt at the start of these games.
So now it's the proverbial “put up or shut up” time for the Brazilian team who enter the final match against Germany as prohibitive favorites to win and claim that elusive gold medal.
The fact that they have not allowed a single goal definitely plays a part in pricing this line, but for as dominant as they've looked lately, will that pressure to win the Olympics show up again in the final like it did in those early matches?
Winning a title is never easy, and we've seen similar scenarios like this in the Olympics before. You know, when the host nation has one particular event they want to claim.
We don't have to look to far back to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and Canada's bid to win Olympic Gold on home soil and how much pressure that put on their athletes.
The Canadians ended up getting the job done (just barely with an OT victory), but the pressure of a nation looms large on these young athletes shoulders and that can be quite burdensome.
Statistically there isn't a whole lot out there that suggests Brazil will come up short in the Gold medal Soccer match, but Germany is a world power in the sport too, and won't hesitate to capitalize on any nerves or tentativeness from the Brazilian side.
Pressure can do funny things in competitions like these, and if you are a big believer in the notion that “history repeats itself,” than taking that +260 price with the Germans might not seem like such a bad investment.