Once the dust from the upcoming UEFA European Championship in Germany settles, the attention will turn to Paris where the 33rd edition of the Olympic Games will take place, starting on 26th July. All participating athletes will be putting in their final preparations over the coming month before the torch is lit at the Jardin du Trocadero Stadium. For France’s men’s football team, led by French legend Thierry Henry, their players will be looking to bring the ultimate glory to their people, Olympic gold.
On Monday 3rd June, Henry announced a provisional 25-man squad that will compete at the upcoming Games. The likes of Paris Saint-Germain’s Warren Zaïre-Emery and Bradley Barcola were included alongside experienced striker Alexander Lacazette, but there was no sign of Kylian Mbappé or Antoine Griezmann, yet. Henry said in his press conference, “This is the list for the moment, which may change,” leaving the door open for a potential appearance from Mbappé or Griezmann. Although the chances are slim, especially for Mbappé after his blockbuster move to Real Madrid, the French population will keep a keen eye on proceedings.
Photo source Minesparis
Who to look out for!
Once Henry’s list gets whittled down to 22 players, 18 players and 4 reserves, there will certainly be a few names that are more familiar to fans of European football. Although likely to miss out on Didier Deschamps final squad for Euro 2024, Crystal Palace’s French duo Michael Olise and Jean-Phillipe Mateta will be vying for starting places after finishing the season strongly with Palace. Mateta in particularly ended the season in red hot form, scoring a hattrick against Aston Villa on the final day of the season, which concluded a run of 11 goals in the final 10 matches. Olise himself had scored a brace and played an instrumental role in the crushing 4-0 defeat of Manchester United.
Behind an attacking selection that also features FC Bayern Munich’s Mathys Tel and the aforementioned Barcola and Lacazette, there is plenty of talent in the midfield that managers around Europe will be keeping an eye on. Khephren Thuram (OGC Nice) and Désiré Doué (Stade Rennais) are both tipped for very bright futures, with the latter already linked with some of the biggest clubs in Europe including Barcelona, Arsenal, and Borussia Dortmund.
Who is the competition?
France will likely go into the tournament as one of the favourites to win gold on Olympics 2024 betting markets, but with the likes of Spain, Argentina, and Japan also competing, that cannot be taken for granted. France is due to play United States, Guinea, and New Zealand in the group stage. Reigning gold medallists, Brazil, will not be competing in Paris, which means there will be a new champion this year. France’s players will be hoping they will have gold medals around their necks on 9th August in Paris.
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