Argentina vs Iraq Prediction and Betting Tips: Back Alvarez to find the net

Argentina take on Iraq in the men’s Olympic football tournament on Saturday afternoon. Read below about our best bets for the game which will take place in Lyon.

Iraq managed a 2-1 victory over Ukraine in their opening game, but they can count themselves fortunate to get the victory after their opponents squandered plenty of big chances. In total, Ukraine racked up 3.02xG compared to just 1.05xG from Iraq, with 0.79 of Iraq’s total coming from a penalty that was scored.

Drama surrounded Argentina’s opener against Morocco as the World Cup winners thought they had bagged a 116th minute equaliser. However, the goal was controversially ruled out a whole two hours later and they must now secure a result here to avoid going out of the tournament. 

Iraq on the other hand have already qualified for the knockout stage, and I think the controversy of Argentina’s last match will have left them highly motivated to put in a strong showing against a much weaker side in Iraq. Taking the -1 match handicap at even money means this bet will cash should they win the game by two or more goals.

There is no denying that Julian Alvarez didn’t have the best of games against Morocco on Wednesday. The Manchester City man looked a little fatigued at times, which is no surprise after featuring over 50 matches for his club side last season.

Still, despite this Alvarez is by far the stand-out player in Argentina’s Olympic squad, with Nicolas Otamendi of Benfica and Geronimo Rulli of Ajax being the other two players over the age of 23 in the group. 

I can foresee Argentina laying down a marker for the tournament against Iraq after what happened last time out. The only meeting between the pair ended 4-0 to Argentina in a friendly back in 2018 and I think a similar scoreline could be on the cards, with Alvarez finding the net at an appealing 5/4 in the anytime scorer market.