2024 Paris Olympics Odds, Picks & Predictions: Friday (8/2)
Is the Egyptian men's soccer team being undervalued against Paraguay? Can the USA men's volleyball team take care of business against Japan? And will World Record holder Joshua Cheptegei get his Olympic gold in the 10,000-meter?
Here are the three best bets for August 2 at the Paris Olympics.
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Friday’s Best 2024 Paris Olympic Picks
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Men's Soccer: Egypt (+185) vs. Paraguay
The Egyptians had a solid run through the Group Stage. Though they began with a disappointing 0-0 tie against the Dominican Republic, they rebounded nicely by winning their next two games. Their 2-1 victory over Spain launched them into first place in Group C. As a result, they get to take on Paraguay.
It's not surprising to see a South American country favored over an African nation. However, if you've watched these two teams play, the Egyptians are better. They are sound defensively, allowing just one goal in the Group Stage. While they aren't the best offensive team, they did score in two of their three games. Paraguay allowed seven goals in the Group Stage, including five against Japan. Egypt will score more than once in this match, and the defense will keep Paraguay at arm's length.
Men's Volleyball: USA -1.5 (+120) vs. Japan
The United States men's volleyball team is 2-0 after a thrilling 3-2 victory over Germany. While the match went five sets, the U.S. looked like the much better team in the first two sets, jumping out to a 2-0 lead. The Germans then adjusted and won two sets in a row. The Germans have the ability to make that sort of comeback, but Japan doesn't.
The United States and Japan have played against the same teams at this tournament, and Japan has been playing one set behind the U.S. thus far. Team USA swept Argentina 3-0, while Japan beat them 3-1. The U.S. beat Germany 3-2 but Germany beat Japan 3-2. The Americans will win this match, it's just a matter of how quickly they get it done. If they play like they did in the first five sets of this tournament, this will be over quickly.
Men's 10,000 Meter: Joshua Cheptegei (+150)
There is a bit of panic surrounding Cheptegei entering this year's Olympics. He holds the World Record in the 10,000-meter and has won the last three World Championships in the event. That includes last year where he competed against much of the field that is in this race. However, there are concerns about how he's been running this year, especially after finishing ninth in a 5,000-meter race in May.
While this is a really competitive field and many are arguing that Cheptegei is too old to win this race, 27 is far from old for distance runners. There are a lot of great runners who have had good seasons, such as Jacob Kiplimo and Yomif Kejelcha. There's also the 2020 Olympic champion in the event, Selemon Barega, who defeated Cheptegei by .41 seconds. Cheptegei isn't going to let it stay that close this year, as he goes for gold one last time.
Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.