London Olympics 2012 - Mens Football Group A

It's London 2012 Olympics football predictions time and we take an early look at the betting markets and hope to find some quality football betting tips.The Mens event should be a really good tournament with some excellent over age players and exciting youngsters. Will Brazil finally end their Olympic football drought? Will hosts Great Britain find the pressure too much? Will a new world superstar be born?

Mens Olympic Football - Group A Analysis

Group A - Betting Odds (best prices)

• Great Britain    9.00 Outright. 2.10 Group A Winner.
• Uruguay.          10.0  Outright. 2.63 Group A Winner.
• Senegal            51.0 Outright. 10.0 Group A Winner.
• U.A.E                 251  Outright. 26.0 Group A Winner.

Group Analysis:

Great Britain's squad is packed with young powerful players. There is very little top level experience however with the exception of the three overage players and Aaron Ramsey. Daniel Sturridge is 50/50 to make the finals after coming down with meningitis. The team were also unlucky to lose Gareth Bale to injury, which is a massive blow.Team GB should be good enough to qualify out the group but I cannot see them going far, another negative is the coach Stuart Pearce. Not a progressive manager and will be all about pressing, energy and power.

Overage Players: Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy and Micah Richards.

How Qualified: Host Nation.

Star Man: Ryan Giggs will be the central figure and has rightly been named the captain. Will be vital to the team and will try to be the calming influence on the younger, inexperienced players. Gone are the days of him flying down the wing, he's adapted his game and has developed into a handy central midfielder. Will more than likely partner countryman Aaron Ramsey.

Emerging Star:Jack Butland is a massive talent and has already caught the eye of England's top sides. At 6ft 4 inches this 19 Year old goalkeeper has all the qualities needed to be a top level player. 

Uruguay had a real mixed bag of results in qualification. They were defensively sound for the majority of the Conmebol qualifying before a 6-0 hammering in the final game against Brazil. They did however beat 4 of their major South American rivals and finished as runners up to secure their place in London. They have lined up with a flexible 4-5-1 in recent friendly matches, unusual for coach Tabarez as he usually goes with three at the back. The experienced senior team coach will bring his excellent tactical knowledge and pro-active coaching style to the olympic side and hope he can replicate the success he has brought the Uruguay senior side.

Overage Players: Luis Suarez, Edison Cavani and Edigo Rios.

How Qualified: Finished 3rd in opening group and then runners up in final qualifying.

Star Man: Luis Suarez will be the man to lead Uruguay into the latter stages. Very direct player and unpredictable in and around the box. Will add much needed firepower to the goal shy young Uruguay. They were very strong during qualifying but often struggled in front goal. Something Suarez and Cavani should be able to remedy.

Emerging Star: Gaston Ramirez is a highly rated attacking midfielder attracting the scouts of the top EPL sides. Playing as a classic "Number 10" Ramirez looks to have a bright future. He has had an excellent two seasons in Italy Serie A scoring 15 times  for Bologna. 

Senegal finished as the fourth best African side, expectations will be low and they have been handed a difficult group. The playing group has good experience though and they will be strong and full of pace. They have selected a few interesting overage players and have managed to naturalise French U21 forward Magaye Gueye. They were really lightweight in qualifying, indeed they only scored three times. Something coach Cisse sought to rectify with his overage selections. Senegal will be hard to break down and have strengthened the back line with hardman Papa Gueye and have defensive cover from Diame.

Overage Players: Papa Gueye, Mo Diame and Dame N'Doye.

How Qualified: Finished 4th best in Africa, then faced playoff v Oman. Won 2-0.

Star Man: Dame N'Doye was surprisingly selected ahead of Ba and Cisse. The FC Copenhagen striker is full of goals though. Another player coveted by many EPL sides this forward is a fast, direct player who knows where the goal is.

Emerging Star: Ibrahima Balde is yet another exciting striker from the Senegalese conveyor belt. He made the unusual move to Argentina aged just 16 and played in youth sides of Velez and Argentinos Jrs before moving to Spain and Atletico Madrid.  Has scored goals and looked lively before moving to Osasuna. They were so impressed they have slapped a €9 million buyout clause on him to deter suitors.

United Arab Emirates qualified in style, going unbeaten in the 10 matches and scoring 20 goals. The final group was very difficult yet they still won 4 of their 6 games.The team are made up almost entirely of players from UAE Pro league. Only Al Kamali plays outside the country (Plays for Lyon reserves) This inexperiance and insularity will have a negative effect as they face 3 teams of widely contrasting styles. 

Overage Players: Ismail Matar, Ali Khasif and Abdullah Moosa.

How Qualified: Two qualifiers (10-1 & 2-1) Then topped final group.

Star Man: Ismail Matar is the undoubted golden boy of Emirati football.  Can play attacking midfield or as a striker. Has earned 101 caps for the senior side and scored 25 times. Has been a star man for club side Al Wahda for over 10 years. 

Emerging Star: Ahmed Kalil will lead the line for UAE and has already shown he can be a star at the highest level. Has an excellent scoring record at club and youth level. With 26 goals in 60 games for Al Ahli and 36 goals in 55 youth internationals Kalil in conjunction with Matar might cause a few problems in Group A.

Betting Analysis:

One bet stands out and you must be quick before all the value is gone. Uruguay to win Group A is the bet. 2.63(BetFred) is a massive price and with the announcement of the participation of Suarez and Cavani the price won't last long. Great Britain should not be favourites, most betting firms go odds on GB except Stan James and WillHill who show joint favouritism. Betting Tips thinks the South Americans will have too much for Senegal and UAE and have the better players than the Hosts.