[Summer Olympics] Guinea vs New Zealand - Most of the players on the home team play in France and have better physical fitness than the visiting team.

The Guinea U-23 national team has qualified for the Olympics for the first time since 1968, a remarkable achievement for such a modest footballing nation. In the African Championship, Guinea reached the semifinals but lost 0-1 to Egypt. In the third-place match, Guinea was narrowly defeated by Mali in a penalty shootout. Ultimately, Guinea secured their Olympic spot by winning the intercontinental playoff against Indonesia, triumphing 1-0.

Head coach Kaba Diawara has fully utilized the option to call up three players over the age of 23. We will see former Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita, who had a disappointing season with Werder Bremen, 27-year-old Anderlecht defender Amadou Diawara, and 30-year-old Le Havre forward Abdoulaye Touré.

Since Australia's transition to the AFC zone, New Zealand has dominated Oceania at all levels, including youth. The only time they missed the Olympics in this period was in 2016 when Fiji sensationally won the qualification, only to concede 25 goals in three matches at the tournament.

In the 2024 Olympic qualifiers, New Zealand left no chance for their competitors. After a commanding group stage performance, they thrashed Vanuatu 8-0 in the semifinals and demolished Fiji 9-0 in the final. In a recent friendly match, New Zealand lost to Uzbekistan 1-3.