Kicking off their campaigns at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Wednesday evening, Egypt Under-23s and Dominican Republic Under-23s go head-to-head at Stade de la Beaujoire.
With Group C also featuring Spain and Uzbekistan, neither side can afford to lose their opening fixture in Nantes.
Match preview
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After winning the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil four years ago, Egypt were then quarter-finalists at the delayed Tokyo 2020 games, only falling to eventual winners Brazil at the last-eight stage.
Though they could not successfully defend their African title last year, they still qualified for Paris 2024 by finishing runners-up to regional rivals Morocco.
Marking the first time that the Pharaohs will play successive Olympic tournaments since Tokyo 1964, Rogerio Micale's current squad will now aim to claim a first football medal in their nation's history.
A gold-medallist with Brazil in 2016, the vastly experienced Micale has taken advantage of a rule that allows three overage players to join the squad by calling up Mohamed Elneny and Ahmed Sayed.
Having beaten Ivory Coast twice in June, Egypt played out a 1-1 draw with Ukraine last week, then won 2-1 against Iraq in their final friendly before trying to secure a top-two finish in Group C.
While their opening opponents are 13-time finalists, the Dominican Republic will make their Olympic football debut this summer and therefore start as outsiders to progress to the knockout phase.
After finishing last in their qualifying group for Tokyo 2020, Los Quisqueyanos bounced back by reaching the 2022 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship final, thereby securing a place in Paris.
Although they lost 6-0 to the United States in that final, an Under-23 team managed by Basque boss Ibai Gomez now has the chance to break new ground.
Qualification has encouraged players of Dominican descent to come forward and accept selection, with 27-year-old Junior Firpo of Leeds United one of three overage players in the squad this summer.
However, a recent 7-0 friendly loss to Thierry Henry's talented France team demonstrates the task ahead for the Dominicans and their inexperienced head coach.
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Team News
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Several stars - including Mohamed Salah, Mahmoud Trezeguet and Hamdi Fathi - either turned down call-ups to Egypt's squad or were denied to permission to play by their clubs.
Domestic giants Al Ahly and Pyramids FC refused to let some senior players leave amid a close title race, while Ahmed Nabil Koka suffered a foot injury in the recent friendly with Ukraine.
Nonetheless, Mohamed Elneny starts in the Pharaohs' midfield, and Zamalek forward Ahmed Sayed should feature in the final third, alongside rising star Ibrahim Adel, who scored twice against Iraq last time out.
While Egypt's selection is largely home-based, the Dominican Republic's final 21-man squad is mostly made up of dual-nationals who play overseas.
Former Athletic Club winger Ibai Gomez has called up 17 Europe-based players, including Peter Gonzalez and Edgar Pujol (both Real Madrid), and Oscar Urena of Girona.
Inglostadt goalkeeper Enrique Bosl is set to beat Houston Dynamo's Xavier Valdez to selection between the posts, while Heinz Morschel, Luiyi de Lucas and Junior Firpo take the three overage places.
Egypt Under-23s possible starting lineup:
Alaa; Fayed, Abdelmeguid, Eid, El-Debes; Elneny, Shehata, Atef; Sayed, Adel, Faisal
Dominican Republic Under-23s possible starting lineup:
Bosl; Urbaez, Pujol, Lemaire; Nunez, Marizan, Messina, Montes de Oca, Urena; Lorenzo, Gonzalez
We say: Egypt Under-23s 2-0 Dominican Republic Under-23s
Egypt have put together a positive run of results this year and should contend for a top-two place in Group C, while the Dominican Republic will consider every goal or point to be a bonus.
Expect the Pharaohs to reign supreme in Nantes, before facing tougher tests against Uzbekistan and Spain.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
