Poland +175 Favorites to Win 2020 Olympic Men’s Volleyball

• The Olympic Men’s Volleyball competition starts Saturday, July 24th (Friday in North America)
• Poland is the +175 favorites to win gold over Brazil
• Are there any longshots worth betting at their current price and what’s the best bet?

The Olympic Men’s Volleyball competition is set to begin on Saturday (Friday in North America), with Poland the leading favorites to earn the gold medal. They failed to medal last time around in Rio 2016, and in fact have only won it all once, way back in 1976. They’ve advanced out of pool play their last four Olympics, but have failed to reach the semi-finals in any of those instances.

The Brazilian’s are right behind them, considered the squad with the best chance to topple Poland, as they defend their gold medal from 2016. The last four Olympics have seen Brazil win either gold (2004, 2016), or silver (2008, 2012). The United States won it all in 2008 and in the most recent Olympics, were bronze medalists.

With Poland having the upper hand in the eyes of oddsmakers, who is the best bet to make and are there any longshot teams worth considering?

Olympic Men’s Volleyball Odds

Odds as of July 22 at DraftKings

Why Poland is Favored

It may seem a little strange that a squad that hasn’t won gold, let alone medaled, since 1976 is the favorite to win it all at first blush. It becomes a little more confusing when they’re second place in the world rankings, behind Brazil.

Poland has two big things going for them – they’re competing in group A, which is considered the far easier group, and they also have Wilfredo Leon, who is a sublime talent that is referred to as the ‘Cristiano Ronaldo’ of volleyball.

🇵🇱 Wilfredo Leon unleashed 13 aces against Serbia! 😳💪🏼 #VNL2021 #volleyball pic.twitter.com/4PLEGg1HA0

— Volleytrails🏐 (@TwoCityTrails) May 30, 2021

He was named ‘Best Spiker’ in 2019 and can dominate a match with his vast talents. Without question he’s the top player competing on the men’s side, giving Poland the upper hand.

Brazil a Formidable Force

Certainly Brazil will be a huge factor in perhaps preventing Poland from their first gold medal since the 70’s, as they’re tops in the world rankings. Had it not been for the behemoth Group B, they’d be the favorites. In that group, they’ll be competing against the likes of France, ROC and the United States, who have the third through fifth shortest odds to win gold.

Brazil’s men were undefeated throughout the 2019 FIVB World Cup season, eventually being crowned champions. They also recently defeated Poland to claim the first Volleyball Men’s Nations League title.

Game over! Brazil 🇧🇷 is the 2021 #VNL champion. Wallace & Team made a comeback to defeat Poland 🇵🇱 (22-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-14).

📺 WATCH on https://t.co/N4fErwPx9b

📰 Latest Updates ➡ https://t.co/KpYig2dCyq

🏐 #BePartOfTheGame #VNLFinals #Volleyball pic.twitter.com/P9pK5ttqsC

— Volleyball World (@volleyballworld) June 27, 2021

After losing the first set and winning a hard fought second stanza, Brazil took control with dominant third and fourth sets to capture the title.

Last Five Olympic Men’s Volleyball Gold Winners

Value Picks Worth of Consideration

At +800 odds, Italy is very intriguing to consider, since apart from Poland, their pool Group A is very lightweight. They’ve also historically done very well, earning silver in 2016 and bronze in 2012. Should they lose to Poland in the group stages, which is likely, their odds will get even juicier.

The United States at +625 are also worth a look, despite playing in the ‘group of death’ pool. Two of the last three Olympics they’ve medaled, with gold in 2008 and bronze in the most recent Olympics. They’re fifth in the world rankings but super tightly bunched with Russia and France.

Even though they’re in the much more difficult pool, Brazil has proven time and again that they’re the upper class elite in volleyball, and are #1 in the world rankings for a reason. Their slight value over favored Poland is intriguing, especially with a far better historical record at this event.

Pick: Brazil (+330)