Tokyo Olympics 2020 odds, predictions for August 4: Expert reveals picks for soccer, men's skateboarding, more

Olympics expert Mike Tierney cashed big on the 2016 Summer Games and 2018 Winter Games

The United States leads all competing countries in medals with 79 at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. China has seven more gold medals with a grand tally of 32, but the Americans are trying to catch up. Gold-medal performances from track athletes Athing Mu and Sydney McLaughlin were encouraging earlier this week. There will be additional opportunities for Team USA to grace the medal podium in the near future, as well, with the traditionally-dominant USWNT looking to save face on Thursday against a formidable foe in Australia. With a win the USWNT can avoid missing out on hardware for the second-straight Olympic Games.

Kickoff for USWNT vs. Australia from Kashima Stadium is set for 4 a.m ET. Caesars Sportsbook lists the USWNT as -137 on the 90-minute money line, while the Aussies are +375 after refusing to give up three points to the United States during the group stage. Can the USWNT salvage its underwhelming performance with a bronze medal in the third-place game? That remains to be seen. Before locking in any 2020 Tokyo Olympics picks or predictions for those events or others, you need to see what SportsLine Olympics expert Mike Tierney is saying.

A national sportswriter whose work appears in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Tierney has covered nine Olympic Games in person. In the past two Olympic Games, his advice helped those who followed him cash in big, and he already has nailed a huge winner at Tokyo 2020.

Tierney kicked off his Olympics 2020 picks by taking Norway's Kristian Blummenfelt (+600) as his pick to win gold in Sunday's men's triathlon, and the 27-year-old ran away with the event. He also picked Chinese legend Long Ma (+163) to win the men's table tennis final over ITTF world No. 1 Fan Zhendong and called Japan (+100), upsetting Team USA in the softball final.

At the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in 2018, he nailed Suzanne Schulting (+2500) of the Netherlands and Norway's Havard Lorentzen (+800) to triumph in speed skating and the USA's Mikaela Shiffrin (+185) to win the giant slalom. Tierney also took the under (10.5) on the Americans' gold-medal count, and that also cashed as the USA came in with nine.

And at the Rio 2016 Summer Games, Tierney told readers to bet over on Team USA's gold medal count (41.5) and over on Team USA's overall medal count (102.5). The result? 46 golds, 121 medals and two easy cashes. Anyone who followed Tierney's advice cashed in huge.

Now, Tierney has been studying the 2020 Tokyo Olympics event schedule and digging down into individual and team sports. He has released three confident Olympic best bets for Wednesday and Thursday. He's only sharing his expert Olympics 2020 picks at SportsLine.

Top 2020 Tokyo Olympics predictions

One giveaway: Tierney is backing Australia to beat the USWNT in regulation at +375 odds. During the group stage, the Matildas tied the Americans in a goalless draw and commanded more than 60 percent of the possession in a dominant performance. The USWNT has had its goalkeeper scratched with an injury, and its uninspired, aging roster could lack motivation playing in a game that's not for first place in the tournament. 

Australia's Sam Kerr has been exceptional with five goals and one assist. The USWNT hasn't had a consistent player who can match her attacking prowess. The Americans could rally to steal the hardware from Australia, but that seems unlikely given how they've played so far at Tokyo 2020.

How to make 2020 Tokyo Olympics picks

In addition to backing Australia on the money line against the USWNT on Thursday, Tierney has locked in two other expert best bets for Wednesday. Both picks offer plus-money payouts. He's only giving those 2020 Tokyo Olympics picks away at SportsLine.

What are the best bets you can make for Wednesday and Thursday Olympic action? And which plus-money payouts should you be all over? Visit SportsLine now to get Mike Tierney's best bets for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, all from the renowned sportswriter who's covered nine Olympics in person and cashed big in both 2016 and '18, and find out.