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Euro 2021: Turkey Preview, Predictions & Betting Odds

Turkey European Championship Record

Third place: 2008
Quarter-final: 2000
Group stage: 1996
Did not qualify: 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 2004, 2012

Total: W3 D2 L7 11:18

Turkey Euro 2021 Qualifying Record

W5 D3 L2 14:9

Turkey Euro 2021 Group Fixtures

12th June @15:00 – Turkey vs Croatia (Parc des Princes, Paris)

17th June @21:00Spain vs Turkey (Allianz Riviera, Nice)

21st June @21:00 – Czech Republic vs Turkey (Stade Bollaert, Lens)

Road to Euro 2021

Turkey had been placed in one of the toughest groups in the Euro 2021 qualifying, and they eventually did well to secure an automatic qualifying berth. Milli Takim had a largely disappointing start to the campaign, suffering back to back losses to Iceland and Czech Republic before sharing spoils with Latvia, but the 4-0 friendly defeat to Brazil appears to have served as a genuine wake-up call seeing that Turkey haven’t lost a single game since (W10 D3).

Despite showing some improvement, Milli Takim were in all sorts of problems after yet another draw with Latvia, as they needed a win over Netherlands to remain in contention for a place at the Euro 2021. Turkey then produced one of their best performances in recent years to hammer Oranje 3-0, before going on to defeat Czech Republic and Iceland as well, making sure they qualified as the most successful third-placed side.

Style of Play

Similar to many other teams due to appear at the European Championships finals in France, Turkey tend to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, although the lack of tactical discipline means they will often lose shape and be forced to improvise on the pitch. While Fatih ‘The Emperor’ Terim enjoys huge respect in the country, he is often criticised for relying too much on individual talent of his players and failing to create a viable style of play where each player would know exactly what he needs to do.

Even if this is not exactly the perfect scenario, the players appear to have gotten used to such an approach and they usually perform at a very high level when playing for the national team. It is this passion and never-say-die attitude that have helped Milli Takim in recent years and they could definitely give them the extra edge at the Euro 2021 finals in France.

It has to be noted that Turkey impressed in each of their last three appearances at major competitions, reaching the semi-finals at the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2008, while crashing out in the quarter-finals at the Euro 2000. Milli Takim tend to play with a great deal of confidence even when things are not going according to plan, and they have become real masters of producing great comebacks after conceding the first goal.

Attacking midfielders Arda Turan, Oguzhan Ozyakup and Hakan Calhanoglu, together with the impressive Selcuk Inan have got bags of quality and their individual talent can prove a major asset in France. Cenk Tosun has taken over from Burak Yilmaz as the starting centre forward despite the fact that he struggles for playing time at Besiktas, and the brace in the friendly win over Sweden will do wonders for his confidence.

Turkey head to the Euro 2021 in excellent spirits, having won 10 of last 13 fixtures (D3), but their attack-minded style of play could leave them exposed against what are very strong teams in Group D. Full-backs Gokhan Gonul and Caner Erkin both leave a lot of space behind when going forward, while it appears Fatih Terim still hasn’t found the preferred centre-back pairing. And with Volkan Babacan not exactly a perfect replacement for Volkan Demirel, don’t expect Milli Takim to keep too many clean sheets in France.

Strong Points

  • Formidable midfield
  • Individual quality
  • Never-say-die attitude
  • Tend to impress at major competitions
  • Masters of great comebacks

Weak Spots

  • Susceptible to counter-attacks
  • Shaky back line
  • Goalkeeper position
  • Lack of tactical discipline

Turkey Euro 2021 Starting Line-Up

Euro 2021: Turkey Preview, Predictions & Betting Odds

Prediction

Granted, Turkey have been placed in a seemingly difficult group, but it is important to note that none of the three opponents they are set to face in France have been impressive of late. While Spain are desperately trying to return to old glory days, both Croatia and Czech Republic have plenty of weak spots and that is something that Fatih Terim’s side should be able to exploit.

Milli Takim can be very dangerous up front and is likely to dominate possession thanks to an impressive midfield department, while their incredible drive when playing for the national team can prove all the difference. Turkey have done really well at major competitions of late and even though their back line is not exactly in the best possible shape, Fatih Terim’s charges should have enough quality and experience to at least get past the group stage.

IST Tip: Turkey to qualify from Group D
Odds: 1.91 (10/11) @BetVictor

Interesting Markets

*Spain/Turkey Group C straight forecast is 6.00 (5/1) @Winner
*Turkey to be eliminated in Last 16 stage is 3.00 (2/1) @bet365
*Turkey to win 4 group points is 4.33 (10/3) @bet365

Turkey Euro 2021 Squad:

Goalkeepers: Volkan Babacan (Basaksehir), Onur Recep Kivrak (Trabzonspor), Harun Tekin (Bursaspor).

Defenders: Gokhan Gonul (Fenerbahce), Ahmet Calik (Genclerbirligi), Sener Ozbayrakli (Fenerbahce), Hakan Balta (Galatasaray), Mehmet Topal (Fenerbahce), Semih Kaya (Galatasaray), Ismail Koybasi (Besiktas), Caner Erkin (Fenerbahce).

Midfielders: Emre Mor (Nordsjaelland), Volkan Sen (Fenerbahce), Hakan Calhanoglu (Leverkusen), Nuri Sahin (Dortmund), Oguzhan Ozyakup (Besiktas), Ozan Tufan (Fenerbahce), Selcuk Inan (Galatasaray), Arda Turan (Barcelona), Olcay Sahan (Besiktas), Yunus Malli (FSV Mainz 05).

Forwards: Burak Yilmaz (Beijing Guoan), Cenk Tosun (Besiktas).

Last updated: 5th June 2016

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IST employs a team of writers with an extensive experience in the gaming industry, who are passionate about football and ready to go the extra mile to provide our readers with inside information on top football clubs, players and national teams. We always ensure to only use reputable sources and we hope you will enjoy the content on our site.
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