Two months ago, in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals, Turkey were just a step away from advancing to the next stage. Their upcoming opponents, Wales, failed to reach the final stage of the tournament—there are fewer top players in the Welsh squad who can make a difference.
Following an average performance in the European Championship qualifiers, Wales faced Finland (4:1) and Poland (0:1 after penalties) in the playoffs. At home against Poland, they generated 0.85 xG over 120 minutes but couldn't get past Wojciech Szczęsny. The coaching staff is increasingly reluctant to rely on veterans like Aaron Ramsey, and the attacking duo of Kieffer Moore and Brennan Johnson is lacking—the team needs more quality.
In Euro 2024, Turkey essentially only faltered against Portugal (0:3), but scored eight goals over six games in the tournament. Notably, in their match against Austria (2:1), which they played without key players Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Samet Akaydin due to suspension, the team still managed to generate 0.87 xG and scored twice from free kicks and corners. The versatility of Turkey's attack can disrupt opponents' plans.
In the Euro 2024 qualifiers, Wales and Turkey were in the same group—Turkey took four points from their head-to-head encounters (2:0 and 1:1). The Turkish side is favourites once again, as their leading players have the individual skill to make a decisive impact.
|
Craig Bellamy
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
In squad
|
|||
Danny Ward
|
gk. | 41 | -45 |
Adam Davis
|
gk. | 5 | -2 |
Karl Darlow
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
Ben Davies
|
df. | 87 | 2 |
Connor Roberts
|
df. | 55 | 3 |
Chris Mepham
|
df. | 46 | 0 |
|
Joe Rodon
|
df. | 45 | 0 |
Neco Williams
|
df. | 39 | 4 |
Ben Cabango
|
df. | 9 | 0 |
Owen Beck
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
Aaron Ramsey
|
mf. | 84 | 21 |
|
Ethan Ampadu
|
mf. | 52 | 0 |
Jordan James
|
mf. | 11 | 0 |
Josh Sheehan
|
mf. | 7 | 0 |
|
Oliver Cooper
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
Harry Wilson
|
fw. | 55 | 8 |
|
Daniel James
|
fw. | 50 | 7 |
|
Kieffer Moore
|
fw. | 43 | 12 |
|
Brennan Price Johnson
|
fw. | 28 | 3 |
Rabbi Matondo
|
fw. | 12 | 0 |
Sorba Thomas
|
fw. | 8 | 0 |
Mark Harris
|
fw. | 5 | 0 |
|
Liam Cullen
|
fw. | 3 | 0 |
Lewis Koumas
|
fw. | 2 | 0 |
|
Vincenzo Montella
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
In squad
|
|||
Mert Günok
|
gk. | 33 | -33 |
Uğurcan Çakır
|
gk. | 27 | -44 |
Altay Bayındır
|
gk. | 10 | -14 |
Muhammed Şengezer
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
Kaan Ayhan
|
df. | 63 | 5 |
Çağlar Söyüncü
|
df. | 55 | 2 |
Mehmet Zeki Çelik
|
df. | 48 | 2 |
Merih Demiral
|
df. | 48 | 4 |
|
Mert Müldür
|
df. | 28 | 2 |
|
Abdülkerim Bardakcı
|
df. | 12 | 1 |
|
Eren Elmalı
|
df. | 10 | 0 |
|
Samet Akaydin
|
df. | 10 | 1 |
|
Emirhan Topçu
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
Hakan Çalhanoğlu
|
mf. | 90 | 19 |
|
Okay Yokuşlu
|
mf. | 43 | 1 |
Orkun Kökçü
|
mf. | 32 | 2 |
Salih Uchan
|
mf. | 22 | 0 |
|
İsmail Yüksek
|
mf. | 17 | 1 |
Arda Güler
|
mf. | 12 | 2 |
Can Yılmaz Uzun
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Muhammed Kerem Aktürkoğlu
|
fw. | 34 | 6 |
|
İrfan Can Kahveci
|
fw. | 33 | 2 |
|
Barış Alper Yılmaz
|
fw. | 20 | 2 |
Kenan Yıldız
|
fw. | 12 | 1 |
Mehmet Umut Nayir
|
fw. | 4 | 1 |
|
Semih Kılıçsoy
|
fw. | 3 | 0 |
Eren Dinkci
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Mustafa Erhan Hekimoğlu
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
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