Turkey take on France in the third of their 2020 European Champions Group H qualifiers on Saturday at the Konya Stadium.
Head coach Senol Gunes has won his first four games in charge, scoring 10 goals and conceding just one.
Turkey face their first major test tonight against world champions France.
To most Turks Senol Gunes is the hero who led their team, against all the odds, to a historic third place in the 2002 World Cup.
Senol Gunes holds a special place in the hearts of most Turkish football fans, he put Turkey on the map.
In Turkish football, where there are big egos, you need a charismatic leader, respected for his career and his knowledge of the game.
In Turkey, only two or three managers tick all the boxes. Gunes is one of them.
Despite his background as a goalkeeper during his playing day Gunes’ style is anything but defensive.
Gunes promotes an aesthetically pleasing attacking style of play, pleasant to watch based on smooth passing and hard pressing.
Known as the ‘teacher’ he has a reputation for developing players, especially attacking footballers.
With the likes of Merih Demiral, Ozan Kabak, Cengiz Under, Mehmet Zeki Celik, Abdulkadir Omur, Caglar Soyuncu, Yusuf Yazici, Guven Yalcin, Enes Unal all 22 or under he has a lot to work with.
There hasn’t been a vibe like this about the national team in well over a decade. There is a feeling that this is the start of something special.
This is the first time I have been excited about the national team in years. It may be a little too early to take on France but it’ll give us a better understanding of just how good this Turkey side is.
Everyone has written off Turkey tonight but I genuinely think they could spring a surprise. We could be looking at the rise of a golden generation.
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Turkiey vs France – Probable Lineups
Turkey: Mert, Zeki, Kaan, Merih, Hasan Ali, Dorukhan, Mahmut, Cengiz, İrfan Can, Hakan, Burak
Manager: Şenol Güneş
France: Lloris, Pavard, Varane, Umtiti, Digne, N’Dombele, Pogba, Matuidi, Lemar, Griezmann, Mbappe
Manager: Didier Deschamps
