The Turkish national team will play its first match under new manager Vincenzo Montella against Croatia in a crucial Euro 2024 qualifier.
Turkiye are currently tied on 10 points with Croatia but have played an extra game.
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A victory would put the Turkish side at a huge advantage for qualifying from the group.
Montella is expected to give some young players a chance in the starting lineup, including Uğurcan Çakır in goal, Abdülkerim Bardakçı and Kaan Ayhan in defense, and Ferdi Kadıoğlu at left-back.
Another option could be Manchester United keeper Altay Bayindir starting in goal.
Experienced defenders Ozan Kabak, Çağlar Söyüncü, and Merih Demiral are all missing due to injury or suspension.
Additionally, Real Madrid midfielder Arda Guler is also out injured.
İsmail Yüksek, who had a great season with Fenerbahçe, is expected to start in front of the defense. Hakan Çalhanoğlu, who had a great season with Inter, will be one of the team’s key players.
On the left wing, Montella will play Galatasaray star Kerem Aktürkoğlu. On the right wing, İrfan Can Kahveci will start. Bertuğ Yıldırım, who transferred to Rennes after a great season with Hatayspor, will start at striker in the absence of Enes Ünal.
Ozan Kabak has been removed from the Turkey squad due to injury. Kramaric, one of Croatia’s injured players, was not included in the match squad, and Bruno Petkovic’s situation will be assessed at the time of the match.
Croatia is currently the leader of Group D with 10 points, followed by Turkey with the same number of points. Armenia and Wales are in third and fourth place with 7 points each. Latvia, which has not scored a point, is in last place.
The group stage, where 20 teams will qualify for EURO 2024, will end with matches played on 16-21 November 2023. The top two teams in each of the 10 groups will qualify for EURO 2024.
Montella is taking a bold approach to his first match in charge of Turkey, by giving some young players a chance to prove themselves.
This shows that he is confident in their abilities and is willing to give them the opportunity to play at the highest level.
It will be interesting to see how the young players perform against Croatia. If they can impress, it will be a good sign for the future of the Turkish national team.
