Euro 2020, Group A, Turkey Preview: Detailed Squad, Key Players, Calendar And Odds
Turkey is famous for its passionate football, as was evident during their campaign at the 2002 World Cup, where they finished third, as well as at the 2008 European Championship. They now have probably the most powerful team in a long time, as Senol Gunes ‘ team prepares to take on the best in Europe.
The Crescent Stars are billed as one of the underdogs going into Euro 2020. Having come close to winning their qualifying group which also involved world champions, France, many will follow their campaign at the 2021 European Championship.
GROUP AND FIXTURES
Tukey are in Group A, along with Italy, Switzerland and Wales. Their first match is against Roberto Mancini’s former champions in Rome on June 11, followed by fixtures against Wales on June 16 and June 20 — both in Baku, Azerbaijan.
If Turkey win the group, they will play runners-up of Group C (Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria, North Macedonia) in London on June 26. Finish second and they meet runners-up of Group B (Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Russia) on June 26 at Amsterdam.
WHO TO WATCH
Leicester’s Caglar Soyuncu is the most popular player in the squad but Juventus’s Merih Demiral, AC Milan’s Hakan Calhanoglu, Lille’s Mehmet Zeki Celik and Schalke’s Ozan Kabak at Liverpool will be the ones to look out for. Then there are the likes of Umut Meras, Mert Muldur, Ridvan Yilmaz and Kaan Ayhan — all eager to prove their worth. The focus however will be on Burak Yilmaz. The 35-year-old veteran is Turkey’s second-highest international. The Lille forward can stil trouble the best of defenders.
Coach Senol Gunes has a massive following in Turkey after leading the national team to a third-place finish in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The winner of the UEFA Coach of the Year award for 2002, Gunes is a serial winner in the domestic circuit and returned as national coach in 2019.
FULL SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Altay Bayındır (Fenerbahçe), Ugurcan Cakir (Trabzonspor), Mert Gunok (Istanbul Basaksehir)
Defenders: Kaan Ayhan (Sassuolo), Zeki Celik (LOSC Lille), Merih Demiral (Juventus), Ozan Kabak (Liverpool), Umut Meras (Le Havre), Mert Muldur (Sassuolo), Caglar Soyuncu (Leicester), Rıdvan Yılmaz (Besiktas)
Midfielders: Taylan Antalyali (Galatasaray), Hakan Calhanoglu (AC Milan), Halil Dervisoglu (Brentford), Irfan Can Kahveci (Fenerbahce), Orkun Kocu (Feyenoord), Abdulkadir Omur (Trabzonspor), Dorukhan Tokoz (Besiktas), Ozan Tufan (Fenerbahce), Okay Yokuslu (West Brom)
Forwards: Kerem Akturkoglu (Galatasaray), Kenan Karaman (Fortuna Dusseldorf), Enes Unal (Getafe), Cengiz Under (Leicester), Yusuf Yazici (LOSC Lille), Burak Yilmaz (LOSC Lille)
