Turkey 2020 UEFA Euro Betting
Turkey has more than a puncher’s chance of getting out of Group A and into the knockout stages. The Crescent-Stars have been placed into a group with Italy, Wales, and Switzerland, and they can hang with the latter two teams. Although Turkey might not have a lot of well-known talent, we have seen this country thrive on the international stage. They finished in third place at the 2002 World Cup in their only appearance over the last 60+ years, and Turkey made the semifinals of the 2008 Euros.
Turkey Squad Profile
UEFA Euro Odds: +7984
Coach: Senol Gunes
FIFA World Ranking: 32
Best Finish: Semifinals (2008)
Group: A ( Italy, Wales and Switzerland )
How They Got Here
Turkey came in second place in Group H in order to qualify for this year’s European Championships. The Turks went 7-2-1 in qualifying and beat France in Konya to ensure they would finish ahead of Iceland in the group. If they would have knocked off Iceland in their penultimate qualifying game, they would have finished with the same number of points as the defending World Cup champions.
Team Preview
There is no question that Turkey’s best player is Hakan Calhanoglu. The No. 10 is one of the leaders of AC Milan, and he has 13 goals in 55 caps with the national team. Calhanoglu has been a consistent playmaker in the midfield for AC Milan since joining the club from Bayer Leverkusen. He has been linked to clubs with even higher profiles too, as his contract is set to expire this summer.
The top goal scorer for Turkey is Burak Yilmaz. The 35-year-old has been the skipper of Turkey for a while now, and he is the second leading all-time scorer for the country. Yilmaz is one of just two players to suit up for all four of the most prestigious clubs in Turkey, but he has plied his trade with Lille in Ligue 1 this season. He has 10 goals and four assists in 22 appearances this year.
Lille teammate Yusuf Yazici should also factor in the midfield for Turkey. Yazici is used in a more defensive role for his country, but he can put the ball in the back of the net too. He netted a hat trick against AC Milan in Europa League action last November.
Cenk Tosun did not fare well in his four seasons in the Premier League. He was loaned out to Besiktas to rekindle the magic that led Everton to sign him years ago, and that looked to be a prudent move. However, he suffered a major knee injury in mid-April. Tosun tore his patella tendon, so his status is up in the air for the Euros. He netted 18 goals in 45 caps with the national team.
The other player to keep an eye on is Cengiz Under. The 23-year-old midfielder has eight goals in 26 matches with Turkey, but he has not been too impactful since joining Leicester City on loan from AS Roma.
Turkey Schedule
GROUP STAGE
Friday June 11
Turkey vs. Italy (Rome; 3 p.m. ET, 9 p.m.)
Wednesday June 16
Turkey vs. Wales (Baku; noon ET, 6 p.m.)
Sunday June 20
Switzerland vs. Turkey (Baku; 3 p.m. ET, 9 p.m.)
Turkey’s History at the European Championships
It took 36 years for Turkey to qualify for its first European Championships. Turkey qualified for the 1996 Euros, but the Crescent-Stars failed to secure a result or net a goal. That led to them finishing dead last in the tournament.
They made amends for that poor performance at the 2000 Euros. Turkey nipped Belgium to finish second behind Italy in Group B, and that led to this team qualifying for the knockout rounds. They lost 2-0 to Portugal in the quarterfinals though.
Turkey thrived at the 2008 Euros. They knocked off Switzerland thanks to an extra time goal from Arda Turan, and they overcame a late 2-0 deficit with three goals in the final 15 minutes to beat the Czech Republic out for the second-place spot in Group A. The magic didn’t stop there as Semih Senturk netted a goal in the dying seconds of extra time to force penalties against Croatia in the quarterfinals before their miracle run was finally stopped due to a 90th minute goal from Germany in the semifinals.
The most recent Euros didn’t go well for Turkey. They lost to Croatia and Spain in the Group Stage, rendering their match with the Czech Republic futile.
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