Friday sees 8 European nations contesting in hopes of claiming those final 4 qualification spots for the Euro 2012 tournament to be held in Europe. The most competitive match of the bunch could take place in the Turkey vs Croatia clash – as the two evenly skilled teams are set for another showdown following their Euro 2008 barn-burner in the quarterfinals.
This was the moment where Croatian hearts broke as Semih scored a last minute equalizer that would ultimately lead to Turkish triumph
Turkey vs Croatia
Turkey Team News
Turkey were far from impressive in their qualification campaign, just narrowly finishing ahead of Belgium in Group A . Turkey have only lost 1 of their past 8 matches, and that came against Germany who have proved to be one of the best teams in the world over the past several years. A late start to the Turkish season has certainly played a part in the far from peak form that coach Guus Hiddink would have expected from his players, but the Turks will fancy their chances of advancing despite being billed as underdogs. Burak Yilmaz is the clear go-to striker for Turkey, as the Trabzonspor star has emerged as a hidden gem in recent months. Former Borussia Dortmund player Nuri Sahin won’t be fit to play and Galatasaray’s dynamic forward Kazim Richards is also out. Hiddink has admitted that keeping a clean sheet will be a priority, so expect the Turks to play cautiously and look to avoid a defensive mistake or set piece error that has often led to their downfall.
Croatia Team News
Croatia have been seeking this match for 4 years, ever since a 120th minute goal by Turkey led the two teams’ Euro 2008 quarterfinal into a penalty shootout which Turkey ended up winning. Still, the Croats should in all honesty have already booked their ticket to Poland/Ukraine if it were not for a loss to Georgia and then a loss in Athens to Greece. Vedran Corluka has been added to an injury list that includes Ivan Strinic, Niko Kranjcar and Mladen Petric. Croatia is nevertheless confident in their ability to progress, with manager Bilic claiming that his team will go in there as if this was a one match deal. Luka Modric, Eduardo and Mandzukic will form the heart of the attack as Croatia will know how important it is to not leave things until late again a resilient Turkish side.
If you’d like to bet on Turkey v Croatia, odds have Croatia as 9/4 underdogs while Turkey are 5/4 underdogs. Our Turkey vs Croatia prediction is for the draw however as the hosts have made it clear that keeping a clean sheet is a priority – you can bet on the draw at an attractive 11/5 on Bet365.
Tune in to ESPN HD at 19:00 BST if you want to watch Turkey vs Croatia live in their upcoming Euro 2012 playoff match this Friday. Let us know your Turkey vs Croatia score prediciton in the comments below.
Loading ...
Comments