Czech Republic and Turkey have a grand total of one point between them after two games, but both countries still have a shot at qualifying for the knockout round of Euro 2016. Their third and final Group D game is a must-win, though, and anything but all three points will likely mean the end of the road (for one or both) in France.
Read on below for our preview of this decisive Group D matchup. Also, don’t forget to check out more of Tuesday’s Euros action with our previews of Spain vs. Croatia and Germany vs. Northern Ireland.
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Somehow, some way, the Czechs are still alive in Euro 2016. It looked like they were on the way out of the tournament as they went down 2-0 to Croatia. But credit to them, they dug deep and fought back to claim a very unlikely draw.
However, the Czechs suffered a significant blow in that game as captain and chief playmaker Tomas Rosicky picked up a leg injury which will rule him out for the remainder of the tournament.
Manager Pavel Vrba will have to change up his lineup to compensate for Rosicky’s injury. That could mean a more attacking formation that features both Milan Skoda and Tomas Necid. The two were the big difference-makers off the bench against Croatia, as they scored the goals in their incredible comeback.
With the Turks quite vulnerable at the back, expect the Czechs to be much more aggressive going forward than they’ve been for the first two games. They should be able to find some joy down their right flank, with Ladislav Krejci and Pavel Kaderabek looking to get the better of Turkey’s shaky left-back Caner Erkin.
The Czech Republic has won five of its nine meetings all-time against Turkey.
Turkey’s not done yet. Despite back-to-back losses, the most recent one a 3-0 spanking by Spain, the Turks still have a slim chance of qualifying for the next round. But they’ll need to beat the Czech Republic, and seeing as they haven’t played well – or have even scored a single goal – in the tournament, it’s going to be quite a tough ask.
The team’s big stars have disappointed thus far. Team captain Arda Turan, in particular, was the target of some displeased Turkish fans’ boos in the Spain game. Manager Fatih Terim could be forced to make some significant changes in order to light a fire under his underperforming side.
Veteran midfielder Nuri Sahin is an option to start after coming on as a substitute against Spain, as is the highly-rated 18-year-old winger Emre Mor.
In terms of talent, Turkey arguably has the edge over the Czech Republic. The Turks proved that by going to Prague and handing the Czechs one of their two losses during qualifying. If they can finally show some desire and determination missing in this tournament, they will be a tricky team to face.
Writer’s Prediction
Turkey (+195) finally turns it on and pulls off the slight upset over the Czech Republic.
