Turkiye and Georgia will aim to kick-start their UEFA Euro 2024 campaigns on a high when they clash at Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday.
The UEFA Euro 2024 has kick-started with a bang, with most games being engrossing affairs. The action in Group F will kick off on Tuesday with Turkiye vs Georgia at Signal Iduna Park before Portugal and Czechia lock horns at the Red Bull Arena Leipzig.
Turkiye qualified for UEFA Euro 2024 after an exceptional qualification campaign. The Crescent Stars lost only one game in eight outings to top their group ahead of Croatia. However, they have not had an ideal warm-up for the European Championships, failing to win their last five games dating back to November 2023.
As for Georgia, they needed playoffs to qualify for UEFA Euro 2024. The Crusaders managed only two wins in their qualification campaign to finish fourth. However, after topping their group in the UEFA Nations League, they had a second bite at the cherry and reached the finals after beating Greece on penalties to be the Path C winners.
The most recent match-up featuring Turkiye and Georgia ended in a 3-1 win for the latter in a friendly in 2012. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Turkiye
Vincenzo Montella does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Georgia on Tuesday, the Turkiye head coach will have a full-strength squad.
Montella made a few tough decisions while finalising his squad, losing Enes Unal, Caglar Soyuncu and Ozan Kabak to injuries. In addition, he discarded Dogan Alemdar, Cenk Ozkacar, Berat Ozdemir, Can Uzun, Abdulkadir Omur, and Oguz Aydin from the preliminary group.
Experience will be the name at the back for Turkiye, who will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Georgia, with Mert Gunok taking his spot between the sticks. The backline should feature Kaan Ayhan, Merih Demiral, Abdulkerim Bardakci, and Ferdi Kadioglu. The midfield and offensive units will have youthful exuberance as the x-factor.
While the experienced pairing Salih Ozcan and captain Hakan Calhanoglu will pair up in the double pivot, Kenan Yildiz should reprise the no. 10 role. Baris Alper Yilmaz should lead the line for Turkiye, with Arda Guler and Kerem Akturkoglu completing the numbers in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Gunok; Ayhan, Demiral, Bardakci, Kadioglu; Ozcan, Calhanoglu; Guler, Yildiz, Akturkoglu; Yilmaz
Georgia
Unlike his counterpart in the Turkish dugout, Willy Sagnol has dealt with a fitness issue ahead of the trip to Signal Iduna Park. Georgia’s head coach should have a fully-fit squad against the Crescent Stars on Tuesday.
Sagnol has been sweating over the fitness of Solomon Kvirkvelia, who has been dealing with a knock. The 32-year-old should be fit and available, although Sagnol can call upon Giorgi Gvelesiani if the experienced defender is not ready.
Kvirkvelia will likely form the central defensive unit alongside Lasha Dvali and captain Guram Kashia, with Giorgi Mamardashvili taking his spot between the sticks. Georgia will line up in a 3-5-2 formation against Turkiye on Tuesday. Otar Kakabadze and Giorgi Chakvetadze should be the two wing-backs. The duo will contribute on both ends of the pitch.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Otar Kiteishvili, Giorgi Kochorashvili, and Levan Shengelia. The trio will aim to keep things tight in the middle of the park. Finally, Georges Mikautadze and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia should be the two attackers, with the duo being direct in the offensive third.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Mamardashvili; Kverkvelia, Kashia, Dvali; Kakabadze, Kiteishvili, Kochorashvili, Shengelia, Chakvetadze; Mikautadze, Kvaratskhelia
Key Stats
- Tuesday’s Turkiye vs Georgia match-up will be the first between the two teams in a major tournament. However, the Crescent Stars have won three friendly encounters (W3 D1 L1).
- Turkiye have never won the opening game of their previous five European Championship matches. In addition, they have lost six of their last seven games at the Euros (W1). The Crescent Stars have also kept only one clean sheet in their 12 most recent matches at the tournament, a 2-0 group stage win over the Czech Republic at Euro 2016.
- Eleven of Turkiye’s 14 goals at the European Championships have come after half-time. Ten of those have come in the second half of matches, with Semih Senturk scoring their other such goal in the second half of extra-time against Croatia in 2008 – the latest goal ever scored at the Euros (121:01).
- Willy Sagnol will become the first French tactician to manage a foreign nation at the UEFA European Championships during Turkiye vs Georgia. Georgia’s head coach played five times at the tournament for France across Euro 2004 and Euro 2008.
- Hakan Calhanoglu was involved in the most open-play shot-ending sequences of any Turkiye player during the Euro 2024 Qualifiers (47). The sequences he played a part in generated 5.43 expected goals, also the most of any teammate.
Player to Watch
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Kvaratskhelia was one of the talking points over the weekend, with speculation surrounding his future mounting. However, Napoli put a full stop to the rumour-mongering, insisting that “he is not for sale”. With the transfer talk put to rest, Kvaratskhelia can focus on the matters on the pitch at UEFA Euro 2024.
In the Euro 2024 Qualifiers (including playoffs), no player made more successful dribbles than Kvaratskhelia (44). He averaged 4.8 successful dribbles per 90 minutes, the best ratio of any player (minimum 500 minutes). With the 2023/24 season proving frustrating, the Euros will be his opportunity to get back to his best by leading Georgia to the knockout phase.
Prediction
Turkiye 2-1 Georgia
Georgia will have nothing to lose after barely winning any games in the UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifiers and scraping through the playoff final. The tournament is the country’s first-ever campaign at the European Championships, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and his teammates will play without abandon. That can catch Turkiye off-guard.
In addition, the Crescent Stars have been dreadful in the build-up to the Euros. So, Vincenzo Montella will be eager to ensure his charges are up for the challenge and do not falter like they did three years ago.
However, Turkiye’s poor form means a closely contested affair is on the cards at Signal Iduna Park. The gulf in quality will help Montella’s men eke out a narrow win, with The Hard Tackle predicting Turkiye to clinch a 2-1 victory vs Georgia.
