Prior to the tournament, everyone thought that Portugal would have no difficulty in advancing through the group stage with the presence of much weaker opponents. However, after the first matches, no one dares to underestimate the underdog teams of the tournament anymore. Surely, coach Roberto Martinez and his team will have thorough preparations before facing the obstacle of Turkey at 23:00 on June 22nd.
Expert opinions on the match between Portugal and Turkey
Contrary to the initial predictions, Portugal faced too many difficulties against the Czech Republic. The team of coach Ivan Hasek showed a disciplined style of play, while the reigning EURO 2016 champions appeared to be very stagnant and could only secure a comeback 2-1 victory thanks to an own goal and a late goal by Francisco Conceicao. Clearly, despite having stars in every position, the playing style that coach Roberto Martinez has built for his players is facing many issues. In addition to the lack of ideas in the attacking line, the use of a 3-4-3 formation with Bruno and Vitinha in the midfield has made the European Selecao extremely vulnerable in counterattacks, one of which resulted in a goal for the Czech Republic.
Fortunately for Martinez, the 3 points still stayed with the Portuguese and they still have the opportunity to identify the weaknesses in the system before things go too far. Perhaps, against Turkey, the Spanish coach will not take such risks anymore, and players like Ruben Neves or Joao Palhinha will be chosen to increase the midfield’s resilience. Similar to Portugal, Turkey also faced many difficulties against the tournament debutant, the Georgian team. Only when the young star Arda Guler shone with a superb goal did the red-shirted stars loosen up and feel more comfortable in their playing style. With 3 points secured, the squad of coach Vincenzo Montella is in a strong position to compete for advancement alongside Portugal. Perhaps against a stronger opponent, Turkey will not attack as aggressively as they did against Georgia. Instead, they will return to the familiar underdog mentality with a defensive counterattacking style. With a high defensive line and the slow pace of the Portuguese defenders, this is a reasonable strategy that Calhanoglu and his teammates can consider to exploit the opportunity to punish the opponent.
Overview of the historical encounters between Portugal and Turkey
In their most recent 5 meetings, Turkey only won against Portugal once in a friendly match, while the remaining 4 victories belonged to the Iberian Peninsula team. Despite the historical imbalance, star Arda Guler of Turkey stated that he and his teammates are determined to achieve their first victory against the European Selecao in an official tournament on June 22nd.
Bookmaker’s odds for the match between Portugal and Turkey
After some unsuccessful experiments with the 3-4-3 formation in the match against the Czech Republic, Portugal will likely return to a more balanced lineup. In that, a true number 6 will join Vitinha and Bruno in the midfield. Rafael Leao’s ineffective performance will also be replaced by dynamic players like Diogo Jota, Joao Felix, or Pedro Neto.
Meanwhile, the well-performing lineup of Turkey in the opening match will remain unchanged.Captain Hakan Calhanoglu still plays the role of the team’s conductor, but in this match, he and attacking stars like Arda Guler, Kenan Yildiz, Yilmaz will need to be careful with every counter-attacking opportunity, as they won’t have many chances to attack.
- Goal betting: In the last 4/5 matches of Portugal, there have been 3 or more goals, and Turkey’s number is almost the same, with 3/5 matches. The clash between the two teams tends to be attacking and open, so fans should consider betting on the total goal betting for the whole match in EURO.
- Corner kick betting: Portugal is known as the “corner kick specialist” of Europe from the qualifying rounds to the present. They are particularly good at creating corner kicks when facing weaker teams. Both the opening match of EURO 2024 for Portugal and Turkey have had 10 or more corner kicks.
There is a lot of risk in betting on this match with the Portugal -1 handicap. This is considered a “deadly” handicap in this year’s EURO when the big teams with a -1 handicap at the start of the match only bring results from a draw to a loss. Therefore, fans should avoid taking risks with this choice.
Portugal vs Turkey Squad Information
Both teams have their strongest lineup.
Predicted Lineup Portugal vs Turkey
- Portugal (4-3-3): Diogo Costa, Dalot, Ruben Dias, Pepe, Cancelo, Palhinha, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Ronaldo, Diogo Jota.
- Turkey (4-2-3-1): Gunok, Muldur, Akaydin, Bardakci, Kadioglu, Calhanoglu, Ayhan, Arda Guler, Kokcu, Kenan Yildiz, Yilmaz.
Prediction: Portugal 2-1 Turkey
See more Euro 2024 predictions such as:
- Prediction for the match Belgium vs Romania on the morning of June 23: The Red Devils must not make mistakes
- Prediction for the match Czech Republic vs Georgia on the evening of June 22: The power of experience
- Prediction for the match Netherlands vs France on the morning of June 22: A real challenge for the Rooster
