New Delhi: The first game of Group F at the UEFA Euro 2024 will see Turkey and Georgia lock horns in Signal-Iduna-park, Dortmund tonight, (June 18, Monday).
This will be Turkey’s sixth Euro appearance, having qualified for the tournament for the first time in 1996. This will also be their third consecutive appearance in the tournament.
Their best performance in the competition was reaching the semi-finals of the 2008 edition of the Euro. However, their last two outings have been underwhelming. They were eliminated in Euro 2016 and Euro 2020 and managed a single victory in both editions.
Vincenzo Montella’s men will enter the tournament on the back of a 1-2 defeat against Poland. They have failed to register a single win from their last five games. Their qualification ended with a 1-1 draw against Wales, finishing at the top of Group D with 17 points from eight games.
Meanwhile, Georgia will feature in Europe’s premier competition for the first time. They arrive in Germany after a thrilling penalty victory over Greece and a dominating performance over Luxembourg. Georgia showcased their offensive prowess during the qualifiers, failing to score only twice in their ten outings against Greece and Scotland. However, they will need to improve their defence as they conceded more goals than any of the other 23 teams that participated in the qualifier.
Georgia may not be the favourite to win the tournament. They have only played one game since their victory over Greece. Their lack of match preparation could affect them on the field. However, the squad they are taking to the tournament have the potential to cause upsets.
Team News
Turkey have lost Enes Unal, Caglar Soyumucu and Ozan Kabak to injuries before the start of the tournament. Dogan Alemdar, Cenk Ozkacar, Berat Ozdemir, Can Uzun, Abdulkadir Omur and Oguz Aydin were not considered for the final squad.
For Turkey, Kerem Akturkoglu, with five goals from his 29 appearances for his national side, is likely to be a starter in the final third of the field with Kenan Yildiz of Juventus expected to operate from the number 10 position, most likely behind Baris Alper Yilmaz.
Hakan Calhanoglu will captain the side from the midfield, with Merih Demiral as a definite starter in the middle of the defence. Adra Guler is also expected to start for his country in their opening game after an impressive stint at the club level for Real Madrid despite limited opportunities last season.
On the other hand, Georgia’s Solomon Kvirkvella is expected to overcome an injury issue and will be available to feature in the middle of the defence, though Girogi Gvelesiani has been kept in reserve to replace the former.
Otar Kiteishvili, who was forced to leave the field against Montenegro, will resume his duties in the middle of the midfield. Georges Mikautadze has scored 10 times from his 25 appearances for the country and is expected to feature alongside Kvaratskhelia in the final third of the field. Though Jaba Kavkava was named in the initial squad, he has been replaced by Gabriel Sigua, who could represent his country for the second time.
With 15 goals from 30 appearances, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is Georgia’s most sought-after player. Georgia does feature big names including Valencia’s goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, Guram Kashia of Lovan Bratislava and Watford’s Giorgi Chakvetadze.
Predicted Lineup
Turkey: Gunok; Ayhan, Demiral, Bardakci, Kadioglu; Ozcan, Calhanoglu; Guler, Yildiz, Akturkoglu; Yilmaz
Georgia: Mamardashvili; Kverkvelia, Kashia, Dvali; Kakabadze, Kiteishvili, Kochorashvili, Shengelia, Chakvetadze; Kvaratskhelia, Mikautadze
Head to head
Turkey have won three games and lost one to Georgia besides a draw between the two sides. However, a lot has changed since Georgia last faced Turkey in 2012 for a friendly game. In the lead-up to the tournament, Turkey managed only one win from five games whilst Georgia arrived in the tournament with three consecutive wins.
When, where and how to watch the Austria vs France match in India?
The Turkey vs Georgia UEFA Euro 2024 match will be telecast live on Sony Sports Network in India. Live streaming of Euro 2024 will be available on SonyLIV app and website. The action begins at 12:30 am IST tonight.
Turkey will want to improve their performance than their last to appearance in the tournament whilst Georgia will look to make most of their first appearance in the Euros. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
