New Delhi: Euro 2024 dark horses and Group D winners Austria will take on Turkey at the Red Bull Arena Leipzig at midnight. Turkey finished in second place in Group F and have stepped up to the plate in the recent months. The Turkish side defeated Czechia by a narrow 2-1 scoreline and will be confident ahead in the fixture.
They began their Group F campaign with an eventful 3-1 win over Georgia and then lost 3-0 to Portugal. They have taken their nation into the latter stages of the Euros for just a third time ever and first since Turkey made the semis in 2008.
Austria, on the other hand, were handed a tough draw alongside the Oranje and favourites France but they topped the group with six points. The Austrians failed to pass the group stage at their first two Euros- as hosts in 2008 and then in 2016. Ragnick’s side are now trying hard to Austria’s first European Championship quarter-final and their recent records reflect that they could be ready to break new ground.
Austria have smashed Turkey 6-1 in Vienna during the friendlies in March and will look to repeat the same performance in Leipzig.
Team News
Turkey will enter their clash with Austria without their few key players. After a dramatic bad-tempered Group F finale which saw Turkey qualify as runner-up while picking up 11 yellow cards against Czech Republic. This had reduced them to nine men at the final whistle.
The result of which is the absence of captain Hakan Calhanoglu and defender Samet Akaydin in Leipzig with a further ten players at risk being banned for a potential quarter final if booked today. Among them are the exciting attacking duo of Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz.
The good news for Montella is that he has no injury concerns to deal with. Mert Gunok also returned between the sticks against Czechia while Guler was fit enough from the start after a minor injury.
On the other hand, Austria have no fresh injury concerns for the clash with Turkey but they will be without Patrick Wimmer as he serves suspension. The Wolfsburg man, who started the 3-2 win over the Dutch, is suspended having picked up two yellow cards in the group stage. Austria also have a concerning eight players one yellow card away from missing the quarter-final.
The former Manchester United manager did make a few changes to the starting lineup against Netherlands and they paid dividends. Either Konrad Laimer or Christoph Baumgartner are expected to step up from the bench.
Head-to-Head
Austria holds a good record against Turkey having won nine out of the 17 matches played between the two teams as opposed to Turkey’s seven victories. Austria have managed to win two of their last three matches against Turkey in all competitions and managed to secure a 6-1 victory in the previous game between the two in March. They have managed to qualify for the knockout stages of a major international tournament for the fourth time in their history with their previous feat coming in Euro 2020.
On the other hand, Turkey are unbeaten in their last five competitive matches against Austria and have managed to keep clean sheets. They have managed to reach the knockout stages of the Euro Championship for only the third time in their history.
Predicted lineup
Austria: Pentz; Posch, Lienhart, Trauner, Mwene; Seiwald, Grillitsch; Schmid, Sabitzer, Baumgartner; Arnautovic.
Turkey: Gunok; Muldur, Demiral, Bardakci, Kadioglu; Ozcan, Yuksek; Akturkoglu, Guler, Yildiz; Yilmaz
When, where and how to watch the Austria vs Turkey match in India?
The Austria vs Turkey 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.
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Will Austria be able to repeat the friendlies and outperform Turkey to book their spot in quarterfinals? Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
