Turkey head into Euro 2020 on a six game unbeaten run, including a 4-2 loss against the Netherlands. Many have them as the dark horses to cause a few upsets with the squad they have at their disposal. It will certainly be interesting to see how the likes of Burak Yılmaz leading the line having won Ligue 1 with Lille.
Perhaps this year more than ever, Turkey can cause some upsets along the way. Yılmaz, the striker, knows all about causing upsets having played a crucial part of dethroning Paris Saint-Germain and stealing their French crown.
At Last Word on Football, we have put together a profile of Turkey ahead of the Euros to make sure you know everything you need to know before the action kicks off.
Everything You Need to Know About Turkey Ahead of Euro 2020
Who is the Coach of the Turkey National Team?
The current coach of the national team is Şenol Güneş, who has previously taken Turkey to the highest of heights at the Euros. In 2002, he took the national team to an incredible and unexpected third place finish in the 2002 World Cup. The manager also won two Süper Lig titles with Beşiktaş.
Güneş is an experienced manager who is perfectly capable of providing us all with one of the most exciting underdog stories. Combine his expertise with the current batch of players and Turkey look in a perfect position to perform better than ever at the European Championships.
Who Has Been Selected in the Turkey Squad for Euro 2020
Turkey’s 26-man squad includes household names from across Europe’s top leagues, from Juventus defender Merih Demiral to Leicester City’s Çağlar Söyüncü. At the back, they are more than well equipped. Going forward, Güneş‘ squad is also better than ever with 18 goal Burak Yılmaz leading the line- backed by the likes of Cengiz Ünder.
Turkey seem to tick all boxes when it comes to adequate personnel. Now, it’s just about utilising that personnel.
Goalkeepers: Altay Bayındır (Fenerbahçe), Uğurcan Çakır (Trabzonspor), Mert Günok (İstanbul Başakşehir)
Defenders: Kaan Ayhan (Sassuolo), Zeki Çelik (LOSC Lille), Merih Demiral (Juventus), Ozan Kabak (Liverpool), Umut Meraş (Le Havre), Mert Müldür (Sassuolo), Çağlar Söyüncü (Leicester), Rıdvan Yılmaz (Beşiktaş)
Midfielders: Taylan Antalyalı (Galatasaray), Hakan Çalhanoğlu (AC Milan), Halil Dervişoğlu (Brentford), İrfan Can Kahveci (Fenerbahçe), Orkun Kökçü (Feyenoord), Abdülkadir Ömür (Trabzonspor), Dorukhan Toköz (Beşiktaş), Ozan Tufan (Fenerbahçe), Okay Yokuşlu (West Brom)
Forwards: M. Kerem Aktürkoğlu (Galatasaray), Kenan Karaman (Fortuna Düsseldorf), Enes Ünal (Getafe), Cengiz Ünder (Leicester), Yusuf Yazıcı (LOSC Lille), Burak Yılmaz (LOSC Lille)
The Chance for Yılmaz to Shine
Off the back of an incredible title-winning season, Yılmaz has the perfect chance to shine in front of Europe’s best. The forward could be the key as Turkey look to get themselves past the group stages and into the knockout phase.
With many putting them down as the ultimate dark horses of the tournament, Turkey will be eager not to disappoint. It could be the tournament to secure many players a top move this summer.
Key Fixtures
In a group with Italy, Wales and Switzerland, Turkey may fancy themselves to finish a strong second place and qualify for the group stages. They start with a tough game against Italy before facing Wales and concluding with a game against Switzerland.
Turkey v Italy – June 11, 8pm BST
Turkey v Wales – June 16, 5pm BST
Switzerland v Turkey – June 20, 5pm BST
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
