- Best Euros
- Semi-finalist 2008, quarter-finalist 2000
- 2016 Euros
- Group stage
Turkey’s Euro Schedule
| Date | Fixture | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11th June 8pm | Turkey v Italy | Rome |
| 16th June 5pm | Turkey v Wales | Baku |
| 20th June 5pm | Switzerland v Turkey | Baku |
Click here to read a full Group A preview
Road to the Euros
Turkey more than held their own in a competitive qualifying group that included France, Iceland, Albania, Andorra and Moldova. With France finishing top of the group, it is perhaps surprising that Turkey’s only defeat in their ten games came on their trip to Iceland, where they lost 2-1. Their other nine games saw them concede just one further goal in their 1-1 draw in France, whom they had already beaten 2-0 at home. Six further victories and a goalless draw against Israel was enough to secure the runner-up spot, four points clear of Iceland and only two behind the French.
Current form
Since qualifying, Turkey suffered a disappointing Nations League campaign, winning only one of their six games (3-2 at home to Russia) to finish bottom of the group to drop down to League C next time around. Better things were to come more recently, however, as they kicked off their World Cup qualifying campaign with impressive wins over Netherlands (4-2 at home) and Norway (3-0 away). They then squandered a two-goal advantage late on to settle for a 3-3 draw with lowly Latvia, but they bounced back to form in their pre-tournament warm-up games, thanks to a 2-1 win over Azerbaijan and a 2-0 win against Moldova.
Squad assessment
Turkey might just emerge as one of the tournament’s dark horses, with.returning coach Senol Gunes looking to emulate his achievement of taking his team to the World Cup semi-final back in 2002. He tends to prefer a 4-4-2 diamond set-up, with a strong emphasis on defensive organisation, a fact borne out by Turkey’s eight clean sheets out of their ten qualifying games. Hakan Calhanoglu is likely to be the chief architect in midfield, with veteran Burak Yilmaz and Cenk Tosun (if fit) offering quality in the attacking third, while Cengiz Under always provides creative trickery on the flanks.
Key players
Turkey are not renowned for their superstars, but in 35-year-old Burak Yilmaz they have a player whose quality continues to defy his years, and it is no coincidence that his first season (and his 16 goals) at Lille brought the unfancied French team an unlikely Ligue 1 title last month. With 28 international goals to his credit, and nine in his last ten outings, Yilmaz could well provide the spark for an extended run for Turkey.
Click below to read more about each of Turkey’s Group A opponents: