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Turkey will take on Azerbaijan in their first preparation match for the 2020 UEFA Euro. They are drawn in Group A of the competition alongside Italy, Switzerland, and Wales. As part of their training camp, Turkey will take on Azerbaijan, Northern Ireland, and Moldova in friendly matches.
Turkish players across Europe’s top leagues had a good end to their respective seasons. Burak Yilmaz, Mehmet Zeki Çelik, and Yusuf Yazici won the league title in France. Hakan Calhanoglu qualified for the Champions League with Milan, Caglar Soyuncu lifted the FA Cup with Leicester for the first time in their history. The Turkish national team stock has been boosted consequently, with some even seeing the team as one of the dark horses for the Euros.
Turkey will take on Azerbaijan on May 27 as part of its pre-tournament preparations. They will subsequently play Northern Ireland and Moldova before facing Italy in their opening match of the competition. Turkey have been drawn alongside Italy, Wales, and Switzerland in Group A of the tournament. Up to three teams can qualify from each group, provided that the third team finishes with a better record than others. As such, Turkey will fancy their chances of progressing to the knockout stages.
Senol Gunes’ side has had some good results of late, which, in turn, has provided them with a much-needed boost ahead of the tournament. Turkey beat former World Cup finalists Netherlands 4-2 in a friendly match recently, with Burak Yilmaz netting a hattrick. They followed it up by beating Erling Haaland-led Norway 3-0 before tying 3-3 against Latvia. Looking over at their recent results, one can pinpoint the attack as their strong suit, which is hardly surprising given that they possess the likes of Yilmaz, Yazici, and Calhanoglu.
Azerbaijan, on the other hand, failed to qualify for the Euros. However, those who kept a close eye on the international side of football in the past window must have noticed the team putting in some good performances. Azerbaijan lost all three of the matches that they have played in 2021 so far, albeit only by a margin of one goal. There is still a long way to go for the minnows to become one of Europe’s more dangerous footballing sides, but they look to be on the right track for now.
Key Players
Burak Yilmaz was crowned a king of France with Lille this past weekend, as Les Dogues completed a remarkable title win. He was incredible for the French outfit throughout the campaign and will now hope to carry his form over to the European championship. He has scored the most goals out of all the players involved in the current Turkey squad (28 goals in 66 appearances).
Hakan Calhanoglu enjoyed a successful domestic campaign with AC Milan, with the midfielder leading his team to a Champions League spot in the final Serie A table. He was the main creative force for the Rossoneri – a role he is expected to play for his national team as well. Calhanoglu has made 55 appearances for Turkey so far in his career and has scored 13 times – the second-best tally behind Yilmaz.
He was displaced by Jonathan David in the final months of the Ligue 1 campaign, but Yusuf Yazici played an important role in Lille’s title win. The Turkish attacker made 42 appearances overall and scored 14 goals, including 7 in 8 Europa League matches. He also provided five assists all season, bringing his total contribution to 19 goals. Turkey will hope that Yazici continues his great form this summer and help the national team go deep into the European championships.
Azerbaijan are a team in limbo at the moment. The national team is some levels below the top European outfits but has still managed to put in some good displays over the past year – their narrow loss to Portugal indicating the same. Captain Maksim Medvedev has been at the center of those performances, with the veteran guiding his team from the back. He will be key to Azerbaijan keeping the Turkish attackers at bay in their upcoming friendly encounter.
Prediction
Turkey have scored 10 goals in their last three matches – four against Netherlands and three each against Norway and Latvia. They are the favorites for their friendly match against Azerbaijan, even if the latter have become known lately for frustrating their opponents for large parts of a match.
It remains to be seen who head coach Senol Gunes picks to start against Azerbaijan, given that most of the top European leagues have only recently concluded their seasons. Players like Burak Yilmaz, Hakan Calhanoglu, Yusuf Yazici, Zeki Celik, and Caglar Soyuncu might be rested due to the proximity of the friendly to the end of the season. However, with or without their star players, Turkey have enough firepower to sweep their opponents aside.
