Needing a victory to guarantee promotion to the top tier of the UEFA Nations League, Turkey travel to the Gradski Stadion in Niksic to face already-relegated Montenegro in Tuesday's League B Group 4 finale.
The Crescent-Stars are two points clear of Wales at the top of the section, while their hosts are yet to pick up their first point and are already doomed to relegation.
Match preview
© Imago
As was the case when the two sides locked horns in Cardiff two months ago, there were no goals to be had in Turkey's forgettable meeting with Wales on Saturday, although Kerem Akturkoglu in particular will be ruing what could have been.
Indeed, the 26-year-old Benfica attacker fluffed his lines from the penalty spot with 89 minutes on the clock, thereby ensuring that Wales would still be in with a slim chance of bumping Turkey down to the runners-up spot on the final matchday.
However, the formula for Vincenzo Montella's side is simple; win and they will be promoted to League A for the very first time, but any other outcome will open the door for Wales to usurp them at the summit, as there is nothing to separate the two sides on head-to-head results.
Overall goal difference will be the crucial tie-breaker if Turkey and Wales finish level on points, but Montella's side already boast the superior record in that column, and few will expect a pointless Montenegro to spring a major surprise in midweek.
While they were stunted by Craig Bellamy's side on matchday five, Turkey have avoided defeat in all of their Nations League matches so far in the 2024-25 cycle, and they have only been beaten in one of their last five away games in the competition.
© Imago
That reverse was a shock 2-1 beating at the hands of the Faroe Islands in 2022, though, so Montenegro should not treat Tuesday's game as a foregone conclusion from the first whistle, even if their Nations League campaign so far has been a truly abysmal affair.
After managing to retain their League B status at the first attempt in 2022-23, the Brave Falcons have had their wings clipped this time around and will be competing in League C during the 2026-27 edition, having failed to pick up a single point in their section so far.
Saturday's home meeting with third-placed Iceland would ostensibly provide Montenegro with their best opportunity yet to finally get off the mark, but after 70 scoreless minutes in Niksic, Orri Oskarsson and Isak Bergmann Johannesson condemned the Brave Falcons to a 2-0 loss.
The final whistle on the Nations League campaign cannot come soon enough for Robert Prosinecki's minnows, who have also managed just the one goal across their five encounters so far; at the time of writing, only scoreless Kazakhstan and Andorra have performed worse on the attacking front.
Nevertheless, Tuesday's hosts did give Turkey a decent run for their money in October's showdown, but a second-half Irfan Kahveci strike was enough to get the Euro 2008 semi-finalists over the line in a 1-0 triumph, meaning that the Crescent-Stars have never lost any of their previous five matches against meek Montenegro.
Team News
© Imago
It is one in, one out as far as suspensions are concerned for Turkey, who have lost centre-back Abdulkerim Bardakci to yellow-card accumulation, but talented Juventus attacker Kenan Yildiz is back from a ban of his own.
Baris Yilmaz's spot in the final third will no doubt come under threat from the Bianconeri attacker, while either Samet Akaydin of Fenerbahce or Besiktas' Emirhan Topcu should step into the backline in place of the absent Bardakci.
Captain and Inter Milan metronome Hakan Calhanoglu only lasted until half time in the stalemate with Wales, having aggravated an injury that he was carrying before the match, so Ismail Yuksek or ex-West Bromwich Albion midfielder Okay Yokuslu will deputise for the Ballon d'Or nominee here.
Likewise, Montenegro can also welcome an attacker back from the naughty step, one on the opposite end of the experience scale compared to Yildiz in 35-year-old skipper Stevan Jovetic, who now represents Omonia Nicosia in Cyprus.
However, head coach Prosinecki will be forced to switch out both of his full-backs, as Adam Marusic - who wore the armband in place of Jovetic on Saturday - and Risto Radunovic both picked up milestone bookings in the Iceland defeat.
As one of Montenegro's other two left-backs - Cartagena's Andrija Vukcevic - was missing from the squad on Saturday, 22-year-old Ognjen Gasevic could make his full international debut on the left-hand side.
Montenegro possible starting lineup:
Nikic; M. Vukcevic, Sipcic, Vujacic, Gasevic; Jankevic, Bacic; Radulovic, Jovovic, Camaj; Jovetic
Turkey possible starting lineup:
Gunok; Celik, Demiral, Akaydin, Elmali; Kokcu, Yuksek; Akgun, Guler, Akturkoglu; Yildiz
We say: Montenegro 0-3 Turkey
As toothless as Turkey were up front against Wales, Montella's men should have no trouble breaking down a permeable Montenegro backline, especially one without their two first-choice full-backs.
The return of Jovetic should not inspire a change in attacking fortunes for the hosts either, and Turkey therefore have our vote to seal promotion to League A in style.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
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