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Turkey national football team
Euro Champ Qualifying | Group Stage
Sep 8, 2023 at 7.45pm UK
Ataturk Olimpiyat Stadi
Armenia national football team

Turkey
1 - 1
Armenia

Yildirim (88')
Soyuncu (79'), Yildirim (86'), Demiral (90+2')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Dashyan (49')
Bichakhchyan (27'), Cancarevic (74'), Haroyan (82')

Preview: Turkey vs. Armenia - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Friday's Euro Champ Qualifying clash between Turkey and Armenia, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Turkey will renew hostilities with neighbours Armenia when the two nations lock horns in Euro 2024 qualifying on Friday evening.

The Cresent-Stars claimed a 2-1 victory over Havakakan in the reverse fixture back in March, although Group D remains wide open.


Match preview

Turkey's Ferdi Kadioglu scores a goal on June 16, 2023© Reuters

Following a 10th-minute own goal from Ozan Kabak, Turkey came from behind to defeat Armenia in their previous meeting, courtesy of strikes from Orkun Kokcu and Kerem Akturkoglu.

Stefan Kuntz's side lost their second qualifier, suffering a 2-0 defeat against Croatia, but they made amends for the loss during the last international break, securing back-to-back victories over Latvia and Wales to take control of Group D.

After snatching a last-gasp 3-2 win against Latvia - thanks to Irfan Kahveci's 95th-minute winner - Turkey enjoyed a dominant 2-0 victory over Wales last time out, racking up 77% possession and 14 shots, with teenage prodigy Arda Guler coming off the bench to score the clinching goal.

Consequently, the Cresent-Stars find themselves at the summit of Group D - three points clear of second-placed Armenia - having won three of their four qualifiers so far.

When you look at the bigger picture, Turkey have lost just two of their last 12 matches across all competitions, picking up nine wins along the way, so Kuntz's men will back themselves to do the double over Armenia.

Armenia coach Oleksandr Petrakov on March 25, 2023© Reuters

It is worth pointing out that Armenia have a game in hand on Turkey, meaning that Friday's clash provides the visitors with an added incentive to win, as Oleksandr Petrakov's side will move level on points with the Cresent-Stars if they taste victory in Eskisehir.

Despite losing to Turkey in the opening round, Armenia enter the reverse fixture on a three-game unbeaten streak, with a 2-2 friendly draw against Cyprus preceding a couple of crucial victories in Group D.

Lucas Zelarayan and Grant-Leon Ranos both scored twice as Havakakan came from behind to beat Wales 4-2 in Cardiff, with Daniel James and Harry Wilson scoring for the hosts before Kieffer Moore's second-half red card.

In their previous match, Armenia registered 67% possession and 21 shots while preventing Latvia from recording a single attempt on target, but Petrakov's men had to wait until the 91st minute to claim all three points as Tigran Barseghyan's late strike made it 2-1.

Although Armenia endured a nine-game winless run between June 2022 and March 2023 - recording two draws and seven losses during that period - Havakakan will now be confident of extending their winning streak to three matches.

Turkey Euro Champ Qualifying form:


Turkey form (all competitions):


Armenia Euro Champ Qualifying form:


Armenia form (all competitions):



Team News

Turkey's Mehmet Umut Nayir celebrates scoring their first goal with Evren Eren Elmaci on June 19, 2023© Reuters

The big team news for Turkey concerns 18-year-old Real Madrid playmaker Arda Guler, who is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines as he continues to recover from knee surgery.

with 78 caps to his name, Inter Milan's Hakan Calhanoglu will captain the Cresent-Stars on Friday, with Manchester United new boy Altay Bayindir expected to start between the sticks.

Stefan Kuntz could hand international debuts to Bertug Yildirim, Yusuf Sari and Kazimcan Karatas during the international break, while former Leicester City winger Cengiz Under is set to earn his 50th cap.

As for Armenia, uncapped 19-year-old Sergey Muradyan has been called up by Oleksandr Petrakov, although the young defender will not dislodge Kamo Hovhannisyan and Varazdat Haroyan, who both have 75 caps under their belt.

Borussia Monchengladbach's Grant-Leon Ranos will aim to enhance his impressive international tally of four goals in three games, while Boca Juniors' Norberto Briasco and FC Koln's Sargis Adamyan are also pushing for a place in the starting XI.


Turkey possible starting lineup:
Bayindir; Celik, Demiral, Bardakci, Soyuncu; Calhanoglu, Ozcan, Kokcu; Under, Yilmaz, Akturkoglu

Armenia possible starting lineup:
Cancarevic; Dashyan, Arutyunyan, Haroyan, Mkrtchyan, Hovhannisyan; Briasco, Spertsyan, Iwu, Zelarayan; Ranos


SM words green background

We say: Turkey 2-1 Armenia

Having won three of their four qualifiers up to now, we expect Turkey to pick up another victory on Friday, although Armenia will likely give the Cresent-Stars a run for their money.



For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.


Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data


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Game History

How you voted: Turkey vs Armenia

Turkey
73.2%
Draw
6.2%
Armenia
20.6%
97
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Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Cyprus Cyprus00000
2 Georgia Georgia00000
3 Norway Norway00000
Q Scotland flag Scotland00000
Q Spain Spain00000

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q France France00000
2 Gibraltar flag Gibraltar00000
3 Greece Greece00000
Q Netherlands Netherlands00000
5 Ireland Rep. Ireland00000

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England00000
Q Italy Italy00000
3 Malta flag Malta00000
4 Macedonia N. Macedonia00000
5 Ukraine Ukraine00000

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Armenia Armenia00000
Q Croatia Croatia00000
3 Latvia Latvia00000
Q Turkey Turkey00000
5 Wales flag Wales00000

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Albania national flag Albania00000
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic00000
3 Faroe Islands Faroe Islands00000
4 Republic of Moldova Moldova00000
5 Poland Poland00000

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Austria Austria00000
2 Azerbaijan Azerbaijan00000
Q Belgium Belgium00000
4 Estonia Estonia00000
5 Sweden Sweden00000

Group G

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Bulgaria Bulgaria00000
Q Hungary Hungary00000
3 Lithuania Lithuania00000
4 Montenegro Montenegro00000
Q Serbia Serbia00000

Group H

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Denmark Denmark00000
2 Finland Finland00000
3 Kazakhstan Kazakhstan00000
4 Northern Ireland flag N. Ireland00000
5 San Marino flag San Marino00000
Q Slovenia Slovenia00000

Group I

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Andorra flag Andorra00000
2 Belarus Belarus00000
3 Israel Israel00000
4 Kosovo flag Kosovo00000
Q Romania Romania00000
Q Switzerland Switzerland00000

Group J

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Bosnia Bosnia H'vina00000
2 Iceland Iceland00000
3 Liechtenstein flag Liechtenstein00000
4 Luxembourg flag Luxembourg00000
Q Portugal Portugal00000
Q Slovakia Slovakia00000


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