National football team to face Wales in Kayseri
Turkish national football team celebrating after 3-1 win against Georgia at Dortmund, Germany in 18 June 2024. (Anadolu Images)
Türkiye’s national football team will face Wales in Kayseri on Saturday for their fifth match in UEFA Nations League Group 4.
The match, set to take place at Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality Kadir Has Stadium, will kick off at 8 p.m. Spanish referee Juan Martinez Munuera will officiate, assisted by Raul Cabanero and Guadalupe Porras Ayuso, with Alejandro Muniz Ruiz serving as the fourth official.
Currently leading Group 4 with 10 points, Türkiye can secure the top spot and promotion to League A with a win over second-place Wales, who have 8 points.
Kenan Yıldız, who is suspended, will not play in this match. Meanwhile, Caglar Soyuncu, Ferdi Kadioglu, Ahmed Kutucu, and Deniz Gul were excluded from the candidate squad due to injuries. Eren Dinkci, Yasin Ozcan, and Bertug Yildirim have been called up to the squad as replacements.
Türkiye’s national football team will play its 636th match in history. In its 101 years, the team has played 635 matches, including 350 official matches and 285 friendlies. The national team has recorded 248 wins, 149 draws, and 238 losses, one of which was a forfeit. Of these matches, 272 were played away, 274 in Türkiye, and 89 at neutral venues.
The Stars have scored 869 goals and conceded 908, with three of the victories coming by forfeit. Over the years, Türkiye has faced teams from 91 different countries, including 551 matches against European teams, 34 against Asian teams, 24 against African teams, 23 against American teams and three against teams from Oceania.
Türkiye will face their 18th test under Italian coach Vincenzo Montella against Wales. Türkiye won the first three matches in which Montella was in the dugout but failed to win in the following five matches.
The Turkish team ended their winless run by defeating Georgia in the first match of Euro 2024. Under the Italian coach, the national team played 17 matches, 12 of which were official and five private, and recorded nine wins, five defeats and three draws.
The Turkish national team ended their winless streak with a victory over Georgia in their first match of Euro 2024. Under Italian coach, the team has played 17 matches—12 official and five friendlies—securing nine wins, five losses and three draws.
The Turkish national football team will face Wales for the 11th time. In their previous 10 official encounters, Türkiye has achieved three wins, three draws and four defeats. The team has scored 10 goals across these matches—one each in the European Championship and UEFA Nations League, and four each in the World Cup and European Championship qualifiers—while conceding 13 goals.
Türkiye has remained unbeaten in its last matches against Wales. The Turkish team won 1 and drew 1 in the two matches played in the qualifying group for the 2024 European Championship. Türkiye won the match in Samsun 2-0, with goals from Umut Nayir and Arda Guler. The match in Wales ended in a 1-1 draw. The first meeting in the UEFA Nations League also finished in a goalless draw.
Cakir will play in goal for the national team against Wales. Muldur, Demiral, Bardakci and Elmali will play in defense. Kokcu, Calhanoglu, Guler trio is expected to play in the midfield, Akgun on the right wing, Akturkoglu on the left wing and Yilmaz at forward.
