Türkiye to face Austria in Euro 2024 round of 16
National footballers celebrate a goal, Wien, April 15, 2024 (AA Photo)
In Euro 2024, Türkiye, which advanced to the round of 16 as the second-place team in their group with six points, will compete against Austria for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Austria topped Group D with six points, having faced France, the Netherlands, and Poland. The match will kick off at 10 p.m. in Leipzig and will be officiated by Portuguese referee Artur Soares Dias.
The Turkish national team aims to avenge their 6-1 loss to Austria in a friendly match last March and progress to the quarterfinals.
The winner of the Austria-Türkiye matchup will face the winner of the Romania-Netherlands game in Berlin on July 6 in the quarterfinals.
National team player Mert Mulder commented on the match, saying, “Both teams want to win. Hopefully, we will be the ones smiling at the end with a good result. We have prepared very well. We want to make our fans happy.”
Head coach Vincenzo Montella stated, “We know our strength. UEFA released statistics showing that we scored five goals in the group stage, placing us third. We are also third in shots taken, with an average of 16.67 shots per match and 21 corners earned in the group stage. We rank fifth in offensive actions with 161. However, we need to be better at finishing and should have scored more goals in the group stage. We need to be precise with our opportunities against Austria.”
Austria’s head coach Ralf Rangnick remarked, “Türkiye is a team that plays with intense emotions. Our players will need to reflect their energy on the field.”
Probable lineups:
Türkiye:
Türkiye is expected to start with Mert Gunok in goal. Mert Mulder is likely to play at right-back, with Ferdi Kadioglu at left-back. The center-back pairing is expected to be Abdulkerim Bardakci and Kaan Ayhan. In midfield, Ismail Yuksek, Salih Ozcan, and Orkun Kokcu are anticipated to start. The forward line will likely feature Kenan Yildiz, Arda Guler, and Baris Alper Yilmaz.
Austria:
Austria is expected to field Patrick Pentz as the goalkeeper. The defense will likely include Stephan Posch, Kevin Danso, Philipp Lienhart, and Phillipp Mwene. The midfield is expected to consist of Nicolas Seiwald, Florian Grillitsch, Christoph Baumgartner, Konrad Laimer, and Marcel Sabitzer. Michael Gregoritsch is expected to lead the attack.
