Wales vs Turkey prediction, tips, stats & team news | Uefa Nations League
Craig Bellamy gets his first taste of senior management when Wales take on Turkey in their Uefa Nations League B opener on Friday.
Three Wales vs Turkey predictions
Wales 1-1 Turkey (5/1 with Midnite)
Turkey have won just three of their nine games in 2024. However, those three victories did see them reach the quarter-finals at Euro 2024.
Hakan Calhanoglu to score anytime (18/5 with BetGoodwin)
Turkey’s squad are seriously lacking goals ahead of this international break. Hakan Calhanoglu is their highest scorer with 19 goals. In fact, he’s the only player in the squad to break double figures.
BTTS and under 2.5 goals (5/1 with Bet365)
Although this fixture has a 6-4 to its name, that was the only game in nine that has seen more than two goals scored.
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How both teams go into Wales vs Turkey
The Rob Page era at Wales ended with a whimper as they failed to qualify for Euro 2024. The Dragons were beaten on penalties in their play-off final against Poland, unable to build on their previous appearances at Euro 2016 and Euro 2020. In Page’s final two games in charge, Wales drew with Gibraltar and were then smashed 4-0 by Slovakia.
So now it’s Craig Bellamy’s time. The Welsh legend is in a senior management role for the first time, with previous experience at under-21 level at Anderlecht. Most recently, Bellamy worked under Vincent Kompany at Burnley, but he did not follow the Belgian to Bayern Munich.
“I’m not a dictator,” Bellamy told reporters.
“I have certain beliefs: ‘This is what I like, this what I would prefer you be able to do.; Especially without the ball, I’m non-negotiable. But with the ball, I am quite caring and all about love.
“I need my players to feel free. I can’t put any shackles on. If you give the ball away and you hear me in the background yelling, then it’s not going to help or improve the player. I have to allow my players to be the best they can be.”
Turkey represent an interesting first opponent for Bellamy. Although they reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, Turkey haven’t had the best of years. They were winless in their first four games of the year, including a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Austria.
But when it did matter, Turkey beat Georgia and Czech Republic to reach the knockout stages of Euro 2024. The game they failed to win in the group stage came as they rotated against Portugal. In the last 16, Turkey shocked dark horses Austria and they then took the lead in the quarter-finals against Netherlands. But they eventually succumbed to a Dutch comeback.
Wales host Turkey at the Cardiff City Stadium on Friday 6th September at 7:45pm (UK time).
Wales team news
There have been a few changes for Bellamy’s first squad. Tom King, Jay Dasilva, Joe Low, Fin Stevens, Matt Baker, Charlie Savage, Nathan Broadhead and Wes Burns have all dropped out from the squad that lost to Slovakia. However, a good handful of those were only tested for the first time in Page’s last break.
Daniel James and Rabbi Matondo have also had to pull out of Bellamy’s squad due to injury. A lot of the goalscoring responsibilities will fall on Aaron Ramsey and Kieffer Moore, the only players in Wales’ squad with more than 10 goals.
Turkey team news
Ferdi Kadigolu misses out on the Turkey squad due to injury, one of six players to drop out from Euro 2024. There is also no Cenk Tosun, while Semih Kilicsoy has pulled out due to injury.
But, the likes of Baris Yilmaz and Arda Guler are involved and will be integral to the attack.
Wales vs Turkey head-to-head
Wales enjoy a slightly better record in this fixture with four wins to Turkey’s three. However, in the three games they have played this century, the results are level with one win each and one draw.
| Wales vs Turkey H2H | |||||||
| Date | Score | Ground | |||||
| 21/11/23 | Wales 1-1 Turkey | Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff | |||||
| 19/06/23 | Turkey 2-0 Wales | Samsun Stadium, Samsun | |||||
| 16/06/21 | Turkey 0-2 Wales | Olympic Stadium, Baku | |||||
| 20/08/97 | Turkey 6-4 Wales | Ali Sami Yen Stadium, Istanbul | |||||
| 14/12/96 | Wales 0-0 Turkey | Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff | |||||
| 25/03/81 | Turkey 0-1 Wales | Ankara 19 Mayis Stadyumu, Ankara | |||||
How to watch Wales vs Turkey live
Wales vs Turkey will be broadcast live at 7:45pm (UK time) on Friday 6th September on Premier Sports and S4C. The game can also be watched online on S4C Online and BBC iPlayer.
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