Preview: Turkey - Belgium

CelticKing · Sep 9, 2008

Preview: Turkey - Belgium

What: 2010 World Cup Qualifier, UEFA, Group 5
Who: Turkey (1st, 3/3pts) vs. Belgium (2nd, 3/3pts)
When: 10 September 2008, 21:00 local
Where: Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, Istanbul
Referee: Referee: Stephane Lannoy (France)

On The Right Foot

Turkey weathered a potentially tricky trip to Yerevan in confident fashion on Saturday with a tough but merited 2-0 victory to start the campaign in style.

The Crescent-Stars now top Group 5 - albeit on goal difference - and it is here that they shall intend to stay, even at the expense of European champions and top seeds Spain.

Certainly they can continue to fly alongside the Furia Roja with a home win at the Sukru Saracoglu, although this encounter will not be without its perils. After all, Fatih Terim's squad is still stricken by injury, and they slipped up in some matches in the last qualifying campaign.

However, most of those ill-timed results in the Euro 2008 qualifying race took place on the road and, in any case, it was 'alright on the night' as the Crescent-Stars beat Norway on their own patch to seal qualification.

A successful Euro 2008 followed: can they now secure their passage to 2010?

Belgian Blues

The junior Red Devils may have stunned the world with a relatively successful Olympic Games campaign, but back in the land of FIFA qualifiers the Belgians leave much to be desired.

René Vandereycken's men failed to make Euro 2008 after finishing a mere fifth out of eight in their qualifying group. Not only that, but they were well off the pace almost throughout: in the end they managed just 18 points from 14 games, rendering them six points off Finland and Serbia and fully nine off a qualification spot.

Even reaching the semi-finals of the Olympics in Beijing failed to dampen this memory, especially as Brazil pulled off a routine win to seal the bronze medal in the third-place playoff. Still, with a largely young squad the hope in the Kingdom is that the experience of the Far East can rub off on the senior squad.

Certainly some players, not least Kevin Mirallas, Jan Vertonghen, Moussa Dembélé, and above all Vincent Kompany, have already started to prove themselves at club level, and if they can bring their Olympic form with them to Istanbul then all is not lost by any means.

Still, a nervy showing against Estonia all too nearly ended in disaster on Saturday. In the end the 3-2 win over the Baltic minnows was close-fought, and any defensive slip-ups against Turkey may be punished even more readily now than then.

Head to Head

Overall the sides have met seven times in full, FIFA-sanctioned internationals, with each side managing three draws, two wins, and two defeats.

After a pair of 1-1 friendly results in the late 1950s, the relationship between the two countries lay dormant until the World Cup qualifiers for France '98. Here the Belgians won 2-1 in Brussels before repeating the feat 3-1 in Istanbul.

Since the turn of the century, though, the Turks have had the upper hand. First they silenced the Brussels crowd at Euro 2000 with a 2-0 victory in the Belgian capital, and then, four years later, they managed the same with a 3-2 friendly win.

The most recent fixture came in May 2006 - a thrilling, 3-3 draw in Genk. Of the current squads relatively few players are left, although Wesley Sonck and Tuncay Sanli each managed strikes on that occasion.

FORM GUIDE

Turkey

06 Sep 08 Armenia (A) WON 2-0 (ECQ)
20 Aug 08 Chile (H) WON 1-0 (Friendly)
25 Jun 08 Germany (N) LOST 3-2 (EC)
20 Jun 08 Croatia (N) DREW 1-1 (WON 3-1 pens.) (EC)
15 Jun 08 Czech Rep. (N) WON 3-2 (EC)
11 Jun 08 Switzerland (A) WON 2-1 (EC)

Belgium (excluding Olympic Games)

06 Sep 08 Estonia (H) WON 3-2 (ECQ)
20 Aug 08 Germany (A) LOST 2-0 (Friendly)
30 May 08 Italy (A) LOST 3-1 (Friendly)
26 Mar 08 Morocco (H) LOST 4-1 (Friendly)
21 Nov 07 Azerbaijan (A) WON 1-0 (ECQ)
17 Nov 07 Poland (A) LOST 2-0 (ECQ)

TEAM NEWS

Turkey

As with the first game, Hamit Altintop is out, while Nihat Kahveci and Tumer Metin are also sidelined with injury. Emre Asik is absent, while Rustu Recber has hung up his international gloves once and for all. Fatih Tekke, Umit Ozat, and Umit Karan have all been dropped.

As with their last fixture, the Turks will most likely put two up front. There will probably be relatively few changes to the line-up from that win over Armenia.

Possible Starting XI: Volkan Demirel; Gokhan Gonul, Cetin, Zan, Balta; Arda, Emre, Mehmet Aurelio, Tuncay; Erding, Senturk.

Belgium

Karel Geraerts and Luigi Pieroni have been dropped, while Carl Hoefkens and Tom De Mul are still absent. Overall, though, coach René Vandereycken has the vast majority of his important players available.

There could yet be an alteration in defence, with Vermaelen making way for Jelle Van Damme at left back. Otherwise the number of changes in the line-up could be minimal, although Moussa Dembelé is looking for a slot up front.

Possible Starting XI: Stijnen; Vertonghen, Kompany, Van Buyten, Van Damme; Simons, Fellaini, Defour, Witsel; Mirallas, Sonck.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Turkey - Tuncay Sanli: While he only lasted an hour of the last fixture, the Middlesbrough man put in a fine showing against Armenia and chipped in with a goal. He was a major player at Euro 2008 and will hope to be so again at the World Cup. On the other flank, Arda Turan may look to provide a strike of his own.

Belgium - Wesley Sonck: The 30-year-old Club Brugge forward struck twice in his side's last game to give them all three points against Estonia - vital goals for a man who only received his first international cap in his mid-twenties. Also keep an eye out for Vincent Kompany, who will need to replicate his fine recent club form at the back.
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M Two One · Sep 9, 2008

Turkey 1 : 3 Belgium

agoo · Sep 10, 2008

I'm going with the Turks.

CelticKing · Sep 10, 2008

Turkey 2 - 0 Belgium

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Preview: Turkey - Belgium

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Preview: Turkey - Belgium

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