Türkiye host Belgium in İzmir on Thursday, 12 November, in Sergen Yalçın’s first match as head coach of the national football team. Kick-off at the Gürsel Aksel Stadium is at 20:00 Turkish time, and the game is the fifth round of fixtures in Group 1 of the UEFA Nations League A, NTV, A Spor and Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
The match is shown live on ATV in Türkiye, according to NTV and AA.
A difficult group so far
Türkiye lost their first four group matches under Yalçın’s predecessor Vincenzo Montella and have yet to collect a point, NTV and AA reported. One of those defeats was a 3-0 loss away to Belgium last month, AA and Evrensel reported. After Thursday’s game, Türkiye finish the group stage away to France on 15 November, according to NTV, A Spor and AA.
What Yalçın said
Speaking at a press conference at the Gürsel Aksel Stadium on Wednesday, Yalçın said Enes Ünal would start up front, AA and beIN Sports reported. He described Ferdi Kadıoğlu as "100 percent ready" and said it was very unlikely that Zeki Çelik would start, according to both outlets.
Yalçın said three or four players were coming back from injury and would be used for parts of the game, beIN Sports and AA reported. He added that the team had to take three points and that staying in the top-tier group was very important, according to beIN Sports and AA.
Asked about İrfan Can Kahveci, who was left out of the 26-man squad, Yalçın said the midfielder remained part of the wider national team pool, AA and beIN Sports reported. He also said Arda Okan Kurtulan could not play for the national team for procedural reasons, according to both outlets. Yalçın said around 80 percent of the squad was an established core of players, AA and beIN Sports reported.
"I don’t need the win," he said, adding that the public and the players needed it, according to beIN Sports and AA.
Squad changes
Yalçın’s squad, announced on 6 November, did not include İrfan Can Kahveci, Kerem Aktürkoğlu or Mert Müldür, who were regulars under Montella, NTV and beIN Sports reported. Arda Güler and Barış Alper Yılmaz, who served yellow-card suspensions during the October international break, are in the squad, according to NTV and Evrensel.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) withdrew Aral Şimşir from the squad on Wednesday because of injury, NTV and TRT Spor reported, citing a TFF statement.
Sources
- Türkiye-Belçika milli maçı ne zaman, saat kaçta ve hangi kanalda? (NTV)
- Milli maç ne zaman? Türkiye-Belçika maçı hangi kanalda? (A Spor)
- Türkiye, Sergen Yalçın yönetiminde ilk maçında Belçika karşısında (AA)
- A Milli Futbol Takımı Teknik Direktörü Sergen Yalçın: Bütün planımızı kazanmak üzerine yaptık (AA)
- Sergen Yalçın’dan İrfan Can ve Arda Okan açıklaması (beIN Sports)
- Türkiye ile Belçika, bugün 13. kez karşı karşıya gelecek (AA)
- A Milli Futbol Takımı’nda kart cezalısı Arda Güler ile Barış Alper kamptan ayrıldı (Evrensel)
- Sergen Yalçın milli takım kadrosunu açıkladı (NTV)
- Sürpriz tercihler! Sergen Yalçın, A Milli Takım kadrosunu açıkladı (beIN Sports)
- A Milli Takım’da sakatlık, kadrodan çıkarıldı (NTV)
- Aral Şimşir aday kadrodan çıkarıldı (TRT Spor)
Photo: Estin Giç Giç / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
