Czech Republic vs Turkey

Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion sets the stage for a pivotal Euro 2024 Group F clash between the Czech Republic and Turkey.

It’s not been an ideal start to Euro 2024 for the Czech Republic by any stretch of the imagination as they head into the group-stage finale joint-bottom of Group F. Following a 2-1 loss to Portugal in their opening match, the Czechs squandered a first-half lead in a 1-1 draw against Georgia and now must take three points against Turkey to reach the knockout stages. However, the last and only time they failed to win a group-stage fixture at the Euro finals, they faced Turkey on matchday three and lost. Indeed, both their previous meetings with the Turks in the tournament have ended in defeats, while Ivan Hasek’s men have only won two of the last eight encounters between the sides (D1, L5).

Meanwhile, Turkey slumped to a dreadful 3-0 defeat to Portugal, days after hammering Georgia 3-1 in their Euro 2024 opener. Despite that disastrous result, avoiding defeat against the Czech Republic would see the Crescent-Stars qualify for the Euros knockout stages for the first time since their historic run to the semi-finals in 2008. However, Vincenzo Montella’s men are not having a great time, considering that the win against Georgia remains their only success in seven internationals (D2, L4). Worryingly for the Turks, their misfiring frontline netted under 1.5 goals in six of those seven matches. Against this backdrop, they’ve bagged precisely three goals across their last three showdowns against the Czechs (W3), most recently beating them 2-1 in a friendly in November 2022.