Turkey vs Latvia

Konya Buyuksehir Belediye Stadium should provide a safe shelter as Turkey encounter Latvia in a potentially crucial Euro 2024 qualifier.

Turkey’s pursuit of a third consecutive appearance at the European Championship finals took another step in the right direction as they squeezed past Croatia 1-0 in midweek Euro qualifying action to climb to the top of Group D. Since a 2-0 home loss to the same rival on matchday two, the ‘Crescent-Stars’ have gone nuclear in the ongoing qualifying cycle, racking up three wins from four matches (D1) to build a decent-looking six-point cushion on third-placed Armenia. After pulling off a massive upset on his touchline debut, newly-appointed Turkey manager Vincenzo Montella feels entitled to improve his side’s indifferent three-game home record in Euro 2024 qualifiers (W1, D1, L1) and potentially make a decisive step towards reaching next summer’s tournament. Turkey’s seven-game unbeaten H2H streak against Latvia can only inspire more confidence around the camp (W2, D5).

Despite coming into proceedings as betting underdogs and without any realistic chances of securing only their second-ever Euros finals qualification as an independent nation, Latvia won’t be short of confidence after arresting a five-match losing start to their Group D campaign. Dainis Kazakevičs’ men went above and beyond to beat Armenia 2-0 at home in midweek despite falling down to ten men in the opening stage of the second half, registering only their second victory in their last 26 Euro qualifiers (W2, D5, L19). Another upset could be on the cards, considering the ’11 Wolves’ have drawn all three previous competitive visits to Turkey in the 21st century, notably finding the back of the net on each occasion.