Czech Republic v Turkey background
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Article summary
The Czech Republic come into their penultimate Group A game secure in the knowledge that they will be playing in the finals, but Turkey have no such comfort.
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The Czech Republic are already certain of one of the top spots in UEFA EURO 2016 Group A, with the battle for third place the burning issue for visitors Turkey.
• The Czechs' place in the finals is already confirmed.
• Turkey will confirm a play-off place with a game to spare if they can extend their two-point lead over the Netherlands. They have the superior head-to-head record in the event that the sides finish level on points.
Previous meetings
• The Czechs came from behind to win 2-1 in Istanbul in the sides' first Group A meeting.
• Turkey's record in 17 games against Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic is W3 D3 L11.
• The only competitive meeting between the nations in their current incarnations was at UEFA EURO 2008, where Nihat Kahveci struck twice in the last four minutes to take Fatih Terim's side into the last eight at the expense of Karel Brückner's Czechs. Forward Tuncay Şanlı finished the game in the Turkey goal, with Volkan Demirel dismissed for a foul two minutes into added time.
• The teams for that match in Geneva on 15 June 2008 were:
Turkey: Volkan, Servet, Hakan Balta, Mehmet Topal (Kazim Richards 57), Mehmet Aurélio, Nihat, Semih (Sabri 46), Emre Güngör (Emre Aşık 63), Arda Turan, Tuncay, Hamit Altıntop.
Czech Republic: Čech, Grygera, Polák, Galásek, Jankulovski, Sionko (Vlček 84), Koller, Matějovský (Jarolím 39), Plašil (Kadlec 80), Ujfaluši, Rozehnal.
Form guide
• The Czechs have not kept a single clean sheet in their eight Group A games (W6 D1 L1), but are unbeaten at home in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying (W3 D1).
• Turkey lost their opening two Group A games, but have not lost a competitive match since (W3 D3), alternating draws and wins. If that pattern continues, they will draw in Prague.
Disciplinary
• Bořek Dočkal will incur a suspension with his next booking.
• Oğuzhan Özyakup, Ozan Tufan, Gökhan Töre and Arda Turan are all a booking away from a ban.
Trivia and links
• Turkey's final Group A game – at home against Iceland – will be their 250th competitive game.
• In the 28 matches between the nations' clubs in UEFA competition, Turkey and the Czech Republic are equal on 12 wins each – though the Turkish sides are unbeaten in the last nine of those encounters (W6 D3).
• Turkey have had marginally the better of the nations' 11 meetings in UEFA age-group competitions: W5 D3 L3.
