Erdoğan among Hiddink's Turkey new boys
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Article summary
Bursaspor captain Ömer Erdoğan, 33, earned his maiden call-up for Guus Hiddink's first competitive match since taking the reins of Turkey, a journey east to play Kazakhstan in Astana.
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![Bursaspor's Ömer Erdoğan can make his Turkey debut in Astana Bursaspor's Ömer Erdoğan can make his Turkey debut in Astana](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0254-0d7ca2615784-f1f9a5650758-1000/format/wide1/bursaspor_captain_omer_erdogan_feels_he_has_improved_markedly_since_his_last_european_game.jpeg?imwidth=158)
Article body
Having taken stock since failing to reach the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals, Turkey begin their UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying Group A campaign with a trip east to face Kazakhstan.
Team news
• Kazakhstan coach Bernd Storck has picked four new faces including Genrikh Shmidtgal from SC Rot-Weiss Oberhausen, 32-year-old FC Amkar Perm defender Alexey Popov and PFC Spartak Nalchik midfielder Kazbek Geteriev who said he was looking forward to "playing at international level". FC Lokomotiv Astana centre-half Mark Gurman also receives a first call-up while VfL Wolfsburg left-back Sergei Karimov is retained after making his debut on 11 August.
• Kazakhstan squad
Goalkeepers: Aleksandr Mokin (FC Ordabasy Shymkent), Andrei Sidelnikov (FK Aktobe), Andrei Shabanov (FK Atyrau)
Defenders: Renat Abdulin (FC Tobol Kostanay), Aleksandr Kislitsyn (FC Shakhter Karagandy), Alexandr Kirov (FC Lokomotiv Astana), Mikhail Rozhkov (FC Lokomotiv Astana), Dmitri Shomko (FC Irtysh Pavlodar), Vladislav Chernyshov (FC Irtysh Pavlodar), Alexey Popov (FC Amkar Perm).
Midfielders: Andrey Karpovich (FK Aktobe), Sergey Skorykh (FC Shakhter Karagandy), Denis Rodionov (FC Zhetysu Taldykorgan), Evgeni Averchenko (FK Aktobe), Azat Nurgaliyev (FC Tobol Kostanay), Ulan Konysbayev (FC Taraz), Vadim Borovskiy (FC Shakhter Karagandy), Mark Gurman (FC Lokomotiv Astana), Genrikh Shmidtgal (SC Rot-Weiss Oberhausen), Kazbek Geteriev (PFC Spartak Nalchik).
Forwards: Nurbol Zhumaskaliyev (FC Tobol Kostanay), Sergey Ostapenko (FC Lokomotiv Astana), Maksim Azovskiy (FC Lokomotiv Astana), Sergey Khizhnichenko (FK Atyrau), Gleb Maltsev (FC Irtysh Pavlodar).
• Bursaspor's 33-year-old captain Ömer Erdoğan earned his first ever senior call-up, while Fenerbahçe's German-born midfielder Özer Hurmacı can also make his senior debut, with the 23-year-old player having impressed at Under-21 level. Already without goalkeeper Volkan Demirel (thigh), İbrahim Kaş (calf) and left-back Çağlar Birinci (groin) due to injuries, Guus Hiddink's side lost another custodian when Hakan Arıkan withdrew with an ankle problem. His Beşiktaş JK club-mate Cenk Gönen, 22, replaces him.
• Turkey squad
Goalkeepers: Onur Kıvrak (Trabzonspor AŞ), Sinan Bolat (Royal Standard de Liège), Cenk Gönen (Beşiktaş JK)
Defenders: Gökhan Gönül (Fenerbahçe SK), Sabri Sarıoğlu (Galatasaray AŞ), Ömer Erdoğan (Bursaspor), Servet Çetin (Galatasaray AŞ), İbrahim Toraman (Beşiktaş JK), Gökhan Zan (Galatasaray AŞ), Hakan Balta (Galatasaray AŞ), İsmail Köybaşı (Beşiktaş AŞ)
Midfielders: Hamit Altıntop (FC Bayern München), Kazım Kazım (Fenerbahçe SK), Mehmet Aurélio (Beşiktaş JK), Selçuk Şahin (Fenerbahçe SK), Emre Belözoğlu (Fenerbahçe SK), Nuri Şahin (BV Borussia Dortmund), Selçuk İnan (Trabzonspor AŞ), Arda Turan (Galatasaray AŞ), Özer Hurmacı (Fenerbahçe SK)
Forwards: Tuncay Şanlı (Stoke City FC), Semih Şentürk (Fenerbahçe SK), Sercan Yıldırım (Bursaspor), Nihat Kahveci (Beşiktaş JK), Halil Altıntop (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Match background
• Kazakhstan's record in two games against Turkey reads W0 D0 L2 (W0 D0 L1 at home).
• The only previous meetings between the two nations came during qualifying for the 2006 World Cup; Turkey beat Kazakhstan 4-0 in Istanbul on 9 October 2004 and won 6-0 in Almaty in the return fixture on 8 June the following year.
• Fatih Tekke scored twice in both games for Turkey.
• Kazakhstan and Turkey also met in qualifying for the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, with Turkey winning 1-0 at home but surprisingly going down 2-1 on their travels, when Vladimir Yakovlev fired the added-time winner.
• The only meeting between club sides from the two nations came in the second qualifying round of the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League, when FC Tobol Kostanay held Galatasaray AŞ to a 1-1 draw at home before losing 2-0 away.