Haaland-less Norway to still best Turkey away
Turkey will take on Norway at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in Istanbul on Friday evening, desperately hoping to halt the slide they have been on ever since Euro 2020 commenced in the summer. Prior to the tournament, Ay-Yıldızlılar won the reverse fixture with a convincing 3-0 scoreline, but must make do without several key players through suspension as they look to grab top spot from a resurgent Netherlands side in Group G. Meanwhile, the visitors are without superstar Erling Braut Haaland, but have their own designs on automatic qualification for next year in Qatar. Read our preview here:
Müldür the investigator
Newly installed head coach Stefan Kuntz has a number of headaches to deal with if he is to keep Turkey in the hunt for a place at the most prestigious competition in football. Though his form has been woeful, Leicester City's Çaglar Söyüncü is a big miss for his nation through suspension, and is joined by the likes of Orkun Kökcü and Ozan Kabak in that regard; this means that the centre of defence will have an unfamilar look about it, and the replacements will be hard pressed to choke the life out of the visiting front three. Elsewhere, they'll also be outnumbered in midfield if Kuntz lines them as expected in a 4-4-2 shape. The principle reason for the formation is to get more support to the evergreen Burak Yılmaz, who will have struggling Yusuf Yazici for company in attack. The wide midfielders will be tasked with cutting inside at all possible opportunities, and Cengiz Ünder has undergone a renaissance of sorts at Marseille. Left-back Mert Müldür will have to somehow keep Martin Ødegaard quiet if they are to succeed.
Sørloth, your loss
Naturally, Haaland's withdrawal from the squad is regrettable but understandable, given he has missed several of Borussia Dortmund's recent games through injury. The roster has been decimated in goal and defence too, so AFC Bournemouth custodian Ørjan Nyland is in line for his 30th cap at senior level. Most of the attack-minded players remain in situ, and it wil be a case of keeping the ball as far away from their own third as possible. There should be some joy in this, given Turkey's major deficiencies as of late, and the combination of an in-form Ødegaard, the hard-working Mohamed Elyounoussi, and focal point Alexander Sørloth will be a dynamic, unpredictable prospect for their adversaries. The latter, standing at close to two metres, has found things challenging at Real Sociedad thus far, but certainly comes alive in the red and dark blue of his country. His aerial prowess from set pieces will frighten the life out of a makeshift Turkish backline.
Løvene roaring in the fighting pit
Despite their own absentees, if Norway are to reach their first World Cup this century, they simply have to get some kind of result in Istanbul before playing hosts to Montenegro, who are no pushovers either. Kuntz is only just getting his feet under the table for a nation expecting at least a play-off spot, which gives him little room for error. Casumo have odds of 3.35 for an away win that could tip the balance in Ståle Solbakken's favour, who will be ready to pounce if the Netherlands unexpectedly slip up in Latvia.
