Turkey to rally from awful start with a Welsh win
The second round of matches in the UEFA Euro 2020 group stage begins with Turkey taking on Wales at the Baku Olympic Stadium in Azerbaijan on Wednesday evening local time. The side many fancied as dark horses put in what can only be charitably described as a tired looking display against Italy, wilting as the Azzurri took a stranglehold on both the tempo and the scoreline. Şenol Güneş will undoubtedly roll the dice for a game he knows his charges must win to take some of the pressure off their final fixture with Switzerland. As for the Dragons, they got the point they deserved against the latter, and stand-in head coach Rob Page will be keen to stress there's nothing to fear as they look to make qualification a probablity, rather than a possibility. Read our preview here:
Get Ünder Wales' skin
Wales will of course pose an entirely different set of problems and quandaries for Güneş to mull over. Their front three has much more of a focal point in Kieffer Moore, and the overall tactics are nothing alike. Ay-Yıldızlılar must come out of the blocks with an energy not on show during the tournament's curtain-raiser, especially when the tie-break scenarios need to be considered. Striker Burak Yılmaz must get far more support in the final third, and to do that will likely mean moving Hakan Çalhanoğlu more centrally, and starting versatile wide player Cengiz Ünder. The bit-part Leicester City loanee loves to get up the field on the dribble, and it's precisely that sort of skillset that will help to unlock their opponents' defence.
Moore reasons to be cheerful
Having been preferred to Harry Wilson in the first encounter, Moore rewarded Page in the perfect way by putting in a goal-scoring and commanding performance in the game with Switzerland. Equally as pleasing for supporters would've been to witness Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen both come through the game unharmed, and the all-action display of Joe Morrell in the middle of the park. They'll also have seen how Turkey looked especially susceptible in wider areas defensively, so expect to see Gareth Bale nominally take up such positions to draw his marker away from their comfort zone.
Holes like Swiss cheese
It promises to be a more open game for Turkey than their opener, and the onus will firmly be on them to put in a collective shift worthy of their red shirts. Wales meanwhile will want to get the win that will almost certainly book passage through to the last 16, and completely remove any pressure from their final fixture in Italy. bet365 have odds of 2.38 for a victory for Ünder and co. that will make the likely race for second in Group A a scramble.
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