Türkiye Must Beat Belgium to Avoid Nations League Last Place
Türkiye cannot afford anything less than a win against Belgium in the UEFA Nations League. A draw or defeat at Gursel Aksel Stadium in Izmir
Türkiye cannot afford anything less than a win against Belgium in the UEFA Nations League. A draw or defeat at Gursel Aksel Stadium in Izmir would leave them bottom of Group A1 and potentially facing automatic relegation from the top tier.
The match was scheduled for Thursday, November 12, with kick-off at 17:00 GMT (12pm ET). It is the first of two games Türkiye must win to stay in League A.
Two teams, very different positions
Türkiye have lost all four of their group games and have no points. Belgium sit third, six points better off and one point behind second-placed Italy. A quarterfinal place is still realistic for the Red Devils.
A new coach in the dugout
Sergen Yalcin, the former Besiktas manager, takes charge of Türkiye for the first time. He replaces Vincenzo Montella, who was dismissed last month after three years in the job.
Montella's final game was a 3-1 loss to Italy. Türkiye lost six of his last seven matches, the only win being 3-2 against the already-qualified United States.
Yalcin is expected to lean on 21-year-old playmaker Arda Guler and captain Hakan Calhanoglu.
Who is missing, who returns
Belgium will be without Romeo Lavia. He picked up another caution in a 4-1 defeat by France at the start of October and faces suspension as a result.
Kevin De Bruyne is set to return. The 35-year-old Napoli midfielder missed the France game, and he scored twice when Belgium beat Türkiye in the reverse fixture in October.
Mark van Bommel has won two and lost two matches since taking over the Belgium job in the summer. He replaced Rudi Garcia, whose contract was not renewed after the World Cup.
Türkiye reached the World Cup this year viewed by some as potential dark horses. Since then their results have fallen away sharply, and Yalcin has only this match and one more to keep them in the top division.
