The Czechs need a win to reach the last 16 at Euro 2024. Get ready for this Group F game in Hamburg with our Czech Republic vs Turkey prediction and preview.
Czech Republic vs Turkey Stats: The Key Insights
- Czech Republic are favourites to grab their first win of Euro 2024, beating Turkey in 36.7% of the Opta supercomputer’s pre-match simulations.
- Czech Republic have only failed to win any of their group games at a European Championship once before, in 2016 when they played Turkey on Matchday 3.
- Turkey are looking to progress from the group stage of the Euros for the first time since 2008.
It’s Czech Republic vs Turkey, or Czechia vs Türkiye if you’d prefer, with both possibly needing something to advance to the knockout stage at Euro 2024.
The Czechs picked up their first point in a 1-1 draw with Georgia on Matchday 2 and will have to win in Hamburg, though if they can pick up the three points, they’ll likely finish in second spot barring a comfortable win for Georgia against Portugal in the other game in Group F.
Turkey’s opening win against Georgia could be enough to see them through, even if it ends up being in third place, but Vincenzo Montella’s side will want to be more emphatic about qualification and ensure they go through as runners up, with Portugal having already secured top spot.
Czech Republic will have their work cut out to find the win they need. They have only won one of their last eight group games at the UEFA European Championship (D3 L4), beating Scotland 2-0 at Euro 2020.
Ivan Hašek’s side have only won four of their last 15 competitive internationals (D5 L6), with a loss and a draw from their two Euro 2024 outings so far. The Czechs have only ever failed to win any of their three group games at a single edition of the European Championship once (2016). They lost to Turkey in their third group game that year (2-0).
Czech Republic could consider themselves unlucky to have only drawn 1-1 against Georgia last time out. They attempted 27 shots and recorded an expected goals total (xG) of 3.1. That was the most shots and highest xG of any side in a single game across the opening two matchdays of Euro 2024, while only Croatia against Spain (-2.4, 0 goals from 2.4 xG) underperformed their xG more in one of their opening two matches.
Patrik Schick scored the equaliser against Georgia to get off the mark at Euro 2024, and has six goals in total in European Championship finals, more than any other player for Czech Republic.
Including the World Cup (and including games as Czechoslovakia) only Oldrich Nejedlý (7) has scored more at major international tournaments for the nation. Schick was forced off with a muscle strain in the last game, though, and could miss this crucial clash.
Turkey don’t have a much better recent record in this competition, having lost seven of their last nine matches at the Euros (W2). Indeed, since the start of Euro 2016, only Ukraine (7) have lost more matches at the finals than their six. Montella’s men are looking to progress from the group stage of the European Championship for the first time since 2008.
Hakan Çalhanoglu is likely to be key to any success Turkey have in this tournament. The Inter midfielder leads all Turkey players for touches (191), successful passes (149), passes into the final third (20), and possession won (14) at Euro 2024.
They will need to perform much better than their last outing, though. Turkey were error-strewn in their 3-0 loss to Portugal, with Samet Akaydin’s farcical own goal somewhat summing up their day in Dortmund.
Don’t expect a strong start this time, either. Of Turkey’s 17 goals at the European Championship, just four have been scored in the first half of games (23.5%). Indeed, they have led at half-time in just two of their 20 games at the finals (10%), doing so vs Belgium in 2000, though interestingly, also against Czech Republic in 2016.
Czech Republic vs Turkey Head-to-Head
These two have played each other twice before at the European Championship, with Turkey winning on both occasions; 3-2 in 2008 (having been 2-0 down) and 2-0 in 2016. Coincidentally, both of those meetings were also MD 3 group games.
Czech Republic have lost their last three matches against Turkey in all competitions. Their last win (2-1) was in October 2014 in a Euro 2016 qualifier in Istanbul.
The last meeting between the two was a friendly in Gaziantep in November 2022, which Turkey won 2-1. Enes Ünal and Hakan Çalhanoglu scored for the hosts either side of Václav Cerny’s equaliser.
Czech Republic vs Turkey Prediction
A win will guarantee Turkey’s passage to the knockout stage, and they achieve it in 35.6% of the Opta supercomputer’s simulations.
Victory should also be enough for Czech Republic; they manage that in 36.7% of sims. A draw will eliminate the Czechs and probably send Turkey through, and that outcome occurred in 27.7% of sims.
Czech Republic vs Turkey Squads
Czech Republic
Jindrich Stanek, Matej Kovár, Vítezslav Jaros, David Doudera, David Jurásek, David Zima, Ladislav Krejcí, Martin Vitík, Robin Hranác, Tomás Holes, Tomás Vlcek, Vladimír Coufal, Antonín Barák, Lukás Cerv, Lukás Provod, Matej Jurásek, Ondrej Lingr, Pavel Sulc, Tomás Soucek, Václav Cerny, Adam Hlozek, Jan Kuchta, Mojmír Chytil, Patrik Schick, Tomás Chory.
Head coach: Ivan Hašek
Turkey
Altay Bayindir, Mert Günok, Ugurcan Çakir, Abdülkerim Bardakci, Ahmetcan Kaplan, Kaan Ayhan, Merih Demiral, Mert Müldür, Samet Akaydin, Zeki Çelik, Arda Güler, Ferdi Kadioglu, Hakan Çalhanoglu, Irfan Can Kahveci, Ismail Yüksek, Okay Yokuslu, Orkun Kökçü, Salih Özcan, Baris Alper Yilmaz, Bertug Yildirim, Cenk Tosun, Kenan Yildiz, Kerem Aktürkoglu, Semih Kiliçsoy, Yunus Akgün, Yusuf Yazici.
Head coach: Vincenzo Montella
Czech Republic vs Turkey Predicted Lineups
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