Turkey and Holland kick off their World Cup qualifying campaigns in Istanbul on Wednesday, with both nations expected to challenge for a top-two spot in Group G.
The two countries have also been drawn alongside Gibraltar, Lativa, Montenegro and Norway in Group G.
The Netherlands squad confirmed Stekelenburg back!ST Juste debutLuuk de Jong over WeghorstWhat do we think? pic.twitter.com/NdSH4lV3RU— Dutch Football (@FootballOranje_) March 19, 2021
The Netherlands squad confirmed Stekelenburg back!ST Juste debutLuuk de Jong over WeghorstWhat do we think? pic.twitter.com/NdSH4lV3RU
Turkey qualified for the European Championship with ease last year, losing just one of their ten qualifying matches.
But since then, Turkey have only managed to win one of their last eight games in all competitions, although they have only suffered two defeats in that time.
Recent standout results include a 3-3 friendly draw with Germany, as well as a 3-2 victory over Russia in the Nations League.
However, Turkey ended up finishing bottom of their Nations League group after picking up one win in six matches.
It is worth noting that each of Turkey’s last six games have produced over 1.5 goals, while four of those have produced over 3.5 goals.
On the other hand, Holland head into Wednesday’s clash on a five-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, recording two wins and three draws.
After holding Spain to a 1-1 draw in a friendly back in November, Holland beat Bosnia & Herzegovina and Poland.
Holland also lost just one of their European Championship qualifiers, although they finished second in Group C – two points behind Germany.
Across their previous four outings, Holland have scored a combined total of seven goals – netting over 1.5 goals in each of their last two.
Still, it is important to remember that both teams have also scored in each of Holland’s last four matches.
Head-to-head: Turkey and Holland have faced each other 12 times over the years, with Holland winning five times and Turkey claim three wins (four draws).
Their last meeting came back in European Championship qualifying back in 2015, with Turkey winning 3-0 on that occasion.
Team news: Star players like Merih Demiral (Juventus), Caglar Soyuncu (Leicester City) and Hakan Calhanoglu (AC Milan) are expected to feature for Turkey.
Meanwhile, Galatasaray midfielder Taylan Antalyali and Goztepe winger Halil Akbunar could make their debuts.
Despite his good form, Wout Weghorst (Wolfsburg) is not included in the Holland squad, while Jeremiah St Juste (Mainz 04) has been called up for the very first time.
With both teams understandably eager to kick off their qualifying campaigns on a positive note, both sides will probably be happy to avoid defeat on Wednesday.
Forebet predicts that Turkey and Holland will produce a low-scoring draw in Istanbul.