Czechia, Türkiye battle to advance from Group F at UEFA Euro 2024 on TSN
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With first place in Group F at UEFA Euro 2024 already spoken for, Czechia and Türkiye meet in their round-robin finales trying to secure a spot in the Round of 16.
For Türkiye the mission is simple. If they avoid defeat at Volksparkstadion in Hamburg, they will book their place in the knockout stage of the tournament.
They enter the contest second in the group with three points, thanks to their 3-1 victory over Georgia in their tournament opener.
Mert Müldür, Arda Güler and Kerem Aktürkoğlu had the goals for Türkiye, who then lost to Portugal in their second game.
"At times we lacked a bit of boldness [against Portugal], but that happens with players who are inexperienced on the finals stage,” said Türkiye head coach Vincenzo Montella. “We were punished harshly against Portugal, but we need to be positive and enjoy the many good things we did. We need to be ready for the Czechia game, when we can put everything on the line."
Türkiye is looking to escape the group stage for the first time since UEFA Euro 2008 when they advanced to semifinals before falling in an exciting clash against Germany.
"We have three points after two games,” said Türkiye defender Kaan Ayhan. “The Georgia game was a good start. Portugal was one we might have won on a good day with an exceptional performance, but Portugal were very strong on the day. We still have one more game ahead of us. We want to get six points and finish second in the group."
Abdülkerim Bardakcı is suspended for the match against Czechia, while Samet Akaydin, Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Zeki Çelik are all in danger of missing a possible Round of 16 game if they are booked in the group finale.
Czechia needs a win over Türkiye to earn a place in the playoff round in Germany, a draw will not be enough for them to advance to the Round of 16.
"It is going to be a different match to the previous two,” said Czechia head coach Ivan Hašek. “Türkiye play with four at the back, so we need a different approach to get at their defence. They have some great footballers who play for world-class clubs. It will be a tough game, but we will fight. Nobody wants to go home; we want to stay at this fantastic tournament as long as possible."
They were denied a point in their opener against Portugal when they conceded a stoppage time marker to Francisco Conceicao in a game where they opened the scoring, before giving up the lead on an own goal.
In their second game, it was forward Patrik Schick who earned them a point, scoring an equalizer against Georgia after they went behind on a first half, stoppage time penalty.
Unfortunately, it appears that Schick, Czechia’s all-time leading international goal scorer as well as the joint top scorer from UEFA Euro 2020, will not be available for their game with Türkiye due to an injury he suffered shortly after scoring the point-saving goal.
"Patrik is a leader of our attack with his finishing power,” said Czechia assistant coach Jaroslav Köstl. “Any enforced change in the lineup is not nice. But there are other players ready to step in and make an impact."
Vladimír Coufal, Tomáš Holeš, Matěj Jurásek, Lukáš Provod, Tomáš Souček and Schick are all in danger of missing a Round of 16 match if they pick up a yellow against Türkiye.