Australia vs. Türkiye – Match Preview | OneFootball

With all the hoopla and attention Friday’s USA / Paraguay match is getting, it’s easy to forget there are two other teams in the group. But a full 25+ hours after that match concludes, Australia will host Türkiye up at BC Place in Vancouver. It’s the longest gap between group stage matches in the tournament, though that will have little bearing on the outcome.

Australia Profile

The most recent news out of the Socceroos camp is that they signed current manager Tony Popovic through the 2027 Asia Cup. I suppose that’s a positive. There’s no injury chatter or other headline chasing reports coming across the wires. It just leaves speculation on how the team will roster up for Saturday.

Who to Watch – Australia

Australia plays a rough-and-tumble defensive style of soccer. They hunker down in a low block, then try to strike back on the counter. But as one of my friends put it, they just don’t have a good counter. That’s a bit harsh, but Popovic’s 3-4-2-1 formation does put a lot of pressure on that lone striker and support wingers. 

Mohammed Touré looks like he’ll get that call up top. It will be his 10th cap, and to date he has two goals to show for it. Cristian Volpato (who recently switched allegiance from Italy) should start on the right flank; Matthew Leckie on the left.

Leckie, 35, brings some experience to this attack; this will be his 91st cap for the Green and Gold.

Türkiye Profile

I’m not a betting man, though I suspect the bookies will favor Türkiye in this one. After all, they have arguably the best youth attacking tandem in the tournament with Arda Güler (20) and Kenan Yıldız (21).

The Young Turks

But Yıldız and Güler aren’t the only youthful players who could make a splash. There’s Porto striker Deniz Gül (21), who played around 1,800 minutes this season and recorded a decent 7g/2a. And attacking midfielder Can Uzun (20), whose season with Eintracht Frankfurt was particularly fruitful. He earned 10g/6a in 1,500 minutes of field play.

A Solid Defense

But it’s not all about young attackers for Türkiye. Their defensive line is rock solid, with experienced veteran center backs like Merih Demiral (Al Ahli, 28 yrs.) and Abdülkerim Bardakci (Galatasaray, 31 yrs.). On the flanks, AS Roma’s Zeki Çelik shouldd start on the right, and Brighton’s Ferdi Kadioglu on the left.

That quartet will be tough to break through.

Recent Form

The Aussies have been sailing some choppy waters, with 2 wins & losses plus a draw.

The losses were to fellow World Cup sides Mexico and Colombia, while the wins were over Cameroon (not in the Cup) and minnow Curaçao. Lump in a 1-1 draw to Switzerland. All that paints a murky picture. 

Türkiye has been hotter than a freshly sliced döner on a skillet.

Four wins in their last five give them plenty of tailwind; their only draw was a 2-2 result against Spain, also not shabby.

The Hooligan Take

Weather won’t be a factor, will such a late kickoff in one of the more clement venues. I’ve got to say that Türkiye is the stronger offensive threat, and they will find ways to break down the Australian line.

Türkiye win 3 – 1.