Stuttgart captain confirms inclusion in Turkey squad for World Cup playoffs | OneFootball

Atakan Karazor will be part of the Turkey squad for this month’s World Cup playoffs.

The VfB Stuttgart captain confirmed the call-up following his side’s 1-0 Bundesliga win over RB Leipzig on Sunday.

“Now I know that I’m included. Of course, I’m happy about that, and it gave me a little extra push for the game,” Karazor said, according to Bild.

Karazor and Turkey will face Romania in the semifinals on March 26. If they advance, the winner of the match between Slovakia and Kosovo will await them in the final.

“If you want to go to the World Cup, you have to beat these teams. We definitely have what it takes,” Karazor said when assessing Turkey’s chances of qualifying.

For now, however, his focus remains on club duties. After a hard-fought 1-0 win over Leipzig, Stuttgart will look to overturn a 1-2 first-leg Europa League last-16 deficit away at FC Porto on Thursday.

“We threw ourselves into every duel. That’s exactly how we have to approach Porto. It will be a mental battle. We have to stay clear-headed in a heated atmosphere and go all out,” Karazor said, looking ahead to the game in Portugal.