Australia vs Turkiye – Match preview and team news | OneFootball

Australia and Turkiye kick off their World Cup campaigns on Sunday morning with an intriguing Group D clash in Vancouver.

BC Place provides the spectacular setting as both nations look to secure an immediate advantage in a competitive section that also features the USA and Paraguay. The Socceroos arrive in Canada aiming to build on their impressive run to the round of 16 four years ago.

Standing in their way is a highly talented Turkish side returning to the global stage after a 24-year absence. Vincenzo Montella has engineered a formidable run of form, meaning his team enter the contest with high expectations. Both managers understand that avoiding defeat in this opening fixture could prove vital for their knockout ambitions.

Australia vs Turkey – Match preview and team news

Team news

Australia

Tony Popovic has a major late fitness worry surrounding his intended focal point in attack. Promising forward Mohamed Touré missed a crucial training session on Wednesday and remains a serious doubt to lead the line. Aside from that setback, the Socceroos boast a healthy squad filled with familiar international mainstays.

Veteran goalkeeper Mathew Ryan will captain the side from between the posts. Jackson Irvine will anchor the midfield, while the experienced Mathew Leckie provides invaluable tournament know-how. Central defender Harry Souttar will look to use his immense height to dominate both penalty boxes during set pieces.

Turkiye

Vincenzo Montella faces a significant blow as Juventus starlet Kenan Yildiz has developed a calf injury. The dynamic young attacker is a major doubt for the opening fixture and is highly unlikely to feature. However, playmaker Arda Guler has fully recovered from an injury sustained during the final stretch of Real Madrid’s domestic campaign.

Left-back Ferdi Kadioglu has also returned to full training after sitting out their recent warm-up match against Venezuela. Midfield responsibilities will lie with Inter Milan star Hakan Calhanoglu, while Baris Alper Yilmaz and Orkun Kokcu provide technical quality in support of striker Deniz Gul.

Form

Australia

Australia enter the tournament on the back of mixed results in their recent international fixtures. Popovic’s side recorded consecutive victories in March, defeating Cameroon 1-0 and thrashing Curacao 5-1 during their FIFA Series matches. That said, those wins followed three straight friendly defeats at the end of last year against Colombia, Venezuela, and the United States.

Their final pre-tournament warm-ups yielded a 1-0 loss to Mexico and a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Switzerland. The Socceroos have traditionally relied on an aggressive physical game and a compact defensive block to frustrate superior technical opposition.

Turkiye

Turkey arrive in Vancouver riding an exceptional eight-match unbeaten run across all competitions. Montella’s men won seven of those fixtures, including a 4-0 victory over North Macedonia and a 2-1 defeat of Venezuela. They secured their ticket to the finals with gritty, back-to-back 1-0 playoff wins over Romania and Kosovo.

Their qualifying campaign also included an impressive 2-2 draw away to Spain, demonstrating their capacity to compete at the highest European level. The Crescent-Stars possess a highly creative attacking midfield unit capable of unlocking deep defensive structures through rapid combination play.

Predicted lineups

Australia Predicted XI: Ryan; Italiano, Circati, Souttar, Herrington, Bos; Metcalfe, Irvine, O’Neill, Leckie; Toure

Turkiye Predicted XI: Cakir; Celik, Demiral, Bardakci, Elmali; Calhanoglu, Yuksek; Guler, Kokcu, Yilmaz; Gul

How to watch Australia vs Turkiye?

Television viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on ITV1, with streaming available via ITVX. Football fans in the United States can follow the entire broadcast live on Fox Sports.

Read more –Turkiye: 2026 World Cup Squad, Fixtures and Schedule

See Also- USA: 2026 World Cup Squad, Fixtures and Schedule

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