Two nations with a complicated history prepare for a rare footballing meeting this weekend as Turkey welcome neighbours Armenia to the Yeni Eskişehir Stadyumu in Euro 2024 qualifying action.
Key Takeaways
- Turkey have won all three previous meetings between the two sides
- Turkey scored twice in each of those three games
- Armenia are unbeaten in their last three matches in Euros qualifying
Both sides have enjoyed promising starts to their respective qualifying campaigns for the next European championships, and both managers will be looking to keep that positive momentum going on Friday night in Eskişehir.
Turkey Form
After dramatically failing to live up to expectations at Euro 2020, following outrageous success in qualifying, Turkey then missed out on qualificaiton for the Qatar World Cup. They regained some form with four successive UEFA Nations League wins which saw them earn promotion out of League C, but that campaign ended in a whimper as the Crescent-Stars shockingly failed to beat Luxembourg and slumped to defeat against minnows the Faroe Islands.
Put short, they blow hot and cold, and it's difficult to know which version of Turkey is going to turn up for each international break.
Nonetheless, Stefan Kuntz' side are sitting pretty at the top of a tough Group D as they look to attend a third consecutive European Championships for the first time in their history. A 2-0 defeat against World Cup semi finalists Croatia can be forgiven, and was more than made up for with victories over Latvia, Wales and this weekend's opponents Armenia.
The Turks are in a good position to qualify from this group, and will hope to hammer home their supremacy with a victory over old rivals Armenia on Friday.
Armenia Form
The visitors are enjoying a decent campaign of their own, sitting in second place in the group heading into this clash.
Wins over Wales and Latvia followed a draw with Cyprus, with their 2-1 home defeat to Turkey their only loss in qualifying so far. They've scored in each of those four games, including two goals in two of those matches and four against Wales, and will be confident of finding the net against Turkey again this weekend. Their success or failure will likely depend on their ability to keep things tight at the back.
Head-to-Head
These two nations have endured frosty diplomatic relations for decades and have a long and complicated history.
However, when it comes to football they have hardly ever crossed paths. They have met just three times in competitive matches, with Turkey willing all three and scoring twice on all three occasions. Armenia managed to score just once across those games, two of which came back in the 08/09 season in qualification for the 2010 World Cup.
Turkey are currently 41st in the FIFA world rankings, with Armenia languishing in 90th, but this disparity in places was not evident in their most recent meeting, which Turkey only narrowly won 2-1.
Team News
Turkey will be without teenage wonderkid Arda Guler, with the 18-year-old Real Madrid star unfortunately looking at an extended spell in the treatment room following knee surgery.
Hoffenheim centre back Ozan Kabak, formerly of Liverpool, is also likely to miss out here due to illness.
Armenia coach Oleksandr Petrakov is expected to have a full strength squad at his disposal.
Key Players
Hakan Calhanoglu of Inter Milan is the captain of his national team and one of the first names on the teamsheet for Stefan Kuntz. Meanwhile, Altay Bayindir has impressed in goal for the Crescent-Stars and should keep his place for this crucial game, following his big move to Manchester United this summer. Leicester City playmaker Cengiz Under is also one to watch among a plethora of well known stars in the Turkey squad.
Following the retirement of all-time top goalscorer Henrikh Mkhitaryan from international football back in 2021, Armenia do not boast any real household names to call upon, which makes their performance in qualifying all the more impressive.
Most of their players ply their trade in Armenia, but promising young Monchengladbach striker Grant-Leon Ranos, who came through the age-group ranks at Bayern Munich, has scored four goals in just three appearances for his country and should prove a constant threat to the Turkish defence this weekend.
Final Thoughts
A glance at the likely starting lineups indicates a mismatch, but despite a lack of big name players, Armenia will likely put up a valiant fight in this match. As they showed in the narrow 2-1 defeat they suffered on home soil against Turkey in March, with national pride at stake against their most bitter rivals, they will give everything in search of a win and a first ever place at a major tournament in their history.
Given the gulf in quality between the two teams' squads and the huge gap between their FIFA rankings, Turkey will be favourites to come out on top, but it should be a combative encounter won by a small margin.
European Championship Qualification