Portugal – Turkey: ‘Sweet honey kills flies’

* FORCE

– PORTUGAL: Ruben Dias, Ruben Neves, Anthony Lopes injury; Pepe infected with Covid-19, Joao Cancelo, Renato Sanches suspended.

– TURKEY: Enough squad.

* PERFORMANCE AND COMPETITIVE

– Portugal won 3, drew 1, lost 1 in the last 5 matches.

– Turkey also has similar statistics, but going in the opposite direction.

– 6 times in the past, Portugal won 5, Turkey won 1.

Portugal lacks manpower in defence

It is also a play-off round, but with a new format, European teams, including Portugal and Turkey, understand that mistakes cannot be corrected. Accordingly, if with the play-off round of the previous qualifying periods, the two teams drawn to be paired will play the first and second legs, then this time, it will be the semi-finals and the final.

That means the teams will play 2 matches with 2 opponents – of course they must win, to have a ticket to the 2022 World Cup. There is no chance to correct the mistake if you fail in the first match anymore. Forcing 2 coaches will have to calculate the path and step in different ways.

The draw to put Portugal and Turkey in the same branch is considered the most difficult of the three play-off branches, because most likely, the team that will be waiting for them in the final is Italy – the defending champion of Europe.

With Portugal, they went through the journey of the group stage of the qualifying round, both underpowered and unlucky. Fans of the Iberian peninsula team couldn’t quickly forget the name Aleksandar Mitrovic, when the Euro 2016 champions and Serbia were tied 1-1 in the last match, the Fulham striker had a hit. The first decision was right in the 90th minute, bringing the victory to the away team, and also a direct ticket to Qatar.

Portugal’s first defeat at home in a World Cup qualifier since 2008. Three days earlier, a 0-0 draw with the Republic of Ireland contributed to the cost of coach Fernando Santos’ teachers and students, but more unfortunately It was also the time when Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal in the first leg at the Serbian field was denied, even though the ball had rolled over the line.

If there were 3 points in Belgrade, the situation would be different. But when the word “if” cannot change the past, ahead of Portugal is the risk of missing the World Cup for the first time since 1998.

Meanwhile, Turkey follows a different path. They are not able to compete with the Netherlands in Group G, so taking 2nd place is the first successful step for coach Stefan Kuntz as Turkey looks for the third time to attend the World Cup.

Since the early farewell to Euro 2020, Turkey has only lost 1/7 matches. In which, the last 3 consecutive wins in the group stage ensure Turkey 2nd place and play-off kick.

Turkey is full of talents

But is Turkey more comfortable coming to Portugal? The pressure on Kuntz and his students is to end the 2 decades of waiting for Turkish fans to return to the World Cup. They have been absent from the biggest football field in the world since winning bronze in the 2002 World Cup.

The challenge for them is too great, with Portugal and Italy standing in front…

Portugal have won 6 of the last 8 times against Turkey – the last time they met, the away team won 3-1 in a friendly match. But that “closest” factor has also passed a full decade, so it is only for reference value. At this point, will Kuntz and his students come to Dragao with a death-defying strategy?

They may fall into a dilemma, because of the home team’s personnel information. Accordingly, Portugal’s defense was severely affected when Ruben Dias was injured, Pepe was infected with Covid-19, Joao Cancelo was suspended. In other positions, Renato Sanches is also suspended, Ruben Neves, Anthony Lopes are injured. In contrast, Turkey has the most complete squad.

The last time we met, Cristiano Ronaldo was only 27 years old

So, does the away team play offensively? It will also not be easy, because although they have scored in every group stage match, in return, the number of conceded times is up to 16 – just less than the bottom team Gibraltar. Meanwhile, Portugal still has Ronaldo, Diogo Jota or Joao Felix…

In this situation, misjudgment could cost Turkey.

Prediction: 2-1