Prediction: Turkey win
Best Odds: 3/1
Bookmaker: bet365
The 2018 FIFA World Cup is almost upon us, and that means that the series of warm-up friendlies are beginning to wind down. WC hosts Russia are set to take part in the first game of the tournament next week, but before that, they’ll go one on one with a Turkey side who failed to qualify this year. Both teams have had mixed fortunes as of late regarding their form, but don’t let the word friendly fool you – because this encounter certainly has the potential to be a feisty affair.
Russia
Ten years ago the prospect of Russia doing well in the World Cup would’ve seemed pretty realistic. Now, however, things are a little bit different, and their rise up through the ranks of European football hasn’t been quite as successful as they would’ve hoped. They’ve been struggling to find a consistent balance in their squad for a while now, and they’ll be hoping that the momentum of hosting the tournament this year will lead them through the group stages.
Team News
Russia are expected to rotate heavily throughout the match after confirming their 23-man squad.
Turkey
Turkey found themselves in a tough qualifying group for the World Cup, missing out on a spot in the playoffs by five points with Iceland, Croatia and Ukraine all finishing above them. Despite their inconsistency, however, they remained true to themselves with plenty of entertaining games with lots of attacking football. If they can learn how to keep up their tempo across ninety minutes, then qualification for Euro 2020 doesn’t seem like an unrealistic possibility.
Team News
Cenk Tosun may not play following his red card.
Factors to Consider
- Russia are unbeaten in three games against Turkey with two wins and one draw.
- Turkey have scored nine goals in their last five games.
- Russia’s World Cup group features Saudi Arabia, Egypt & Uruguay.
- Turkey are unbeaten in their last four games including wins over Iran and Ireland.
- Russia have lost four of their last five games, with one draw against Spain.
Conclusion
While Russia may be the World Cup hosts, they haven’t shown anything to make us believe that they can put up much of a fight in this one. Turkey have picked up some good results since failing to qualify, and we’re backing them to edge out a 2-1 victory.
Prediction: Turkey win
Best Odds: 3/1
Bookmaker: bet365
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