Euro 2024: Turkey vs Portugal Preview, Prediction & Betting Picks

Portugal left it late in their opener, but we expect them to have a more comfortable outing against Turkey and secure their place in the knockouts with two wins from two. Turkey will get on the scoresheet, but the superior quality of Portugal will be too much for them to overcome – Turkey 1-3 Portugal

Turkey take on Portugal in a pivotal game in Group F, with both sides looking to secure their place in the knockout stages of the competition with victory.

• Date: 06/22/24
• Kick-off time: 12:00 (NY)
• Venue: Signal Iduna Park

It was a very successful opening matchday for both Turkey and Portugal, as they picked up wins against Georgia and Czech Republic respectively. A 3-1 win for Turkey against Georgia places them top of the group on goal difference, and if they avoid defeat in this game, they will remain there heading into the final game. A victory would confirm their place in the Round of 16 as group winners. Similarly, a win for Portugal would also send them through. They were victorious in their opener against Czech Republic, winning 2-1, though they left it late coming from behind. Led by Cristiano Ronaldo, the team will be hoping to make it deep into the competition after being knocked out in the Round of 16 against Belgium in 2021. They will look to make it two wins in the last three tournaments following their triumph in 2016.

Their goals came late in the opener against Czech Republic, but it continued Portugal’s good goalscoring form heading into the tournament when they had seven goals in three, so will aim keep it going against a Turkey defence who have kept just one clean sheet in their last seven. At the back, however, Portugal have conceded at least two goals in three of their last five games, so there could be some weaknesses to expose. Arda Guler will be the danger man to look out for.

This will be just the 10th meeting between these two sides in history. Six of these games were competitive fixtures, including three in three separate European Championships. Portugal have been by far the superior team, winning seven and losing just two. They have only played once since 2012, and this came in World Cup qualifying in March 2022, which the Portuguese won 3-1. Otavio, Diogo Jota and Matheus Nunes were their goalscorers on this day. Turkey have lost all three meetings in the Euros in 1996, 2000 and 2008.

Turkey Team News

Turkey went into their opener against Georgia with a number of injuries in defence, with Caglar Soyuncu, Ozan Kabak and Ridvan Yilmaz all ruled out of the tournament. Forwards Enes Unal, Cengiz Under and Umut Nayir were also absent, so Arda Guler will likely play a big role once more.

Portugal Team News

Portugal will of course be captained and led by Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be supported in attack by Bernardo Silva and Rafael Leao, with Bruno Fernandes behind. Al Nassr midfielder Otavio missed out on the squad through injury.

Turkey Form Guide

In their last five games, Turkey have won one, drawn one and lost three. It had been a terrible run for Turkey heading into the European Championships, but they made the perfect start with a win against Georgia in their opening game. They scored two stunning goals through Mert Muldur and Arda Guler, either side of a Georges Mikautadze equaliser. Muhammed Kerem Akturkoglu scored deep into stoppage time to secure a 3-1 win.

This followed a winless streak of four games, the latest being a 2-1 loss to Poland in their final friendly game before the tournament. The defeat came in dramatic fashion as they conceded at the death. Poland went ahead after 12 minutes through Karol Swiderski, but Turkey found an equaliser in the final 15 minutes thanks to Baris Alper Yilmaz. However, Nicola Zalewski’s 90th minute strike secured a win for the hosts. Prior to this, they were involved in a 0-0 draw with current European champions Italy. There were limited opportunities for both sides, with each only managing four shots on target between them.

It was a good response to a heavy 6-1 loss to Austria. They fell behind two minutes in to a Xaver Schlager strike, though this was cancelled out by a Hakan Calhanoglu penalty. Michael Gregoritsch netted a hat-trick either side of half-time to take the game away. Christoph Baumgartner scored from the spot, before Maximilian Entrup completed the scoring in stoppage time. The first game of this run was also a defeat, a 1-0 loss to Hungary. Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai scored the only goal of the game quickly into the second half with a penalty.

Portugal Form Guide

In their last five games, Portugal have won three and lost two. It was a mixed run of form for Portugal heading into the Euros, but they made a strong start to the tournament with victory in their first and most recent game against Czech Republic. It was a dramatic 2-1 win, in which they had to come from behind after Lukas Provod opened the scoring with the Czech’s only shot on target. Portugal got back on level terms with an own goal, and thought they had taken the lead through Diogo Jota, but it was ruled out for offside. They did eventually get the winner in stoppage time as substitute Francisco Conceicao found the back of the net.

This followed a final win in preparation for the competition as they beat Republic of Ireland 3-0 in a friendly. They dominated their visitors throughout in both possession and shot attempts, restricting Ireland to just a single shot on target. Joao Felix opened the scoring after 18 minutes, before Cristiano Ronaldo added a brace in the second half. It was a good response to a 2-1 defeat against Croatia. They fell behind early to a Luka Modric penalty, but equalised shortly after half-time through Liverpool winger Diogo Jota. However, parity was not restored for long, as Osasuna striker Ante Budimir put the visitors back in front.

Finland were their previous opponents, and they beat them 4-2 at home. Ruben Dias put them ahead in the first half, before Jota converted a penalty on the stroke of half-time to double the lead. Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes added a third, though Teemu Pukki scored twice to threaten a comeback. However, Portugal were able to hang on as Fernandes scored another goal for insurance. The first game of this run ended in defeat, as they lost 2-0 to Slovenia. Both goals came in the final 20 minutes of the game, as the Portuguese managed to muster just two shots on target.

Turkey vs Portugal will be available to watch on fuboTV or ViX+