To the layman, this game looks like a run of the mill affair, nothing to get excited about, but if you are of that opinion, think again because this game could turn out to be a cracking encounter with the word on the street that Turkey could be this year’s dark horse in the tournament.
Turkey finished top of their qualifying group, a group which included Croatia and their manager, Vincenzo Montella, has assembled a team of youth and experience.
English punters may not recognise some of the names in the lineup, but when we tell you that Real Madrid, Juventus, Benfica, and Inter Milan all have key players in the Turkish squad, it becomes clear that this team boasts a wealth of top-tier talent.
Georgia players are no mugs, either. They can also boast of some top players and as this is their first major international tournament as an independent nation, expect them to be fully up for the task ahead.
Odds and Predictions
We feel this will be a highly entertaining game. If Turkey progresses in the tournament, there are two players whose names will be on everyone’s lips, Arda Güler of Real Madrid and Kenan Yıldız of Juventus and we believe they will have a big impact on this game with their attacking flair and exuberance.
Our predictions for this game start with a win for Turkey with a scoreline of 2 – 1, the odds for the win are 1.72 and the correct score is priced at 7.5.
We also have other tips that we believe the bookies have made a mistake in pricing up. The Turkey full-back, Zeki Celik, is a devil for committing fouls, and when you also take into consideration that the Georgia striker, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, loves nothing more than to draw a tackle, the odds of 4.0 for Zeki Celik to receive a card during the match is in our opinion, a gift.
Comparison and Statistics from Past Meetings between the Teams
Turkey and Georgia have played each other head-to-head four times before, with Turkey winning twice, Georgia winning once and one game ending in a draw.
Each of those games was a friendly.
Details of those four H2H matches are listed below.
| Past Meetings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 May 2008 | turkey | 2-2 | georgia | Friendly Game |
| 06 Mar 2006 | turkey | 1-0 | georgia | Friendly Game |
| 26 May 2005 | turkey | 2-0 | georgia | Friendly Game |
| 12 Feb 2003 | turkey | 2-0 | georgia | Friendly Game |
Expected Line Ups
As already mentioned, Turkey has some outstanding talent in their squad and we think they will surprise a few people.
Georgia team isn’t in Germany for a summer holiday. Their young goalkeeper, Giorgi Mamardashvili, is considered to be one of the best shot-stoppers in Europe and their star player, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, could walk into any team in this tournament, such is his immense quality.
Turkey (4-3-3): Uğurcan Çakır; Zeki Çelik, Merih Demiral, Ozan Kabak, Cenk Özkacar; Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Salih Özcan, Orkun Kökçü; İrfan Can Kahveci, Kerem Aktürkoğlu, Kenan Yıldız.
Georgia (3-5-2): Giorgi Mamardashvili; Solomon Kverkvelia, Guram Kashia, Lasha Dvali; Otar Kakabadze, Giorgi Kochorashvili, Giorgi Chakvetadze, Otar Kiteishvili, Levan Shengelia; Budu Zivzivadze, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
How Far Will These Teams Progress in the Tournament?
We believe Georgia will impress but leave the tournament in the group stages.
As for Turkey, we can actually see them winning this group, winning their game in the last 16 and reaching the Quarter Finals.
Who knows what will happen from there, but we will have a better idea after they have completed their games in Group F.
