The Turks left Croatia and Wales behind in their qualifying group last year. They showed this in November with a 3-2 friendly win in Germany. As 35th, they are still ten positions behind Austria in the FIFA world rankings before the duel on Tuesday (8:45 p.m., live on ORF1) in Vienna. Montella only followed the German Stefan Kuntz in September, from whom the Turkish association separated after two years without participating in the tournament.
Montella enjoys a high reputation in Turkey. “He knows how to lead the team. There is a good atmosphere with him, we are happy,” emphasized captain Hakan Calhanoglu. The 30-year-old midfield star from Inter Milan is considered a key player in the team. In addition, there is Orkun Kökcü (Benfica Lisbon) in the offensive and Enes Ünal in the center, who storms for Bournemouth in the English Premier League after recovering from a torn cruciate ligament.
Reuters/Murad Sezer Montella led Turkey to the European Championship as group winners
Turkey can also rely on an increasing reservoir of top talent. The 18-year-old offensive man Kenan Yildiz plays regularly at Juventus Turin, and Arda Güler (19) also recently made short appearances at Real Madrid after an injury. Mert Müldür (24) could be in the starting lineup against the ÖFB team in his hometown of Vienna. The ex-Rapidler has played 21 international matches so far. On Friday against Hungary (0-1), the Fenerbahce defender was substituted on before the break and could now start on the left in defense in Vienna on Tuesday.
Müldür could play in his hometown
“This is a very special game for me. It is very important,” said Müldür on Monday evening during an inspection of the pitch at the Ernst Happel Stadium. For the 24-year-old, things come full circle in Vienna. “I grew up here, went to school and started playing football here.” Müldür was active for Rapid until 2019. After four years with the Italian first division club Sassuolo, he has been playing for Fenerbahce Istanbul since last summer. The championship race is a duel with big rivals Galatasaray.
GEPA/Armin Rauthner Müldür was born in Vienna and could play against Austria on Tuesday
Müldür also wants to recommend himself for the European Championship squad. “Every single game is an opportunity,” said the full-back, who is mostly deployed at right back at his club. With his Fenerbahce colleague Ferdi Kardioglu and Ridvan Yilmaz from Glasgow Rangers, Montella is missing two left-backs in Vienna due to injuries.
“I will think about whether we rotate a little against Austria,” explained Montella. The former Italian international striker attaches great importance to the tests. He wants to give young players a chance, but also not push out the established players. “We must not forget: there was a journey that began before me. With me we took first place and are going to a tournament as group winners for the first time. These players have achieved that, so they deserve to play.”
Most recently, first defeat under Montella
In Hungary (0-1), the Turks suffered their first defeat under Montella, but the former AS Roma, Fiorentina and AC Milan coach was not at all dissatisfied with the performance. The 49-year-old warned about the Austrians: “This is a very important team.” He will have to do without goalie Altay Bayindir, among others, who has a muscle injury. Besiktas veteran Mert Günok was in goal against the Hungarians, and in Vienna Trabzonspor captain Ugurcan Cakir could also have a chance instead of Manchester United’s substitute goalie.
debate
Who has what it takes to be an ÖFB leading player?
At the European Championships in Germany this summer, Turkey will face Portugal, the Czech Republic and the winner of the play-off match between Georgia and Greece in Group F. The last time they qualified for a World Cup was in 2002 – at Austria’s expense. In the play-off barrage, the Turks won 1-0 in Vienna and 5-0 in Istanbul in November 2001 before surprisingly winning World Cup bronze in Japan and South Korea.
Overall balance slightly positive
The ÖFB team’s overall record against Turkey is still slightly positive despite the recent low yield. Of the 16 international matches so far, eight have gone to Austria – with seven defeats and one draw. The last duel so far was also the second test match of a European Championship year, in which the ÖFB selection started with a victory, like on Saturday in Slovakia (2-0). In 2016, under team boss Marcel Koller, a 2-1 win against Albania at the start of the year was followed by a 1-2 loss against the Turks in Vienna on March 29th.
There was no player from Ralf Rangnick’s current squad on the pitch at the time. David Alaba and Marko Arnautovic are in the stadium on Tuesday, but are injured for the new edition. Their substitute captain Marcel Sabitzer was not involved in the game eight years ago due to dental problems and his use is questionable again. Zlatko Junuzovic gave Austria the lead. Calhanoglu equalized with a free kick, Arda Turan made the decision after a mistake by the then ÖFB substitute goalkeeper Ramazan Özcan.
ÖFB balance against Türkiye
16 games – 8 wins, 1 draw, 7 defeats (goal difference 18:22)
May 30, 1948 (FS) Istanbul: Türkiye – Austria 0:1
March 20, 1949 (FS) Vienna: Austria – Türkiye 1-0
November 13, 1974 (FS) Istanbul: Türkiye – Austria 0:1
April 17, 1977 (World Cup qualification), Vienna: Austria – Turkey 1-0
October 30, 1977 (World Cup qualifiers), Izmir: Turkey – Austria 0-1
November 17, 1982 (European Championship qualification), Vienna: Austria – Turkey 4-0
November 16, 1983 (European Championship qualification), Istanbul: Türkiye – Austria 3-1
November 2, 1988 (World Cup qualification), Vienna: Austria – Turkey 3:2
October 25, 1989 (World Cup qualification), Istanbul: Turkey – Austria 3-0
November 10, 2001 (World Cup play-off), Vienna: Austria – Turkey 0:1
November 14, 2001 (World Cup play-off), Istanbul: Turkey – Austria 5-0
November 19, 2008 (FS), Vienna: Austria – Türkiye 2:4
May 29, 2011 (European Championship qualification), Istanbul: Turkey – Austria 2-0
September 6, 2011 (European Championship qualification), Vienna: Austria – Turkey 0-0
August 15, 2012 (FS), Vienna: Austria – Türkiye 2-0
March 29, 2016 (FS), Vienna: Austria – Türkiye 1:2
2024-03-25 21:00:03
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