TNT Sports
Do or die for Turkey
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Published 02/09/2005 at 14:39 GMT+1
Fatih Terim has set his sights on securing Turkey a place in the World Cup qualifying playoffs, with the fight for second place in Group Two hotting up against Denmark on Saturday. Follow complete LIVE comments from 20:00 cet (9pm Istanbul time) right here on eurosport.com/.co.uk!
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Runaway leaders Ukraine will win the group and qualify for the finals if they beat Georgia on Saturday and are currently top of the group with 23 points from theiur nine matches.
Turkey, second on 16 points, Greece on 15 points, both from nine matches, and Denmark, on 12 points from eight games, must battle it out for a playoff berth with three qualifiers left.
Turkey travel to Ukraine next Wednesday and to Albania in their last qualifier next month.
"If we win the Denmark and Ukraine matches we will not have a problem. We think that seven points will take us to the 2006 finals," said Terim, who took over from Ersun Yanal in June for his second spell in charge of the national team.
Turkey will have a tough task, however, against Denmark, who are brimming with confidence after inflicting England's biggest defeat for 25 years in a 4-1 friendly in Copenhagen last month. Coach Morten Olsen said the current team was the best in his reign.
"We have really developed. In some areas we are better than during the 2002 World Cup finals and the 2004 European finals," the BT newspaper quoted Olsen as saying.
Turkey beat Kazakhstan 6-0 in their last qualifier in June, having been held to a 0-0 draw at home to European champions Greece in their previous game.
But the team made an inauspicious start under Terim two weeks ago, losing 3-1 in a friendly against Bulgaria.
Terim said the 26-man squad, already deprived of key players such as goalkeeper Rustu Recber and forwards Tuncay Sanli and Nihat Kahveci, had been hit by injuries.
Midfielder Emre Belozoglu, who has just joined Newcastle United from Inter Milan, is out of action for three weeks aftersustaining a calf injury.
Defender Gokhan Zan is also out after a clash of heads with a Besiktas team mate in their league game against Diyarbakir.
SURPRISE SELECTION
Terim defended his decision to call up defenders Alpay Ozalan and Fatih Akyel after long absences from the side. The Turkish media had expressed surprise at their selection.
"These friends played a role in Turkey winning third place in the 2002 World Cup and they currently compete internationally in Greece and Germany," he said.
Alpay, recently signed by Cologne, has courted controversy in recent years. He clashed with David Beckham in a Euro 2004 qualifier, taunting the English captain over a missed penalty, and was fired by Japan's Urawa Reds at the end of June after picking up three red cards in seven matches.
In the absence of goalkeeper Rustu, Terim called up Orkun Usak from Ankaragucu and Ozden Ongun from Konyaspor alongside Fenerbahce's Volkan Demirel.
Olsen has called up uncapped FC Copenhagen defender Lars Jacobsen to replace Per Nielsen after the captain of Danish champions Brondby fractured his cheekbone in a league match.
Probable teams:
Turkey: Volkan Demirel; Fatih Akyel, Ibrahim Toraman, Alpay Ozalan, Umit Ozat; Okan Buruk, Yildiray Basturk, Selcuk Sahin, Hasan Sas; Hakan Sukur, Fatih Tekke.
Denmark: Thomas Sorensen, Brian Priske, Thomas Helveg, Daniel Agger, Niclas Jensen, Christian Poulsen, Thomas Grevasen, Claus Jensen, Martin Jorgensen, Dennis Rommedahl, Jon Dahl Tomasson.
Referee: Manuel Mejuto Gonzalez (Spain)
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