3) Turkey
Turkey is a team that has blown hot and cold in the international arena in recent years. Everyone remembers how they stormed into the semi-finals in 2002 and walked away with a very well-deserved third place finish. However, since then they have not qualified for the World Cup despite reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2008 with some exciting performances.
Just as the Turkish Super Lig has developed over the years, so has the national team. Led by the capable Arda Turan, they do have some exciting talents such as Emre Mor, Cenk Tosun and Nuri Sahin who could make the backbone of the side in years to come.
However, The Crescent-Stars are currently fourth in UEFA’s Group I. Since only the top two have a chance of qualifying for the World Cup, Turkey have a lot of work to do in the remaining games. And overhauling Croatia and Iceland – both of whom reached the Euro 2016 knockout stages – is no easy task.
| Pos | Country | Pld | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Croatia | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| 2 | Iceland | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 3 | Ukraine | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| 4 | Turkey | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| 5 | Finland | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 6 | Kosovo | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
