UEFA Euro 2016‘s Group D fixture sees defending champions Spain take on Turkey in a bid to book a spot in the knockout stages of the tournament. Turkey on the other hand, will hope to break a 52-year long winless run against their opponents. La Furia Roja left it late to clinch all three points against the Czech Republic, Gerard Pique proving to be the saviour by netting in the winner in the 87th minute. Fatih Terim’s men come into the match after a disappointing defeat against table-toppers Croatia with many questions to ask about their attacking prowess.
The match will be live from 00:30 IST (Saturday), 20:00 BST (Friday). Watch live streaming of Spain v/s Turkey on Sony Liv, Fox Soccer2go or Premier Player. Follow Spain vs Turkey, Euro 2016 Live Score and Commentary with Sportskeeda. The match will be telecasted live on Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD in India, Fox Sports in the USA and Premier Sports in the UK. The match will be played at the Allianz Riviera, Nice.
Vincente del Bosque’s men did little to dispel doubts that they have enough firepower in their ranks to go all the way in their match against the Czech. As expected, they commanded the field with a 72% ball possession, but their inability to convert chances looked likely to hurt them due to Czech Republic’s few counter attacks throughout the match. David de Gea was not called into action much but had to make two saves on either side of the half to prevent the opponents from taking the lead. It was Andres Iniesta who took matters into his own hands and produced a beautiful cross to set up Pique for his goal in the last moments of the game to put the match to bed.
Turkey’s optimistic hopes coming into the tournament suffered a blow with their opening loss to Croatia. The 1-0 scoreline gives a false impression of a close match, but the Turks were underwhelming throughout the night. They were hardy abe to conjure any good chances and were saved by the crossbar twice. It’s a do-or-die match for them, as a defeat against the holders will mean elimination more likely than not.
Team News
Del Bosque is likely to prefer David de Gea between the sticks ahead of his former captain and number one Iker Casillas. Alvaro Morata’s starting spot may also be on the line following a below par performance. The Juventus striker could find himself replaced by Aritz Aduriz who impressed coming off the bench. Thiago Alcantara could also be introduced in the starting XI in place of Cesc Fabregas, who could not live up to his expectations.
Turkey could be without Mehmet Topal, who is nursing a leg injury and defender Gokhan Gonul, who has a stomach virus. It’s now or never for the Turks and all eyes will be on main-man Arda Turan, who must find his form back. Coach Terim will also have to decide whether to start Burak Yilmaz or stick with Cenk Tosun, who failed to register a single shot in his side's opening game.
Probable Line-up
Spain: De Gea; Juanfran, Pique, Ramos, Alba; Busquets; Silva, Thiago, Iniesta, Nolito; Morata.
Turkey: Gonul, Topal, Balta, Erkin; Inan; Calhanoglu, Tufan, Ozyakup, Turan; Tosun
