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Preview: Turkey vs. Lithuania - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 12 June 2022, 23:04
Seeking to make it four wins from four and extend their lead at the top of Group C1, Turkey play host to Lithuania at the Goztepe Gursel Aksel Stadyumu on Tuesday.

The Rinktine, on the other hand, head into the game on a run of four consecutive defeats across all competitions and will be looking to end this dry spell.

Match preview

Turkey maintained their 100% record in the UEFA Nations League as they claimed a comfortable 2-0 victory away to Luxembourg on Saturday.

In a one-sided affair at the Stade de Luxembourg, Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu put the visitors ahead with a 37th-minute penalty before substitute Serdar Dursun put the results beyond doubt in the 76th minute.

Prior to that, Stefan Kuntz's side ended a run of two consecutive defeats with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Faroe Islands in their group opener on June 4 before thrashing Lithuania 6-0 three days later.

Turkey head into Tuesday's game as one of just three sides yet to concede a goal in the Nations League, alongside Greece and Ukraine, while they boast the joint-best attacking record with 12 goals scored so far.

The Crescent-Stars have now won all but one of their last seven competitive outings across all competitions — scoring 23 goals and conceding five in that time — with a 3-1 defeat against Portugal in the World Cup qualifiers back in March being the only exception.

Lithuania, on the other hand, were left empty-handed once again as they fell to a 2-1 loss at the hands of Faroe Islands when the sides squared off on Saturday.

After taking the lead courtesy of Fedor Cernych's seventh-minute strike, Viljormur Davidsen and Jakup Biskopsto Andreasen scored in a 25-minute spell to turn the game on its head and hand the hosts all three points at the Torsvollur Stadium.

Valdas Ivanauskas's side, who have lost each of their last four outings across all competitions while conceding 11 goals and scoring one, are now one of just four teams yet to pick up any points after three rounds of matches in the Nations League.

While Lithuania will be looking to end this poor record, they have struggled to get going away from home, where they have lost nine of their last 10 games, with a 2-1 friendly victory over San Marino on March 25 being the exception.

Turkey Nations League form:

Turkey form (all competitions):

Lithuania Nations League form:

Lithuania form (all competitions):

Team News

Off the back of a dominant victory over Luxembourg, Kuntz could name a similar starting side on Tuesday, meaning we could see Dursun, who boasts four goals under his belt in the campaign, spearhead the attack once again.

The Fenerbahce forward should be joined in the final third by 24-year-old Cengiz Under and Brentford man Halil Dervisoglu, who has also been involved in four goals at the tournament.

Calhanoglu has started each of Turkey's three games and we expect the Inter Milan midfielder to handle business at the centre of the park once again, alongside Dogukan Sinik and 26-year-old Dorukhan Tokoz.

The hosts have been utterly dominant at the defensive end of the pitch, where they are yet to concede at the Nations League, and we expect to see a centre-back pairing of Merih Demiral and Leicester City man Caglar Soyuncu shielding Ugurcan Cakır in goal.

Meanwhile, Cernych scored Lithuania's first goal in the Nations League last time out and the Jagiellonia Białystok forward could be handed his second consecutive starting appearance.

Twenty-four-year-old Pijus Sirvys will push for a starting role at the defensive end of the pitch, potentially coming in for Edgaras Utkus, who is suspended after crossing the yellow card threshold with his booking against Faroe Islands.

Linas Megelaitis and Vykintas Slivka have started each of Lithuania's three games so far and we expect the duo to team up at the centre of the park once again, alongside former Legia Warszawa man Arvydas Novikovas.

Turkey possible starting lineup:

Cakir; Kadioglu, Demiral, Soyuncu, Celik; Tokoz, Sinik, Calhanoglu; Under, Dervisoglu, Dursun

Lithuania possible starting lineup:

Bartkus; Barauskas, Klimavicius, Sirvys, Baravykas; Megelaitis, Slivka; Cernych, Novikovas, Lasickas; Klimavicius

We say: Turkey 3-0 Lithuania

While Lithuania will be looking to arrest their slump, next up is the stern test of taking on a rampant Turkey side who have hit their stride at the tournament. Looking at the gulf in quality and experience between the sides, and their contrasting form, we are backing the hosts to come away with all three points unscathed.

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