Spain and the Turkey will meet in a big Group D clash at the Euro 2016 tournament in France this Friday June 17th when they take to the pitch in Nice. Spain is currently ranked sixth in the world and managed to beat 30th-ranked Czech Republic 1-0 in Toulouse in their opening match. Turkey is ranked 17th by FIFA and was downed 1-0 by 27th-ranked Croatia in their first contest. Spain is seeking its unprecedented third straight European Championship crown with Turkey seeking its first. This is another of the tournament’s most competitive groups and should feature some close contests.
Spain vs Turkey – 5Dimes Soccer Betting Line:
- 5Dimes currently lists Spain as the favorites at -238 with Turkey +869 and a draw at +373
Spain vs Turkey – Head to Head:
- The last meeting between these two teams was in April of 2009 with Spain winning 2-1 in Turkey in a 2010 World Cup qualifier. They also won 1-0 at home six months earlier. The two nations have met 11 times in the past with Spain winning five, losing two and drawing four. Turkey’s last win was in September of 1967 with a 2-1 victory in Spain.
Spain is the reigning European champion, but the team struggled at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil as they failed to advance from the group stage. They won the Euro 2008 and 2012 competitions and have gone undefeated in their past 13 European Championship matches with their win over the Czech Republic. They qualified for the 2016 event by winning their group with nine victories and just one defeat, which came against Slovakia. They also outscored the opposition 23-3 in their 10 qualifying clashes.
Spain played five pre-tournament games in 2016 and managed to draw in Romania and Italy. They also beat the Korean Republic 5-1 and Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-1 at home, but lost their most recent outing 1-0 to Georgia. Veteran Iker Casillas is one of the three goaltenders along with David De Gea and Sergio Rico. There’s an ongoing debate among fans over who should start, Casillas of Portuguese club Porto or the younger De Gea of Manchester United and it was De Gea who got the nod and kept the clean sheet against the Czechs.
The Spanish squad has a wealth of experience with defenders such as Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Dani Carvajal, Jordi Alba, Cesar Azpilicueta and Juanfran. The midfield features stars such as Bruno, Sergio Busquets, Koke, Thiago, Andres Iniesta, David Silva and Cesc Fabregas. However, the forwards could be their weak point as they’re relatively inexperienced on the major tournament stage with the likes of Aritz Aduriz, Nolito, Alvaro Morata and Lucas Vasquez. They left things late in the first game though as Pique didn’t score the winner until the 87th minute.
Turkey finished third in their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign as they were four points behind the Czech Republic and two back of runners up Iceland with five wins, three draws and two losses. However, they earned a spot in the tournament by being the best third-place team in the qualifying campaign. They got off to a rocky start in France though with a 1-0 loss to Croatia in their opening match. The Croatians scored the only goal of the encounter just before the referee blew the halftime whistle. They need the points here against Spain to stay alive, while the Spanish can book a spot in the knockout stages with a win. Spain will take on Croatia in their final group outing while Turkey will meet the Czech Republic.
by Ian S. Palmer