Spain vs Turkey. European Championships Group D.
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Friday 17 June 2016 20:03, UK
Spain will be looking to maintain their unbeaten European Championship record as they play Turkey in Group D on Friday.
The current champions have not lost a game at the Euros since 2004 against Portugal, going on a run of 13 games without a loss and winning the competition twice in succession.
Indeed, they kicked of their third title defence with a 1-0 victory over the Czech Republic, and Andres Iniesta - who was man of the match on Monday - says the team are approaching both games in the same way.
"There is no point in having a good game and then following it with a terrible performance," he told Spanish radio station Cadena Cope.
"We have to plan the game against Turkey with the same motivation and enthusiasm as we did against the Czechs."
Turkey lost their opening fixture against Croatia on Sunday, falling to a 1-0 defeat in Paris, and another loss against the current European Championship holders would make it a difficult task to qualify for the knockout rounds.
But in an interview with UEFA.com, captain Arda Turan says his team will be fighting for their place and will be the underdogs in Nice.
"Spain are the favourites - they will have more of the ball. We're going to try our hardest to get a point; if we can do that, our chances of going through are very high," the Barcelona man said.
"Spain are a very strong team, but, they will still only play with 11 players like us. We're going to fight until the end."
Team news
Neither side has any major injury worries, but there is always scope for change although David de Gea is expected to continue in the Spain goal after being named ahead of Iker Casillas.
Spain boss Vincente Del Bosque said after the Czech victory that it was 'painful' to axe his captain, who has won 167 caps for his country.
"That Iker doesn't play is painful for me," he told Spanish channel Be Mad TV. "We always try to make the best choice and the difference (between them) is minimal."
For Turkey, all eyes will be on Turan, who issued an apology to the fans following a disappointing performance against Croatia and while he is unlikely to be dropped, manager Fatih Terim wants more from his experienced players.
"Our big players need to deliver more," he said following the defeat. "It's a team game but I have high expectations from them and, if they deliver enough, we'll get some good results."
Match stats
Turkey have only registered one win in 10 games against Spain (D4 L5). That sole 1-0 win came in Istanbul on March 14 1954 in a World Cup qualifier.
Spain have conceded only once in their last six matches versus Turkey, however that goal did come in their last meeting (2009 - 2-1).
This will be the first time that Spain have faced Turkey in the finals of a major tournament.
Spain have won the last two European Championships (2008, 2012), which was a tournament first. They reached the final the last time the Euros were held in France (1984), but were beaten by the hosts 2-0.
Spain haven't conceded a single goal in their last 600 minutes at the European Championships, the longest run in the history of the tournament.
Turkey have won only three of their 13 games at the European Championships (D2 L8). They've also only kept two clean sheets in those 13 games.
Turkey have improved on their position each time they have qualified for the European Championships; they were knocked out in the group stages in 1996 before reaching the quarter-finals in 2000 and the semis in 2008.
Gerard Pique's first international goal for Spain was against Turkey in March 2009. His goal against the Czech Republic last Monday was his first in a major tournament.
Merson's prediction
It's tippy-tappy football again from Spain. I watched the game the other day and it wasn't surprising to see pass, pass, pass. Eventually they wore down the Czechs and I see the same happening against Turkey. I just don't see Spain hammering anybody because they don't play in that way.
It will be a tight game again. Turkey will think if they can get a point against Spain they will still be in it because a win from their last game could be enough to take them through. However, I just see Spain pinching this one.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-0 (Sky Bet's odds: 9/2)
Betting
Spain are just 2/5 with Sky Bet to see off Turkey, who are considered 8/1 outsiders while the draw is priced at 100/30. Spain are currently considered 9/2 third favourites for the victory while their opponents are up against odds of 15/8 just to qualify from Group D. Alvaro Morata and Aritz Aduriz share favouritism in the first goalscorer betting at 3/1 apiece while Burak Yilmaz is considered Turkey's main threat at 9/1 to break the deadlock.
