Our prediction for this match:
Italy
Match Time & Date:
04/06/2024
21:00
Prediction: 2-1
Turkey
All eyes will be on Stadio Renato Dall’Ara when Italy and Turkey lock horns in a warm-up game on Tuesday. The Azzurri defeated Ecuador 2-0 in their last friendly, which is surely fuelling fans with optimism ahead of the visit of Turkey. Both Francesco Acerbi and Giorgio Scalvini have been left out with injuries, but Luciano Spalletti still has a number of high-profile footballers to choose from. Sandro Tonali is banned for the match.
The Turks, on the other hand, enjoyed a very successful EURO 2024 qualifying, with the team winning Group D, but they will have a big fish to fry against Italy. As Luciano Spalletti’s troops are a real force to be reckoned with at home, we predict that the visitors are going to return to Istanbul empty-handed. All Caglar Soyuncu, Ridvan Yilmaz, and Cengiz Under are sidelined with injuries for the visiting team. Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu is the most notable player in Vincenzo Montella’s team.
Highlighted Player (Hakan Calhanoglu):
Hakan Calhanoglu is another one in the long line of Turkish footballers who were born in Germany, so it is hardly surprising he came to prominence thanks to his performances in Bundesliga. The attacking midfielder with great vision and very good goalscoring record started his professional career at Karlsruher, scoring impressive 17 goals in 50 league outings to earn a move to Bundesliga side Hamburg.
The spell at Imtech Arena was merely a stepping stone for bigger things as 11 goals in his debut top flight campaign persuaded Bayer Leverkusen to splash nearly €15 million on his services. That proved a very good investment as Calhanoglu continued the rich vein of form, and it is now a matter of time before he joins one of European powerhouses.
The midfield maestro had a bright start to his career in the Turkey national team, scoring 5 goals in first 16 caps, and chances are he will become a leader for Milli Takim in the foreseeable future.
Highlighted Team (Italy):
With four World Cup titles and one European Championship trophy, Italy remain one of world’s most successful teams and they have also finished as runners up at major tournaments on four occasions. The Azzurri have become famous for their result oriented football over the years which is perfectly suited for World Cup and Euro finals, so it is now a surprise when they fail to reach the final stages.
After winning the second and third edition of the World Cup, Italy endured a difficult period until lifting their first European Championship title in 1968, while they also managed to show some improvement at the turn of the century. While winning the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the Azzurri reached Euro finals in 2000 and 2012, and they are still regarded as one of the leading sides in Europe.
There have been too many high-profile players leaving their mark on the national team to count, but the likes of Paolo Maldini, Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Dino Zoff, Roberto Baggio, Luigi Riva and Alessandro Del Piero will go down as some of the most successful ones.
Atalanta 
Lecce 
PSG 
Nice 
Chelsea 
Everton
Bayern Munich 
Mainz 
Hoffenheim
Borussia Dortmund 
Brighton 
West Ham
