Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
Gibraltar and Turkey go head to head in a David-vs-Goliath clash at Victoria Stadium. The Turks aim to return to winning ways in Group G after dropping two points in a 2-2 draw with Montenegro, and, no doubt, they are likely to go all guns blazing at the minors. Caglar Soyuncu returns to contention after missing the Montenegro game, while Lille veteran Burak Yilmaz should continue to lead the line for the visiting team.
Gibraltar, on the other hand, have been struggling in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, with the team losing each of their four group games. The rock-bottom side suffered a 3-1 loss to Latvia in midweek, and we do not believe that they are capable of claiming a major scalp in round 5. The two teams meet for the first time ever in a competitive match.
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 (Turkey):
Present on the international stage since 1923, Turkey only started showing some promise during the 70’s, but they had to wait until the turn of the century to place themselves on the map. While they lost all three fixtures at their first ever European Championship finals in 1996, they fared much better four years later, reaching the last eight in Netherlands and Belgium.
Milli Takim were able to build on that result as they went on to reach the podium at the 2002 World Cup finals in South Korea and Japan, while also finishing third at the 2003 Confederations Cup and making it to the semi-finals at the Euro 2008.
Rustu Receber, Hakan Sukur and Emre Belezoglu were important parts of the country’s most successful generation, but the one including Arda Turan, Selcuk Inan, Burak Yilmaz and Hakan Calhanoglu is threatening to surpass their achievements. As the Turkish Super Lig continues the get stronger, the national team follows, and we should expect some big result from Milli Takim in the near future.