TUR vs CRO Fantasy Preview:
Turkey will be eager to secure their first victory of the year as the last victory for the team arrived in 2019. Despite being a part of few pulsating encounters that saw them posting a rock-solid performance, the Turks have failed to cross the finishing line. They were defeated by a slender margin against Hungary in a closely-contested encounter. Post that game, they drew with Serbia in a goalless affair.
That was followed by an inspiring performance against the Powerhouse of Europe, Germany that saw them coming back from behind thrice to walk out with the shared spoils of war. A dramatic late strike from Kenan Karaman left the Germans fuming at a hapless draw that was supposed to be a thrilling victory for them. It was karaman once again who helped Turkey to save the blushes against Russia. The last game played by Turkey was against Serbia where they came back from behind to restore parity, thanks to strikes from Hakan Calhanoglu and Ozan Tufan.
Croatia, on the contrary, has had a start-stop season so far that saw them being hammered by Portugal in their Nations League Opener. They were trounced again in their following bout against their World Cup final counterparts, France. They got the better of Switzerland and Sweden in the following games, only to come a cropper against France in the following encounter. It seems that the unit that functioned like a perfectly-oiled machine in the World Cup has started exposing massive chinks in their armour, especially with the farewell of Subasic under the sticks. This will be an important game for both the sides despite being a friendly, considering the fact that victory has been eluding them both for a major part of the year. These are our fantasy picks for the international friendly between these super-charged sides.
Match details:
Turkey vs Croatia
11:15 PM
TUR vs CRO: Head to head
The spoils shared by both the nations are fairly on the same scale as Croatia has won three while Turkey has won two. Four of the encounters have so far been drawn. The last time these two teams clashed with each other, Turkey bested Croatia in a closely-contested encounter with Cenk Tosun flipping in the solitary goal.
TUR vs CRO Probable Teams:
Turkey: Mert Gunok, Nazim Sangare, Kaan Ayhan, Merih Demiral, Caner Erkin, Okay Yokuslu, Ozan Tufan, Yusuf Yazici, Efecan Karaca, Cenk Tosun, Cengiz Under
Croatia: Dominik Livakovic, Filip Uremovic, Domagoj Vida, Duje Caleta-Car, Dario Melnjak, Mateo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic, Mario Pasalic, Josip Brekalo, Bruno Petkovic, Domagoj Bradaric
Picks to consider:
Cenk Tosun is an extremely crucial name in the colours of Turkey, considering his goal scoring form and his ferocity in front of the attacking third. His efficacy as a striker was also the reason for Croatia’s downfall in their last rendezvous.
Marcelo Brozovic has been highly instrumental in rallying the Croatian midfield in the absence of other senior players. He takes a lot of workloads and his towering presence makes life a lot easier for the attackers upfront.
Captaincy Choices:
1. Cengiz Under
2. Mario Pasalic
Match Prediction: Who will win today?
This game may not have a clear winner, considering the fact that both the sides are evenly matched but it will be an explosive match-up nonetheless.
