Spain vs Turkey – Group D – 8pm (ITV) – 17.06.16 – Allianz Riviera, Nice
Spain needed an 87th minute Gerard Pique header to edge past a resilient Czech Republic side on Monday.72% possession, 18 shots and 14 corners showed that while Spain asserted their dominance, they must be more clinical if they are to avoid being defended out of games.
This win extended Spain’s unbeaten run in the Euros to 13 games, stretching all the way back to 2004.
Turkey failed to match expectations when they were played off the park by Croatia.
At not point in that game did the Turks look remotely threatening and they will have to massively step up their game if they want to stand any chance of a result against Spain.
Arda Turan, taken off after an hour, appeared on national television in Turkey to apologise for his team’s performance against Croatia and he’ll be hoping he won’t have to do that again this week – because the results of tonight’s games could see them dumped out of the competition altogether.
Recommendation: Spain win to nil 2.15
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Match Facts
- Turkey have only registered one win in 10 games against Spain (D4, L5) – a 1-0 victory in a World Cup qualifier in Istanbul back in March 1954.
- Spain have conceded only one goal in their last six matches against Turkey, however that goal did come in their last meeting in 2009.
- This will be the first time that they have met in the finals of a major tournament.
- Spain have only conceded one goal in their last 10 games in the tournament, in a 1-1 draw against Italy in 2012
- Turkey have won only three of their 13 games at the European Championship finals (D2, L8).
- They’ve also only kept two clean sheets in those 13 games.
- Only one of Turkey’s 11 goals at the Euros finals has been scored before the 45th minute.
- Turkey striker Cenk Tosun didn’t have a shot or set up an attempt in his 69 minutes against Croatia. He completed only two passes in the opposition half.
