The Czech Republic face Turkey in Lens on the final matchday in Group D, with both sides desperate for points to stay in the competition.
The Czech Republic were facing a second successive defeat in their last match against Croatia, before two late strikes rescued a point. Meanwhile, a poor Turkey lost their second match in as many outings against Spain, which sees them currently bottom of the group.
It means that the loser of this match will finish bottom of the group and head home early, while a draw will likely see both eliminated as the Czech Republic would not have enough points to finish as one of the best thirds.
A win for the Czechs could see them finish second if Spain beat Croatia, but even without Spain’s help, Pavel Vrba’s men would most likely have enough points to qualify as a superior third-placed team. A similar scenario applies for their Turkish counterparts who still have a chance of qualification despite second place being out of the equation.
Key Battle – Ladislav Krejci vs Arda Turan
With both sides needing to show more in the final third, extra creativity from the midfield will be important. Ladislav Krejci has a bright future and has been targeted by big clubs around the continent, but so far during this tournament the winger has flattered to deceive. He was largely anonymous against Spain in the first game and drifted in and out against Croatia, but whenever he was involved his talent was there for all to see.
Turan was heavily criticised by his own fans in the loss to Spain, even getting booed whenever he touched the ball. The use of Turan as a scapegoat may have been harsh, but either way the Barcelona man will have a point to prove.
Team News
Pavel Vrba has been dealt a huge blow with news that Tomas Rosicky will play no further part this tournament with a thigh injury. He is likely to be replaced by Milan Skoda who scored off the bench. The other likely change would see other goal scorer Tomas Necid replace David Lafata upfront.
After failing to impress against Spain, Burak Yilmaz is likely to make way for Cenk Tosun, who will play up front with the support of Arda Turan and dead ball specialist Hakan Calhanoglu.
Head-to-Head
These two have met on nine occasions and it is the Czechs who have the historical advantage, winning five of those encounters. Turkey have prevailed three times while only one match has ended all square.
Previous Meeting
These two were in the same qualification group and on the two occasions they met, the away team won both times, most recently in October last year when goals from Selcuk Inan and Hakan Calhanoglu handed Turkey a 2-0 win in Prague.
Prediction
With a draw offering no help to either side, expect to see these two going all out to keep their respective tournaments alive. The Czech Republic have progressively improved as the tournament has gone on, but Turkey always have a surprise in them under Terim. The need for a win will see both sides leaving nothing in the tank, and ultimately they will cancel each other out which will see both of them eliminated.
Czech Republic 1 Turkey 1
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
