Türkiye Face a Crucial Test Against Italy
Türkiye’s national team travel to Bologna for a decisive UEFA Nations League A, Group 1 match against Italy. The fourth-round fixture is scheduled to kick off at 21:45 Turkish time at the Renato Dall’Ara Stadium and will be shown live on ATV.
Polish referee Szymon Marciniak will take charge, assisted by Tomasz Listkiewicz and Adam Kupsik. Karol Arys is the fourth official. The group’s other match, between France and Belgium, is also due to start at 21:45, in Paris.
Türkiye seek their first points
The Turkish side have lost all three of their opening matches and are still without a point. Vincenzo Montella’s team will be looking to halt that run against Italy and give themselves a lift before the final two fixtures of the group.
Türkiye began with a 1-0 defeat to France in Kocaeli, then lost 4-1 to Italy in Bursa. Their most recent result was a 3-0 loss away to Belgium.
Italy, meanwhile, beat Türkiye in their first meeting but have since dropped points: they lost 2-0 at home to Belgium and drew 1-1 away to France. The return match in Bologna therefore gives both sides an opportunity to improve their position in the group.
The teams’ previous encounter took place in Bursa in heavy rain. Italy won 4-1, giving Türkiye a clear reason to approach the rematch with greater defensive discipline and a more effective attacking plan.
Arda Güler and Barış Alper Yılmaz unavailable
Türkiye will be without two notable players. Arda Güler and Barış Alper Yılmaz are suspended after receiving cards in the match against Belgium. Their absence leaves Montella with decisions to make as he reshapes the starting lineup and considers how best to maintain the team’s attacking threat.
The result could also influence the mood around Türkiye’s remaining group campaign. The national team are due to complete their schedule in November, away to France and then against Belgium in İzmir.
Türkiye’s provisional squad
Goalkeepers: Altay Bayındır (Celta Vigo), Muhammed Şengezer (RAMS Başakşehir), Okan Kocuk (Samsunspor), Uğurcan Çakır (Galatasaray).
Defenders: Abdülkerim Bardakcı, Eren Elmalı (Galatasaray), Adil Demirbağ (TÜMOSAN Konyaspor), Emirhan Topçu (Beşiktaş), Ferdi Kadıoğlu (Brighton), Merih Demiral (Al Ahli), Ozan Kabak (Hoffenheim), Samet Akaydin, Mustafa Eskihellaç (Trabzonspor), Zeki Çelik (Juventus), Yusuf Akçiçek (Al-Hilal).
Midfielders: İsmail Yüksek, Bartuğ Elmaz (Fenerbahçe), Demir Ege Tıknaz (Braga), Melih Kabasakal (Trabzonspor), Salih Özcan (Beşiktaş), Emirhan İlkhan (Torino).
Forwards: Aral Şimşir (Trabzonspor), Deniz Gül, Yunus Akgün (Galatasaray), Can Uzun (Eintracht Frankfurt), İlhan Fakılı (Beşiktaş), İrfan Can Kahveci, Kerem Aktürkoğlu, Oğuz Aydın (Fenerbahçe).
Italy’s provisional squad
Goalkeepers: Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City), Massimo Pessina (Bologna), Guglielmo Vicario (Juventus).
Defenders: Honest Ahanor (Crystal Palace), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Diego Coppola (Paris FC), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Daniele Ghilardi (Roma), Michael Kayode (Brentford), Eddy Kouadio (Monza), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta).
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Issa Doumbia (Sporting), Nicolo Fagioli (Fiorentina), Davide Frattesi (Lazio), Rolando Mandragora (Torino), Alessandro Romano (Cagliari), Sandro Tonali (Tottenham).
Forwards: Nicolo Cambiaghi (Bologna), Francesco Pio Esposito (Inter), Sebastiano Esposito (Sassuolo), Samuele Inacio (Borussia Dortmund), Moise Kean (Como), Daniel Maldini (Cagliari), Giacomo Raspadori (Atalanta), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Antonio Vergara (Napoli), Nicolo Zaniolo (Udinese), Mohamed Ali Zoma (Nürnberg).
For Türkiye, the challenge is not only to contain an Italian side that scored four goals in the first meeting, but also to turn promising spells into chances and goals. A more compact defence and fewer costly errors could help the visitors stay in contention.
Italy will have home advantage, but their results so far have been mixed. After beating Türkiye, they were held by France and lost to Belgium, so the hosts will also be under pressure to deliver a strong performance.
The simultaneous France-Belgium match adds another layer to the evening’s significance. Its result will affect the group standings, while Türkiye’s immediate priority is straightforward: compete for their first points and carry a better result into the November fixtures.