Turkish football has had a bit of an upswing
In the recent past, the Austrian national football team has not looked good against Turkey. Of the seven duels with the Turks this millennium, the Austrians have lost five. The only complete success came in a test in August 2012 in Vienna with a 2-0 victory. Turkish football has recently experienced a bit of an upswing. Under neo-team boss Vincenzo Montella, the 2002 World Cup third-place finisher qualified for the European Championships for the first time as group winners.
The Turks left Croatia and Wales behind in their qualifying group last year. They showed this in November with a 3-2 friendly win in Germany. As 35th, they are still ten positions behind Austria in the FIFA world rankings before the duel on Tuesday (8.45 p.m./live ORF 1) in Vienna. Montella only followed the German Stefan Kuntz in September, from whom the Turkish association separated after two years without participating in the tournament.
Calhanoglu is the key player
Montella enjoys a high reputation in Turkey. “He knows how to lead the team. There is a good atmosphere with him, we are happy,” emphasized captain Hakan Calhanoglu. The 30-year-old midfield star from Inter Milan is considered the key player in the team. In addition, there is Orkun Kökcü (Benfica Lisbon) on the offensive and Enes Ünal in the storm center, who storms for Bournemouth in the English Premier League after recovering from a torn cruciate ligament.
Turkey can also rely on an ever-growing reservoir of top talent. The 18-year-old offensive man Kenan Yildiz plays regularly at Juventus Turin, and Arda Güler (19) also recently made short appearances at Real Madrid after an injury. Mert Müldür (24) could be in the starting lineup against the ÖFB team in his hometown of Vienna. The ex-Rapidler has played 21 international matches so far. On Friday against Hungary (0-1), the Fenerbahce defender was substituted on before the break.
Türkiye is thinking about rotation
“I will think about whether we rotate a little against Austria,” explained Montella. The former Italian international striker attaches great importance to the tests. He wants to give young players a chance, but also not push out the established players. “We must not forget: There was a journey that began before me. With me we took first place and are going to a tournament as group winners for the first time. These players have achieved that, so they deserve to play .”
Türkiye is at the European Championships
At the European Championships in Germany this summer, Turkey will face Portugal, the Czech Republic and the winner of the play-off match between Georgia and Greece in Group F. The football country last qualified for a World Cup in 2002 – at Austria’s expense. In the play-off barrage, the Turks won 1-0 in Vienna and 5-0 in Istanbul in November 2001 before winning World Cup bronze in Japan and South Korea.
Austria has a positive balance
However, the ÖFB team’s overall record against Turkey is still slightly positive. Of the 16 international matches so far, eight have gone to Austria – with seven defeats and one draw. The last duel so far was also the second test match of a European Championship year, in which the ÖFB selection started with a victory, like on Saturday in Slovakia (2-0). In 2016, under team boss Marcel Koller, a 2-1 win against Albania at the start of the year was followed by a 1-2 loss against the Turks in Vienna on March 29th.
International match record against Turkey
May 30, 1948 (FS) Istanbul: Türkiye – Austria 0:1
March 20, 1949 (FS) Vienna: Austria – Türkiye 1-0
November 13, 1974 (FS) Istanbul: Türkiye – Austria 0:1
April 17, 1977 (World Cup qualification), Vienna: Austria – Turkey 1-0
October 30, 1977 (World Cup qualification), Izmir: Turkey – Austria 0-1
November 17, 1982 (European Championship qualification), Vienna: Austria – Turkey 4-0
November 16, 1983 (European Championship qualification), Istanbul: Türkiye – Austria 3-1
November 2, 1988 (World Cup qualification), Vienna: Austria – Turkey 3:2
October 25, 1989 (World Cup qualification), Istanbul: Turkey – Austria 3-0
November 10, 2001 (World Cup play-off), Vienna: Austria – Turkey 0:1
November 14, 2001 (World Cup play-off), Istanbul: Turkey – Austria 5-0
November 19, 2008 (FS), Vienna: Austria – Türkiye 2:4
May 29, 2011 (European Championship qualification), Istanbul: Turkey – Austria 2-0
September 6, 2011 (European Championship qualification), Vienna: Austria – Turkey 0-0
August 15, 2012 (FS), Vienna: Austria – Türkiye 2-0
March 29, 2016 (FS), Vienna: Austria – Türkiye 1:2