Austria eyes maiden European quarterfinals in Turkey clash.
In a historic clash at the Red Bull Arena, Austria and Turkey vie for a coveted quarterfinal spot, with each team eager to make their mark after thrilling group stage finales in pursuit of rewriting their footballing histories.
Austria
Austria surprisingly finished as Group D winners, securing six points after a thrilling 3-2 victory over the Netherlands in their final group game. A late left-footed strike from Marcel Sabitzer in the 80th minute was the decisive moment that separated the two sides.
The Dutch managed to draw level twice with goals from Cody Gakpo in the 47th minute and Memphis Depay in the 75th minute. Austria initially took the lead on two occasions, through Donyell Malen’s own goal in the 6th minute and Romano Schmid in the 59th minute.
Looking ahead, Austria will face Turkey in the round of sixteen, hoping to surpass their Euro 2020 achievement, where they lost 2-1 to Italy at this stage. They aim to reach the quarterfinals for the first time ever.
This encounter marks the first meeting between the two teams in a major tournament. Austria has won two of the last three encounters in all competitions, but Ralf Rangnick’s men have not secured a victory in their last five competitive matches against Turkey.
David Alaba, yet to feature in the tournament, emphasized the team’s focus, saying, "We’re aware the expectations are getting higher, but we don’t let this get to us. We don’t get distracted. It’s important to stay focused."
Rangnick is expected to stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation employed in the previous match, with Marko Arnautović leading the attack. Unfortunately, Patrick Wimmer is ruled out due to suspension after receiving a yellow card in the last match.
Turkey
Turkey finished as runners-up in Group F after a dramatic 2-1 victory over a nine-man Czech Republic on Match Day 3. The encounter saw Turkey take the lead through Hakan Çalhanoğlu in the 51st minute. However, Tomáš Souček brought the game to level terms in the 66th minute, only for Cenk Tosun to secure victory with a late strike in stoppage time. This ensured a dramatic end to the game.
Salih Özcan commented, ‘The Portugal game disappointed us, and Czechia was like a final.’ Turkey aims to progress to the quarterfinals of the competition for just the second time ever when they face Austria, with their last success reaching the final four in 2008.
Özcan noted, ‘It will be a very difficult game in Leipzig. Austria are a physical and well-organised team,’ referring to Tuesday’s clash. Barış Alper Yılmaz is expected to lead the attack once again in Vincenzo Montella’s 4-2-3-1 formation.
Meanwhile, influential captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu and defender Samet Akaydin are both ruled out of the clash due to suspension.
Team form
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Team Comparison
Side-by-side assessment of team statistics, including goals, attacks, and more. This allows you to directly compare key performance metrics. Analyzing these stats can reveal patterns and strengths that might influence the outcome.