- Turkey have won four of their last five matches in all competitions
- The USA have won two and lost three of their last five games in all competitions.
- Turkey won the reverse fixture 2-1 away last year
Both teams to play on the front foot
Turkey are third in Group D of the FIFA World Cup after a 2-0 loss in their opening fixture, while the USA lead the way with three and enter the game as slight favourites at 3/2. The Turks are close behind at 33/20 and draw at 53/20, both of which look tempting, although we will look at alternatives for our main selection.
Vincenzo Montella has not changed the mindset of this Turkey team too much since taking over as manager in September 2023. They have a clear style of play, preferring to control the ball and build from the middle third in order to create overloading areas.
The two playmakers, Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Arda Güler, are the creative outlets that dictate the play for the Turks, but with Kenan Yıldız providing the pace and sharpness at the top end of the field, they have a real cutting edge.
Pochettino has given USA a real identity
Mauricio Pochettino has done a similar job with the USA since taking over in September 2024, but their style is much more high-octane than that of Turkey. The Stars and Stripes press the life out of the ball, transition at pace and overload the flanks with Christian Pulisic their engine-room driving force.
Folarin Balogun is their goal threat at the moment, with the ex-Arsenal forward scoring two goals in the opener against Paraguay and now having three of their nine goals in their last nine games. He will be a threat again on Friday.
There's a marked difference in the two sides' approach to the game and this game could be a chess match with the transition games probably deciding the winner. Both teams will be looking to impress with the big eyes of the world on them at this tournament and both have young stars that could be on the up if they impress here, so we're going to take both sides to score at 16/25 instead.
