- 1 Türkiye vs Belgium: Sergen Yalçın’s first game, with no points and two goals from four matches
- 2 Türkiye: a new coach, Kenan Yıldız injured and Aktürkoğlu left out
- 3 Belgium: Doku back and De Bruyne with two goals against Türkiye already
- 4 Free Football Prediction: Türkiye vs Belgium
- 5 About our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About visuals
Türkiye vs Belgium: Sergen Yalçın’s first game, with no points and two goals from four matches 
Vincenzo Montella lost his job after four Nations League defeats in a row. The Turkish federation appointed Sergen Yalçın, the former Beşiktaş coach, on 20 October, and Thursday’s match against Belgium in Izmir is his first in charge.
Türkiye host Belgium at the Göztepe Gürsel Aksel Stadium on Thursday 12 November, kick-off 17:00 UK time, on matchday five of League A, Group 1. Yalçın named his 26-man squad on 6 November and said the Belgium game was very important for avoiding relegation.
The table explains why. France lead on 10 points, Italy have seven and Belgium six. Türkiye have none, with two goals scored and 11 conceded. The bottom side goes down to League B, and Türkiye’s last game is away to France in Bordeaux on Sunday, so this is the more realistic of their two chances to get off zero.
Belgium have their own reason to win. Mark van Bommel’s side are a point behind Italy in the race for the second quarter-final place, and they host Italy in Brussels on Sunday. Three points in Izmir would take them to nine before that game, whatever happens between Italy and France in Milan.
The sides met in Liège on 2 October, and Belgium won 3-0. Kevin De Bruyne scored twice and Romelu Lukaku came off the bench to add the third. We expect a closer game this time, with a new coach and a home crowd, but we still see Belgium winning it.
Before this season, the two countries hadn’t met since a 1-1 draw in a European Championship qualifier on 3 June 2011. Türkiye won the home game in that qualifying group 3-2 in September 2010, the last time they beat Belgium.
Türkiye: a new coach, Kenan Yıldız injured and Aktürkoğlu left out 
Türkiye’s group began with a 1-0 home defeat to France in Kocaeli on 25 September. Kylian Mbappé scored on 54 minutes and goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır was sent off in the 87th. Italy then won 4-1 in Bursa three days later, with Barış Alper Yılmaz scoring Türkiye’s goal just after half-time.
The 3-0 defeat in Liège followed, and then a 3-1 loss in Bologna on 5 October, when Aral Şimşir equalised after the break before Italy scored twice more. Türkiye conceded three or more in three of the four games.
The World Cup in June had already gone badly. Türkiye lost 2-0 to Australia in Vancouver and 1-0 to Paraguay in Santa Clara, a result that knocked them out of the group stage, before beating the United States 3-2 in their last game. That’s one win in their last seven internationals.
Yalçın has made changes. Kerem Aktürkoğlu, İrfan Can Kahveci, Altay Bayındır and Mert Müldür are among ten players dropped from the previous squad, and Kenan Yıldız is injured and stays with his club for treatment. Yalçın has said he’ll start the players who are physically fit, which leaves selection open.
The attacking talent is still there. Arda Güler, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Orkun Kökçü and Can Uzun are all in the squad, along with the two group scorers, Barış Alper Yılmaz and Şimşir. Merih Demiral, Ozan Kabak and Abdülkerim Bardakcı are the senior centre-backs in front of Çakır.
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Belgium: Doku back and De Bruyne with two goals against Türkiye already 
Van Bommel took over from Rudi Garcia in July, after Belgium lost 2-1 to Spain in the World Cup quarter-finals. His first game was a 2-0 win in Rome on 25 September, with Mika Godts scoring his first international goal and Dodi Lukebakio adding the second off the bench.
France then beat Belgium twice: 1-0 in Brussels with an 88th-minute goal from Michael Olise, and 4-1 in Paris on 5 October, where Lukebakio’s first-half goal was cancelled out by four French goals after the 75th minute. Between those two games came the 3-0 win over Türkiye.
Belgium’s two wins in the group came against Italy and Türkiye, with five goals scored and none conceded. Both defeats came against France, who have conceded only twice in four group games.
De Bruyne and Lukebakio have two group goals each, and Jérémy Doku returns after missing the September and October window injured. Leandro Trossard, Charles De Ketelaere and Lukaku are all in the squad as well, and De Ketelaere scored twice in the World Cup win over the United States in July.
There are gaps. Koni De Winter turned down his call-up, Debast is injured and Matías Fernández Pardo is ill, and Thibaut Courtois isn’t in the squad. Senne Lammens kept goal in Liège, and Genk defender Josué Kongolo and Monterrey striker Hugo Cuypers are both uncapped.
Probable lineup Türkiye: Not announced at time of publication
Probable lineup Belgium: Not announced at time of publication
Free Football Prediction: Türkiye vs Belgium
Our prediction: Belgium to win
Belgium beat Türkiye 3-0 five weeks ago, and they’ve kept clean sheets in both group games against sides other than France. Türkiye have scored two goals in four games and lost Kenan Yıldız to injury before this window.
Türkiye have a new coach, a home crowd in Izmir and their last realistic chance to get off zero points. Belgium’s need is just as pressing, with Italy a point ahead and a direct meeting with them on Sunday.
Bookmakers hadn’t posted prices for this match when we filed. We’re backing Belgium to win, and we’d want a price of 1.70 or longer before taking it.
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