Wales vs Turkey

Old rivals Wales and Turkey meet again at the Cardiff City Stadium on Friday evening in what has the potential to be an exciting Nations League encounter.

For Dragons fans, Friday’s game will be the first opportunity to usher in a new era as former international star Craig Bellamy takes charge of the Welsh national team for the first time.

However, the test against a Turkish side that impressed at Euro 2024 is likely to be a tough first challenge for Bellamy and Wales in front of an expectant crowd in Cardiff.

Wales vs Turkey – the best bets

Wales vs Turkey

Friday 19:45

Türkiye wins

Wales vs Turkey

Friday 19:45

Arda Güler has 1+ shots on goal

Wales will start Friday’s game as slight underdogs at 2.63 and although a possible change of manager in Craig Bellamy’s first game in charge clouds things a little, there is little point in backing the Dragons here.

Instead, preference is given to Turkey, who are still riding a wave of optimism following their much-lauded performances at Euro 2024. The visiting squad is full of emerging talent and in terms of individual ability, Turkey appear to be stronger player for player across the pitch.

Wales’ run of just six wins in 25 games is hard to ignore and, on paper at least, Bellamy lacks the personnel to make immediate changes. Bet on the Turkish class to shine in Cardiff at odds of 2.60.

Arda Güler, meanwhile, offers a lot of value at 1.80 to get at least one shot on goal against Wales. The talented teenager has started just once in La Liga for Real Madrid this season, but he had three shots on goal in that game against Valladolid, showing once again how dangerous he can be in the final third.

Güler is likely to start Friday’s match against Wales and the winger, who had nine shots on goal in five appearances at Euro 2020, can once again provide impact.

📂 Cheat sheet for Wales vs Turkey

Andy’s Bet Club is packed with the best expert football tips including Nations League acca predictions, Home Nations acca tips and handicap football tips. We have also provided a two-tier selection of betting tips for Wales vs Turkey here.

📊 Wales form and statistics

Wales sacked Rob Page in the summer after two disappointing performances in friendlies against Gibraltar (0-0) and Slovakia (0-4) compounded the team’s failure to qualify for Euro 2024. He was replaced by the untested Craig Bellamy.

Bellamy, who was part of Vincent Kompany’s coaching staff first at Anderlecht and then at Burnley, is now faced with the task of raising standards after Wales have managed just six wins in 25 international matches since June 2022.

First and foremost, Bellamy needs to find a way to get more goals out of his Welsh side. In last season’s Euro qualifiers, they averaged just 1.25 goals per game and have scored one or fewer goals in five of their last six outings.

33-year-old Aaron Ramsey (21) and 32-year-old Kieffer Moore (12) are the only players in Bellamy’s first Welsh squad to have scored double figures at international level and the country’s latest generation has yet to make much of an impression in that regard.

The talent pool at Bellamy’s disposal is relatively small, with only five members of the Welsh squad currently playing for their club in the Premier League.

There are still high hopes for Tottenham’s Brennan Johnson, even though the winger has only scored three times in his 28 appearances for his country.

📊 Türkiye form and statistics

Turkey earned much praise for their spirited, dynamic performances at Euro 2024 and were perhaps a little unlucky to see their summer adventure end in the quarter-finals of the competition after winning the xGF battle in their 2-1 loss to the Netherlands (1.30 to 1.00).

Italian coach Vincenzo Montella is responsible for Turkey’s performance improvement and although he has only been in charge of the Crescent Stars for 13 games, he has already achieved significant victories against Croatia, Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria during his tenure.

Under Montella’s guidance, Turkey is playing entertaining football and, despite being eliminated in the quarter-finals, is ranked sixth in the number of shots attempted per 90 minutes (14.40) at Euro 2024 and also sixth in the total xGF accumulated in the competition (7.30).

Seven of Turkey’s last eight games have seen over 2.5 goals, and six of those same games have featured action from both sides. 100% of their Euro 2024 matches have also seen three or more goals, and there could be even more entertainment in store in Wales this week.

Montella has a wealth of individual talent at his disposal, including Inter Milan star Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Benfica’s Orku Kokcu, but the jewels in the Turkish crown are prodigies Kenan Yildiz and Arda Güler.

Juventus star Yildiz, 19, averaged 2.87 shots per 90 seconds at the European Championships, while Real Madrid prodigy Arda Güler, also 19, who finished the tournament with one goal and two assists, averaged 2.38 shots per 90 seconds in Germany. Both players have the talent to hurt Wales on Friday.

⚔️ Wales vs Turkey – direct comparison

Wales and Turkey played in the same qualifying group (Group D) for the 2024 European Championship. In the two encounters between the two nations in this section, the Crescent Stars had the better cards and took four of the six points up for grabs.

When the two teams met in Samsun in June 2023, Turkey took full advantage of their home advantage, scoring two goals after the break through Umut Nayir and Arda Guler in a comfortable 2-0 triumph.

Turkey had 14 shots on goal to Wales’ seven and had 77% possession in their win. The Dragons’ only shot on goal at the Samsun Yeni 19 Mayıs Stadyumu came from Harry Wilson.

The return match in Cardiff the following November was closer, however, with the points shared after a 1-1 draw. Neco Williams put the hosts ahead five minutes after half-time, before Turkey equalised after the break through a Yusuf Yazıcı penalty.

Once again, Turkey had more possession (60%), but Wales were more accurate on the counterattack, firing ten shots on goal (four on target) while the visitors fired nine shots (two on target).

On a heated evening last November, eight players received yellow cards, so there may still be some old scores to settle on Friday.

Tottenham’s Brennan Johnson was a thorn in Turkey’s side in last year’s 1-1 draw, with the winger recording two shots on goal and three total in that game.

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* I recommend waiting for confirmed team lineups before placing bets..

* All odds shown are correct at the time of publication.

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