Turkey vs Kosovo
2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers – Europe, Group I.
Date: Saturday, 12th November 2016
Kick-off at 17:00 UK
Venue: New Antalya Stadium, Antalya.
FIFA World no. 25 Turkey (0-1-2, 2 points) will look to earn their first win in the UEFA 2018 World Cup qualifying tournament as they face lowly team Kosovo (0-2-1, 1 point) at the New Antalya Stadium in Antalya on Nov. 12, Saturday in a Group I encounter.
Turkey is currently in the fourth spot of the 6-team Group I UEFA qualifiers table as one of three teams who are still winless in the said tournament. The team held began the season with two straight drawn matches, first to Croatia in a 1-1 tie on the road and then a 2-2 stalemate with Ukraine at home.
Their most recent game was a 0-2 loss to Iceland again on the road at the Laugardalsvöllur in Reykjavík on Oct. 9, as per ESPN.
Head coach Fatih Terim's squad went goalless for the whole match even as they failed to stop Iceland from scoring twice in the first half of play.
Iceland winger Teddy Bjarnason opened the scoring in the 42nd minute before Augsburg forward Alfred Finnbogason netted another one two minutes later off an assist from defender Kari Arnason.
Barcelona star Arda Turan was not available against Iceland but will suit up in this match versus Kosovo, giving the Crescent Stars a significant advantage.
Meanwhile, Kosovo is at the bottom of the Group I table with a draw and two losses. The team drew Finland in their first game before succumbing to consecutive losses to Croatia and Ukraine in their next two matches.
Kosovo was routed by Ukraine, 0-3, during their previous fixture in the tournament held at the Marshal Józef Piłsudski Stadium in Kraków also on Oct. 9, via Sporting Life.
Three different players from Ukraine scored a goal each while head coach Albert Bunjaki's side was shut out for the second straight game.
A third consecutive shutout for Kosovo is predicted in this match against Turkey.
Turkey vs Kosovo: Head to Head Statistics
Turkey and Kosovo have only met once which was an International Friendly game in 2014, which ended in a big 6-1 win for the visiting Turks. And this will be the first ever competitive football match between the two teams.
Turkey vs Kosovo: Prediction
It’s obvious that Turkey are the more experienced side between the two, but have been unlucky in this campaign. They have been on a win-less run in their last 4 games, which includes the 2-0 defeat at Iceland last month. The Head Coach Fetih Terim will be hoping to make the fans smile in this game.
Kosovo haven’t improved since their last game against Turkey, and are in a much worse form compared to Turkey. The game is expected to end comfortably in favour of the home team Turkey.
Turkey vs Kosovo: Betting Tips
Turkey win to keeping a clean-sheet at 1.66
Over 2.5 goals for Turkey at 1.76.
