Turkey vs Brazil Preview
Hosts of the 2014 World Cup travel to Turkey for their latest International friendly. New head coach Dunga has started remarkably well since they disappointed in the World Cup in the summer. They have since won 4 consecutive friendly fixtures, defeating Argentina, Japan, Columbia and Ecuador without conceding a goal (even managed to keep out a Lionel Messi penalty). They travel to Turkey as they look to continue their improved results. Turkey will have one eye on their game with Kazakhstan on Sunday, but this tough test will surely be ample preparation for Fatih Terim’s side.
With a bad start to their Euro qualifiers, Turkey are up against it in Group A with just one point from their opening 3 games, having lost to Iceland and Czech Republic before more recently getting a point in Latvia. They are bottom of the group on goal difference and qualification already looks difficult even with 7 games remaining (and 21 points up for grabs). This woe is perhaps a little surprising given some of the quality they have within their ranks. Burak Yilmaz has well over 120 career goals, with 13 for his country. Arda Turan has been important for Atletico, especially in last season’s La Liga triumph and Champions League efforts. Perhaps the side need to focus on being more defensively resolute are they are without a clean sheet in their last 5 games – a stat that is likely to continue given Neymar’s (amongst others) presence in the Brazil side.
Neymar has now netted a phenomenal 40 goals in 58 appearances for Brazil, and he is still just 22 years old. Backing him to score at any time wouldn’t be the craziest bet, but you won’t get much of a price either. With Turkey undoubtedly having one eye on their upcoming qualifier on Sunday, you might see some (not much) experimenting from Terim, to maximise his chances of getting a result at home to Kazakhstan. Nothing is really expected of them here, so don’t be surprised if they manage to keep it tight, but at the same time, Brazil have a lot of quality, and could potentially wreak havoc. Which way will it go? Our tipster Jack Ball has shared his opinion on the Bet Advisor site, be sure to check it out for free HERE.