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Turkey vs Wales preview: Bale key if Dragons are to fire in Baku
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Jacque Talbot
LiveScore
Wales will pin their hopes of progress on 33-goal top scorer Gareth Bale
Wales will pin their hopes of progress on 33-goal top scorer Gareth Bale

Group B: Turkey vs Wales, kick-off 5pm (UK time, BBC1)

Wales and Turkey meet at Azerbaijan’s Baku Olympic Stadium in a crucial Group A clash for both nations.

Wales are looking to build on a useful point against Switzerland in their opener, while Turkey are reeling from a humbling 3-0 defeat to Italy on opening night.

Robert Page’s men have the Azzurri in their final group game while Turkey face a handy Swiss side, making victory imperative for both nations if they’re to reach the knockouts.

Story so far

Following some inconsistent results this year, Turkey faced Italy at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico in the tournament’s curtain-raiser. Tipped as dark horses by some, they came away well beaten.

After a resolute first half in which they were under almost constant pressure, Turkey collapsed in the second period.

Merih Demiral’s 53rd-minute own goal opened the floodgates, followed by strikes from Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne.

For Wales, it was a story of two headers after Kieffer Moore’s second-half flick cancelled out Breel Embolo’s opener for Switzerland, landing the Dragons a precious point in the process

However, Wales got off the hook late on when Mario Gavranovic’s late strike was disallowed for offside after a lengthy VAR intervention.

Old habits

Turkish striker Burak Yilmaz had just seven touches in the box against Italy
Turkish striker Burak Yilmaz had just seven touches in the box against Italy

Turkey captain Burak Yilmaz is 36 next month but he remains a goal threat despite his veteran status.

The powerful forward netted more goals than any of his team-mates as Lille landed an unlikely Ligue 1 title last season, finishing as the division’s fourth-highest scorer with 16 goals.

Remarkably, the 2020-21 campaign was just Yilmaz’s second outside of Turkish football.

The only other year spent outside his homeland was a season with Beijing Guoan back in 2016 and he's played for each of Turkey's big three - Fenerbache, Galatasaray and Besiktas.

With 29 goals, Yilmaz is Turkey’s second-highest ever scorer behind Hakan Sukur and he will be looking to add to his one previous European Championship goal.

All hail Bale

Wales captain and talisman Gareth Bale was one of the stars of the Dragons’ memorable Euro 2016 campaign and remains their biggest goal threat.

Bale, 31, went some way to rediscovering his best form on loan at Tottenham this term, scoring 11 Premier League goals — all from open play — against an expected goals total of just 5.3.

Gareth Bale hit 11 Premier League goals from just 10 starts in 2020-21
Gareth Bale hit 11 Premier League goals from just 10 starts in 2020-21

He will return to parent club Real Madrid this summer and the Euros could act as something of a showcase for the 31-year-old to prove he is worth another crack at the Bernabeu, following Carlo Ancelotti’s re-appointment.

Wales’ all-time leading scorer with 33 goals, today would be a good time for Bale to notch his first goal for his country in two years.

Turn the Page

With Ryan Giggs watching from home following his charge for assault, interim head coach Page has implemented a tactical change.

Under Giggs, the Dragons usually lined up with a back three and wing-backs. However, for the 1-1 draw with Switzerland they reverted to a hybrid of 4-3-3 and 4-1-4-1.

Joe Allen was deployed as the deepest of three central midfielders, using all his nous to screen the backline while Daniel James and Bale flanked Cardiff striker Moore.

Out of possession, the two wide forwards dropped in to soak up the pressure but in attack they attempted to get up the field in support of Moore.

Direct threat

Turkey's average positions against Italy illustrate a side pinned in their own half
Turkey's average positions against Italy illustrate a side pinned in their own half

For much of their opener against a rampant Italian side, Turkey were stuck in their own half, reverting to long and often inaccurate balls forward.

They attempted 41 such passes against Roberto Mancini’s side, the seventh-most after matchday one, and surrendered possession 72 times in total — seventh, again, after the first round of games.

The temptation against Wales will be to employ a similar route to goal. But Turkey must get playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu on the ball more.

With nine assists and 174 shot-creating actions for AC Milan last season, the 27-year-old is his country’s most inventive player. But he was only able to muster seven passes into the final third against the Azzurri.

Given the keys to unlock the Welsh defence, he could be the difference-maker.

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Tags

WalesTurkeyGareth BaleEuropean Championship
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