Three key duels as Wales Face Turkey
Wales will play their second game of Euro 2020 on Wednesday 16th June as they face Turkey. The game in Baku will be a must win for both both sides after Wales drew with Switzerland and Turkey were beaten by Italy.
With Italy to play in Rome Rob Page’s side will see this game as a chance to move onto four points and hopefully qualify for the round of 16. With Switzerland to play Turkey will see this game as a good chance to take all three points and set up a crunch game against the Swiss.
Here are three key duels that will be a telling factor in who will win this match.
Caglar Soyuncu V Kieffer Moore
Leicester defender Soyuncu will be in a tough game as he will look to stop Cardiff City forward Kieffer Moore.
Moore scored his first of the tournament as he headed in Wales’ equaliser against Switzerland. The combination of his aerial threat and hold up play will be key for Wales going forward. Moore has had a fantastic season for club Cardiff City scoring 20 goals for the Championship side. Averaging 9.3 aerials won per game Soyuncu will need a far better performance then against Italy.
Soyuncu made over 20 appearance’s for Leicester City this season. His ability to play out from the back will be key for building Turkey’s attacks. His passing percentage for the season is 87.8% but when coming up against the aerial threat of Moore he has only 2.6 won per game.
Burak Yilmaz V Joe Rodon
It will be experience against youth as Burak Yilmaz comes up against Joe Rodon.
The 35 year Yilmaz has had a good season with Lille in France netting 18 goals as Lille won Ligue 1. A strong and powerful forward who likes to get into the box and shoot. He scored a stunning hat trick as Turkey beat The Neverlands in a World Cup qualifier. Another player who did have the best time against Italy but someone who can change the game in a moment.
Joe Rodon made to move to Tottenham early in the season but has not established himself as a regular starter. For Wales he is and his passing ability with a pass percentage of 87.3% helps Wales with their quick counter attack.
Hakan Calhanoglu V Connor Roberts
Hakan Calhanoglu will likely line up of Turkey’s left side where he’ll be up against Connor Roberts.
Calhanoglu is a creative player who can open up defensives with his passing. This season he has a passing parentage of 83.6%. He has eight goals and 13 assist for club AC Milan and the national team. He is a player who likes to come inside and Roberts will need to be defensively disciplined to contain him.
Roberts will need to stop Calhanoglu early and not allow him time and space in and around the Wales box. Roberts played 48 times for Swansea as they lost in the Championship play-offs. He has been solid when defending but also a threat going forward with five goals and seven assists.
A key match for both sides if they want to progress to the knock out stages winning these key areas could prove the difference.
