Turkey vs Italy: Azzurri look to start EURO 2020 off with a bang
Italy will be looking to begin their EURO 2020 campaign off with a bang as they host Turkey at the Stadio Olimpico.
The Azzurri will kick off the latest iteration of the quadrennial tournament, with the competition opener set to take place on Friday, June 11th at the Stadio Olimpico. All three of Italy’s group stage matches will be played in Rome, which in theory should give them a home pitch advantage as they look to win what would be their first EURO title since 1968.
Roberto Mancini’s men were flawless during qualifying, as they cruised through by winning all ten of their matches. They’re just one of a few sides to do this, the other being number one ranked team Belgium. Italy are currently unbeaten in their last 27 matches across all qualifiers, and come into this match having crushed Czech Republic 4-0 in a warm-up friendly. Mancini’s squad is an interesting blend of wily veterans and hungry youth, with faces like Giorgio Chiellini and Lorenzo Bonucci featuring alongside the likes of former Fiorentina starlet Federico Chiesa and Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Up front, Italy will have Capocannoniere and European Golden Shoe winner Ciro Immobile alongside Lorenzo Insigne. Both players have been absolutely outstanding for their respective clubs, Lazio and Napoli, but haven’t been exactly the most prolific for La Nazionale. This tournament will give them the chance to do just that and put to rest the criticism that has dogged them for years; both were on the score-sheet for the Azzurri during the demolition derby against the Czech Republic.
Another player who will be keen to have a big impact will be Sassuolo’s Domenico Berardi, who, with 105 goals, is presently the all-time top goalscorer for the Neroverdi. At 26, he’s no longer a young debutant, and will be finally making his first appearance at a senior tournament this summer. Berardi will be expected to complete the front three in a 4-3-3 formation in Mancini’s starting XI as Italy look to successfully navigate their way through this match and beyond.
Meanwhile, Turkey are now being led by Senol Gunes, who is an iconic face for Crescent-Stars fans. Gunes notably is the man who oversaw Turkey’s third place finish at the 2002 World Cup and now will be hoping to inspire his very young squad to work some magic in this summer’s event. Turkey had a very strong qualifying campaign, conceding just three times and keeping a very impressive eight clean sheets in the process. They also nicked four points off World Cup winners France, who are the heavy favorites to win the trophy, and overall have lost just three of their 26 games since Gunes returned to take over the team in 2019.
Indeed, France were unable to beat them either at home or away, and they do boast some top talent in their ranks. Donnarumma will be very familiar with what his Rossoneri teammate Hakan Calhanoglu is capable of, while veteran striker Burak Yilmaz was a protagonist during Lille’s amazing run to the Ligue 1 title this past season.
Still, Italy’s impressive form can’t be discounted. Although Turkey arrive on a six game unbeaten run, the Azzurri are on an eight game winning streak. Moreover, the Crescent Stars have never beaten the Azzurri in a European fixture. Never. That’s in 11 attempts, with Italy winning eight of those. Italy have also won all three of their prior meetings with Turkey at EURO competitions, while scoring nine goals in the process.
That being said, Italy’s record in EURO openers is quite poor. The Azzurri have scored just eight goals in the last nine editions that they’ve featured, and have won just three of their first group stage games. So, will the fact that this game is being played in the Eternal City, at the Stadio Olimpico tip the scales in Italy’s favor? Or will Turkey finally end their hoodoo against a very familiar foe?
