by Turkey will be opening their Group B2 campaign against Malta at 15:00 at the Pendik Stadium. Necla Gungor Kiragasi underlined she wants a strong start on home soil and to build momentum early in the campaign. Malta’s Manuela Tesse insists this one will depend on smart decisions against higher-ranked opposition despite injury woes, but believes the gap can close if the details are right and the performance matches recent progress.
Malta Chase League B Consolidation Against Turkey
Turkey will be welcoming Malta in an afternoon kick-off as the two teams ignite the UEFA European Qualifications in League B, Group B2.
Turkey have managed to maintain a place in League B in the three competitions that have been played. Malta on the other hand, enters this domain for the second time, with a target on securing the points to maintain the place in League B.
It will be a first meet between the two nations under their current coaches, Necla Gungor Kiragasi and Manuela Tesse. However, the two countries have met four times before between 2008 and 2020. Turkey have won all four previous meetings between the sides, most recently a 2–1 victory in Malta in 2020.
The two coaches have named their selections. Turkey have been forced into a change in defence with Hakkarigücü Spor (Besiktas) replaced by Fatma Sakar (Union Berlin) due to injury.
On the other hand, Malta’s Manuela Tesse admitted that the team is carrying injuries, but defended selection. The Malta coach referred to the level of opposition as the fulcrum behind selection with a desire to be able to produce a good performance in the start of the competition, despite the issues at hand.
This afternoon’s match will be the first opportunity to get points on the board in the new tournament, and Necla Gungor Kiragasi has spoken in no uncertain terms, “We want to get a good result against Malta at Pendik Stadium, which we know very well, and go to the Northern Ireland away game with high morale. I hope all the best will be with us on this journey.”
Although Turkey is much higher in ranking, Manuela Tesse believes recent results suggest the match can be balanced if the team can produce its best on the field, “Every time we go on the pitch, we try to play in the strongest manner, irrespective of whether we are playing at home or away. Maybe we are underestimated a bit based on our past encounters, but I believe that if we play as we did against Croatia, we can meet Turkey at level terms, even though Turkey is higher in ranking.”
“At this level, it will depend on details. Turkey is a passionate country and we must be smart. However, our past friendlies have shown that we can beat countries ranked higher so we must believe in ourselves too,” Manuela Tesse finished.
Good Turnout Expected Despite Afternoon Kick-Off
The match will be played in Turkey in the afternoon. Manuela Tesse believes that her team is ready irrespective of the earlier kick-off and is expecting a good turnout at the stadium, “I think our approach to go as late as possible to Turkey is good for us because we have trained well and we are ready to go to the stadium and do our best. I expect a good turnout for Turkey so I believe that the time of the match was chosen accordingly to fill the stadium.”
Turkey and Malta will kick things off at 15:00 CET at the Pendik Stadium in Istanbul. The match will be broadcast on TVM Sport+ and TRT Spor.
The other match in the group will pit Switzerland against Northern Ireland, with kick-off set at 19:00 CET at the Stade de la Tuiliere in Lausanne.
Lead Image: Joe Borg
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