Turkey is welcoming Norway to Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in round 7 of Group G of the UEFA World Cup qualifications. Turkey is terrible on the defensive end, but for now, their offense has been compensating. Norway will be without Haaland in this game, but this is still a good team that could use a positive outcome.
Turkey is in 3rd place in this group with only 1 point less than Norway, but they have won only 1 of their last 6 games. This is the game where Turkey must go for the win because Norway is their direct competitor in this group. In their last game, Turkey was playing against Netherlands on the road, and they have had only 33% of ball possession, 2 shots on goal, 0 corner kicks, 1 big chance created, and 77% of the correct passes. Turkey was losing 3-0 at halftime, and on top of all that, they conceded a red card in the 44th minute. Turkey has conceded 3 more goals in the second half, but they were able to score 1 goal in the last minute. Turkey has lost this game 6-1. Offensively, Turkey has been solid, and Yilmaz is their leading goalscorer with 4 goals, but it’s their defense that needs to improve and fast.
Norway is a solid team that can score a lot of goals, and even though they will be without Haaland in this game, they are still a good team. Norway is in 2nd place with 13 points, and they need to keep winning if they want to stay here because Turkey is on their tail. In their last game against Gibraltar, Norway was the dominant team with 74% of ball possession, 14 shots on goal, 12 corner kicks, 6 big chances created, and 87% of the correct passes. Norway has deservedly won this game 5-1. Haaland is the leading goalscorer for Norway with 5 goals, while Sorloth added 2 goals. Overall, Norway is doing well, and not only they can qualify for the World Cup, but Norway can also still win the top spot in this group with a bit of luck. Haaland means a lot to this team, and he will certainly be missed, but there are a few more players left in this team who can make your life complicated. Turkey has never lost o Norway in the past, and it will be very hard for Turkey to win this game, but I think they will get it here. Turkey must step up, big time. The mood in Turkey is definitely not great, but they are a solid team, and I think they will get a nice home win.