The final match in the round of 16 at the Euro 2024 tournament might well be the best of the lot as two entertaining sides battle it out in Leipzig when the Group D winners Austria meet the runners up from Group F in Turkey.
A spot in the quarter final against either Romania or the Netherlands will be the reward for the winners with this clash between two of the most watchable sides in the competition so far expected to ignite early.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live and in full on the ITV1 channel in the UK with the extensive build-up getting underway at 7pm ahead of the kick off in Leipzig at 8pm.
Austria
They might have arrived at the tournament as dark horses to win the tournament but very quickly Austria have climbed up to the forefront of the thoughts of many in terms of the contenders from here on in. One reason for that is because they have landed in the right part of the draw but the other reason is because they have taken the game to France, Poland and the Netherlands so far and could easily have come away with three wins on another day.
There is a cohesion and a relentlessness about the Austrians and an energy which so many of the teams in this tournament look to have lacked so far. Austria have gone at teams but they haven’t really left themselves exposed but they are one of the few sides who look to be going out to win matches rather than look to avoid losing them. Whether that changes in the knockout stages remains to be seen, but there is a lot to like about the Austrians so far.
Turkey
If Austria have been the best team to watch in the tournament to date then Turkey certainly aren’t a million miles behind them. The critics would say that there is a naivety to their play but this is a young team that just want to show what they can do and go on the attack which is very much their strength. They have a number of players who have caught the eye going forward in this tournament and if they come good in this match then Turkey have a chance.
The area of concern for Turkey is their defence. It hasn’t looked that tight throughout the tournament and there isn’t likely to be much change in that regard from here on in so you get the impression that the Turks are going to live by the sword and if they happen to die by it then so be it. That is going to make them great to watch as they look to book a place in the quarter final of the competition for the first time in 16 years.
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Team News
Austria are going to need to rejig their defence for this match because Kevin Wimmer picked up a second yellow card in the win over the Netherlands in the last group game and he is suspended. Gernot Trauner is expected to miss the game too.
Turkey certainly haven’t been helped by the fact that their captain Hakan Calhanoglu and Samet Akaydin picked up second yellow cards in the win over Czechia and they will miss out with suspension. Abdulkerim Bardakci is available having served a ban though.
Betting
I would be surprised if Austria don’t win this match, largely because of the suspension of Hakan Calhanoglu which is a blow for Turkey, but I would be even more surprised if there are not goals in this match and a number of them. Both these sides have shown little intention to defend over the group stage and when you consider the calibre of opponent they have come up against that is to be commended, and there is no reason to start now.
The Turkey defence doesn’t convince me at all and Austria could create chances at will here. That is only going to force Turkey to attack even more and this could easily transcend into another of the crazy matches that these two have played so far. Neither of these teams have really looked like keeping a clean sheet and when they have conceded there has been a look of vulnerability about them. Knockout football might change the intent but these are two sides built to get at the opposition and I expect them to do that here and bring over 2.5 goals in.
Tips
Back Over 2.5 goals for a 3/10 stake at 1.95 with Betway
