EU Test Match 2024, Tuesday, 04.06.2024
Use the best EURO free bets and EURO bonus offers to start your betting adventure. Trust my or your very own Italy Turkey betting tip for what could be the most exciting test match before the start of the big event of the year.
For my part, I’m really looking forward to this game, as it will be a yardstick to determine how good the Ottomans really are. And the “Azzurri’s” chances of successfully defending their title can also be better assessed after this game.
In my opinion, there is no more interesting encounter in this first clash of the last international break before the start of Euro 2024 than the Mediterranean duel between Italy and Turkey.
Both nations fly under the radar of most pundits and EURO bookmakers, but 2020 was no different and we all know how that ended for the “Squadra Azzurra” …
Turkey, on the other hand, are my personal secret favorites who have what it takes to at least advance to the quarter-finals. This match is so interesting because it will show us where the Ottomans really stand compared to the absolute top teams
Italy have replaced one great coach with another great coach, so the “Azzurri” are still perfectly managed under Luciano Spalletti.
However, the soccer played by the reigning European champions under the former Napoli coach is not quite as spectacular as it was under his predecessor Mancini.
Personally, I’m missing results that cause a stir. Qualifying for Euro 2024 was a real nail-biter right to the end. Ukraine were pushed into the play-offs in the end despite being tied on points, but “sovereign” definitely looks different
In my opinion, Italy’s most convincing phase under Spalletti took place during the last international break in March, when two test matches on the other side of the pond were on the agenda.
In the USA, the Azzurri successfully challenged a strong Ecuador (2-0) and Venezuela (2-1), showing for the first time the kind of soccer Spalletti wants to see from his team since taking over.
There is almost 100% homogeneity within the squad nominated for the European Championship. In any case, European champion Jorginho of Arsenal is the only outfield player who does not earn his money in Italy
Italy may have a strong defense and possibly an even better midfield, but Federico Chiesa (Juventus) is the only reliable attacker for me.
But this is also the problem: no striker in the Azzurri squad has scored more than a maximum of seven international goals, which raises questions.
Are the European champions perhaps missing a first-class attacking force? I therefore find the national team coach’s decision not to nominate the talented Vincenzo Grifo all the more incomprehensible
While I think Italy could have problems generating enough goalscoring threat at the European Championship, Turkey’s offense is probably the best part of the team.
Hakan Çalhanoğlu of Inter Milan will pull the strings in the build-up play, while he will most likely be flanked by the equally talented Orkun Kökçü of Benfica Lisbon.
There are numerous options up front, of which Yusuf Yazıcı appears to be the most suitable. The OSC Lille man has scored more international goals (20) than the other 11 strikers on the provisional squad list for Euro 2024 put together
Turkey, under the leadership of Vincenzo Montella, may have qualified for the European Championship with aplomb, but unlike the Italians, I don’t trust their defensive unit 100%.
During the last international break, the Ottomans lost 1:6 to Austria and revealed weaknesses that the top teams at this European Championship will find difficult to forgive.
It could indeed turn out to be a long 0-0 draw on Tuesday before the Italians, in their usual minimalist fashion, capitalize on the odd mistake to take a 1-0 or 2-0 lead.
Italy’s coolness and savvy have often been the deciding factor in Turkey’s failure to win an edition of this Mediterranean classic (3 draws, 6 defeats).
A test match in March 2022 ended in a 3-2 win for the Azzurri, but unlike back then, this time the game will take place within Turkey’s own borders – in Bologna to be precise.
I suspect that there won’t be many goals scored, but the available data points to a somewhat more eventful match.
Watch out: Italy have scored at least two goals in eight of their last nine friendlies, while seven of those games have seen more than three goals scored in total.
A possible 2:1 for the Azzurri would therefore fit in perfectly with this trend and also suit the bookmakers’ tastes. In their Italy Turkey odds of 1.60, they expect a relatively clear victory for the defending champions.
Conclusion: In Germany, Turkey will certainly receive more support from the stands in a few weeks’ time than in Bologna, especially in the greater NRW area.
But if nothing out of the ordinary happens, Italy should be able to say goodbye to their home crowd on Tuesday with a possible 2-1 win in what they see as a crucial test match.
The power of the Squadra Azzurra’s forward line still raises some questions, but so does the Turkish defense, which recently went down with man and mouse against Austria …
My Italy Turkey betting tip is therefore: The European champions win
