Turkey and Italy will both be searching for their first points of the UEFA Nations League campaign when they meet in Bursa on Monday night.
Both nations suffered defeats in their opening League A Group 1 fixtures, leaving them trailing early leaders Belgium and France with three matches still to play during this international window.
Turkey made their debut at League A level after securing back-to-back promotions through the Nations League divisions. However, Vincenzo Montella’s side were beaten 1-0 by France in their opening fixture, with Kylian Mbappe eventually breaking the deadlock after Turkey had defended resolutely for almost an hour.
The Crescent-Stars showed more attacking ambition after falling behind and tested France goalkeeper Mike Maignan, but their hopes of rescuing a result were severely damaged when Ugurcan Cakir was sent off following a VAR review.
The defeat represented Turkey’s third loss in their last four matches. They also endured a disappointing 2026 World Cup, exiting the competition at the group stage after defeats to Austria and Paraguay, despite beating the United States in their final fixture.
Italy, meanwhile, suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Belgium in Roberto Mancini’s first match since returning as head coach. Mika Godts opened the scoring before Dodi Lukebakio sealed the victory in the second half.
The result highlighted the scale of the rebuilding job facing Mancini, who returned after Italy’s latest failure to qualify for the World Cup. The Azzurri have now missed three consecutive editions of the tournament.
Italy will need to respond quickly, with another difficult fixture against France awaiting them just four days after Monday’s match.
Team News
Turkey will be without goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir after his red card against France. Altay Bayindir is therefore expected to start between the posts after replacing Cakir late in the previous match.
Montella also remains without two influential attacking players, with Hakan Calhanoglu and Kenan Yildiz both sidelined through injury. Orkun Kokcu is another concern as he continues to struggle with a toe problem.
Merih Demiral is expected to captain the Crescent-Stars once again, while Real Madrid midfielder Arda Guler should remain one of Turkey’s most important creative outlets.
The hosts will need Guler to find spaces between Italy’s midfield and defence, particularly with several experienced Turkish players unavailable.
Italy will once again be led by Gianluigi Donnarumma, who has now reached 84 senior international appearances.
Mancini has several selection issues of his own. Federico Dimarco, Bryan Cristante and Juventus captain Manuel Locatelli are all unavailable because of injuries.
There is at least some positive news in defence, with Alessandro Bastoni returning from suspension and available for selection.
Mateo Retegui was not included in the squad, leaving Moise Kean, Gianluca Scamacca, Sebastiano Esposito and Pio Esposito competing for attacking positions. Pio Esposito could receive the nod after scoring five goals in his first 10 international appearances.
Cagliari midfielder Alessandro Romano is among the new faces in the squad after choosing to represent Italy over Switzerland, while Michael Kayode has also earned recognition following his performances for Brentford.
Possible Lineups
Turkey possible starting lineup:
Cakir; Celik, Demiral, Bardakci; Aydin, Ozcan, Yuksek, Kadioglu; Guler, Akturkoglu; Yilmaz
Italy possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Kayode, Mancini, Bastoni, Calafiori; Barella, Tonali, Frattesi; Cambiaghi, P. Esposito, Raspadori
How to Watch
| Platform | Details |
|---|---|
| TV Broadcast | SuperSport |
| Live Stream | dstv stream |
| Kick-off Time | 19:45pm(WAT) |
Match Prediction
Sotfootball predicts Turkey 1-2 Italy.
Both teams have plenty to prove following disappointing opening-day defeats. Turkey will have home advantage and should be encouraged by the periods of attacking pressure they produced against France. Italy, however, have greater experience at this level and will be determined to respond after their disappointing home defeat to Belgium.
With both teams expected to approach the contest cautiously, the match could be decided by individual quality and defensive mistakes.
