Georgia and Turkiye get their World Cup qualifying campaign underway in Tbilisi on Thursday evening in what appears to be a crucial encounter already.
After finishing third in their Nations League group behind Czechia and Ukraine and only above Albania on goal difference, Georgia had to play a relegation playoff to ensure they remained in Group B.
And that’s exactly what they did, as Willy Sagnol’s men thrashed Armenia 9-1 on aggregate (0-3 & 6-1), meaning The Crusaders retained their position in League B.
Turkiye, on the other hand, finished in second position in League B Group 4, just a point behind Wales, meaning they were drawn to play a promotion playoff with Hungary.
Vincenzo Montella’s men secured their promotion to League A in emphatic fashion, defeating the Magyars 6-1 on aggregate, with their 3-1 home success in the first leg delivering a trio of winners for our man Gabriel.
Pitted in a group with European champions Spain, both Georgia and Turkiye know it’s vital they get off to a flying start in Tbilisi on Thursday.
How the bookies view it: Turkiye slight favourites
Despite playing away from home, Turkiye come into this clash as slight favourites, with BoyleSports pricing an away success at 6/5.
A Georgia victory is quoted at 7/4 with the same firm, whilst the draw is 12/5.
Head to head: Visitors with the upper hand
These two nations have met on six occasions, with Turkiye winning four of them (W4-D1-L1), including the most recent clash in the Euros last summer, in which the crescent stars won 3-1.
Players to watch: More Mikautaze magic?
Georges Mikautadze has been in excellent form for his country in the past year, firing in 10 goals in his previous 12 competitive matches for The Crusaders.
The Lyon frontman has scored in each of his previous four Nations League appearances for Georgia – including back-to-back braces against Armenia – and is an appealing 15/8 at BoyleSports to net against Turkiye once again.
Predicted line-ups:
Georgia will likely opt for a similar starting 11 to the one that thrashed Armenia in their Nations League playoff, with PSG star Kvivcha Kvaratskhelia operating out wide.
Turkiye may also start with a similar starting 11 to the one that defeated Hungary in their Nations League playoff.
Georgia: Mamardashvili, Kakabadze, Kashia, Goglichidze, Tsitaishvili, Kochorashvili, Memvabishvili, Chakvetadze, Kiteshvili, Kvaratskhelia, Mikautadze
Turkiye: Cakir, Muldur, Akaydin, Baradacki, Elmali, Yuksek, Calhanoglu, Aydin, Guler, Yildiz, Akturkoglu
Anything else catch the eye?
These two nations played out a four-goal thriller when they last faced each other in the Euros last summer, and I’m expecting another entertaining encounter between the pair in Tbilisi on Thursday.
Turkiye’s previous 13 competitive clashes have averaged 2.92 goals per game, with Over 2.5 Goals paying out in an impressive 10 (77%) of them, and a repeat here pays 4/5 at Betfred, which stands out to me.
Georgia’s previous four have produced goals at both ends, so combining Both Teams to Score & Over 2.5 Goals pays a juicier 21/20 at BoyleSports.
GambleAware