Turkey will be aiming to strengthen their grip on Group D of the European Championship qualifiers as they host Latvia on Sunday. The Turks are looking confident at the moment and should be too strong for Latvia, who have only won once in this campaign.
Turkey will head into Sunday’s clash in high spirits after picking up a 1-0 victory over Croatia last time out in the qualifiers. Baris Yilmaz struck the only goal midway through the first half and they were able to hold on for the win.
That result was enough to earn Turkey the outright lead in Group D and they are now three points clear at the top of the standings. It is also an extension of their recent good form as they are now unbeaten in their last four qualifying matches, claiming three wins in that run.
Manager Vincenzo Montella will be particularly pleased with the clean sheet in Croatia as Turkey have not been particularly convincing at the back lately. They had conceded five goals in two matches prior to the win over the Croats.
Latvia are also coming off a win as they picked up a 2-0 victory over Armenia in their previous qualifying fixture. Goals in both halves from Janis Ikaunieks and Daniels Balodis were enough to earn them the win despite playing much of the second period with 10 men.
That was the first win in the campaign for Latvia, who had lost their previous five qualifying matches. Dainis Kazakevics’ men remain bottom of the standings and have very little chance of reaching next year’s competition in Germany.
Latvia are generally poor travellers and are winless in their last five away matches across all competitions. Among their results in that run is a 5-0 defeat to Croatia in their previous away fixture in the qualifiers.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have installed Turkey as overwhelming favourites with a home win priced at 1/7 by bet365. An unlikely victory for Latvia is valued at 25/1 by William Hill while Unibet is offering odds of 15/2 for a draw.
Head to head
Turkey have a 2-1 edge with five draws from eight previous matches against Latvia. The Turks have won the last two meetings and picked up a 3-2 victory in the reverse fixture back in June.
Players to watch
Bertug Yildirim failed to get on the score sheet in Turkey’s win over Croatia but has generally caught the eye in these qualifiers. The forward has two goals in his last three appearances for the national team and is priced at 6/5 by William Hill to get on the score sheet on Sunday.
Latvia have multiple attacking threats and tend to spread their goals across the team. However, Roberts Uldrikis often features in attack and could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime at 8/1 with Paddy Power.
Anything else catch the eye?
There have been over 3.5 goals in two of the last three meetings between Turkey and Latvia and a similar outcome is priced at 7/5 with Paddy Power. Both teams have scored in their last three meetings and a repeat is valued at 9/5 by Unibet.
Turkey are priced at minimal odds for a straight victory, so a win and both teams to score could be considered at 12/5 with BetVictor.
This Euro 2024 match between Turkey and Latvia will be played on Oct 15, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Turkey vs Latvia prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
