An intense matchday will see Turkiye and Georgia making their UEFA Euro 2024 debut Tuesday as the sides coached by Vincenzo Montella and Willy Sagnol, respectively, also make their coaching debuts in this tournament. Georgia are the only first-time participants out of this year’s field of 24, while Turkiye are here for the sixth time in tournament history.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of their showdown:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Tuesday, June 18 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
- Location: BVB Stadion — Dortmund, Germany
- TV: No
- Live stream service: Fubo Sports (Try for free)
- Odds: Turkiye -150; Draw +270; Georgia +425
Catch up on all the Euro action
- Day 1 results with Germany kicking off
- Day 2 results as Spain cruise
- Day 3 results with England’s slow start
Team news
Turkiye: Montella’s side lost some key players before the tournament but will also benefit from the return of Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, who will play alongside Salih Ozcan. Real Madrid’s Arda Guler will play behind the attacking line with Juventus’ striker Kenan Yildiz to operate as their number 10.
Possible Turkiye XI: Gunok; Ayhan, Demiral, Bardakci, Kadioglu; Ozcan, Calhanoglu; Guler, Yildiz, Akturkoglu; Yilmaz.
Georgia: Sagnol boats a squad full of talent, but headliner is Napoli winger Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, who is still undecided about his future at the club. In fact, his agent Mamuka Jugeli told Georgian broadcaster Sport Imedi on Sunday that he doesn’t “want people to think that Kvara wants to stay at Napoli. We want to leave, but we are waiting for the end of the Euros so as not to disturb Khvicha. The priority is to join a team that plays in the Champions League.”
Possible Georgia XI: Mamardashvili; Kverkvelia, Kashia, Dvali; Kakabadze, Kiteishvili, Kochorashvili, Shengelia, Chakvetadze; Kvaratskhelia, Mikautadze.
Prediction
It won’t be an easy one for Turkiye but I still expect Montella’s team to win their opening game of the tournament. Pick: Turkiye 2, Georgia 1.
