Terim's boys take Ivory test before Spain

With one and a half months to go until the most important fixtures of the season, Turkey is trying to find a rhythm with the game against Ivory Coast tonight.

After a bright summer at the European Football Championships in Austria and Switzerland, Turkey returned to the World Cup qualifying group with inconsistent performances. Despite wins over Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, draws against Belgium and Estonia put Turkey far from the group leader and reigning European champion, Spain.

Before playing back-to-back games, which will no wonder play a crucial role in drawing the group’s destiny, on March 28 and April 1, Turkey will take on only one team to regain its form. With their international stars playing for big clubs all over Europe, Ivory Coast is the team.

With Chelsea’s prominent striker Didier Drogba taking the lead, Barcelona’s combative midfielder Yaya Toure, Arsenal’s defender duo Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue, and Tottenham Hotspur’s Didier Zokora are only a few Ivory Coast players that are experienced at an international level.

Turkish coach Fatih Terim praised the African side as well, saying that this is a good chance to see the team’s performance.

“They have great players from top leagues and they want to qualify for the World Cup,” said Terim. “This is our last and only encounter before the games against Spain. So both Ivory Coast and Turkey will learn something about our teams.”

The game will mark the Turkish national team’s return to İzmir after three years. The last time Turkey played an international fixture in the western city was on March 1, 2006, in a 2-2 draw with Czech Republic.

The Atatürk Stadium, which has an important place in Turkey’s football history, will host the game. It used to be Turkey’s biggest stadium with a capacity of 58,000, before the 75,000-seat Atatürk Olympic Stadium was opened in 2002.

“The Atatürk Stadium and Alsancak Stadium, where we hold our training sessions, are grounds that make us feel nostalgic,” said Terim. “It’s nice to meet İzmir again.”

İzmir Governor Cahit Kıraç is pleased that the city was given a chance to prove that it can host some high-profile events.

“İzmir has enough infrastructure and facilities to be able to host sporting events on national and international levels,” said Kıraç. “We want new organizations to come to İzmir.”

Kıraç added that the highest measures were taken to make sure that the game will be played in a comfortable atmosphere.

“We don’t expect any trouble as it is a friendly fixture, but we took the required measures anyway, with 1,100 police offices and 308 private security officers,” said the governor. “We hope football fans in İzmir come to the game and support our team in a gentlemanly way, helping Turkey get a win.” The game kicks off at 8:30 p.m. The tickets are between 5 to 20 liras and can be purchased via Biletix offices or the Web site www.biletix.com.