Turkey to play against Croatia in a quarter-final clash in Euro 2008

Turkey defender Servet Cetin has been ruled out of the game with a knee injury, leaving coach Fatih Terim with just 17 players to choose from.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan left for Vienna on Friday to watch the match live at the stadium.

Turkey, who reached the last eight by coming back from 2-0 down to beat Czech Republic 3-2 in Group A on Sunday, have been without captain Emre Belozoglu because of a hamstring injury since their opening game.   Â

"Cetin will definitely not play tomorrow and if we qualify for the semi-finals then it still looks difficult that he will play," Terim told a news conference on Thursday. "We have 15 footballers, two goalkeepers and we can make three substitutions. That is what we have." Â

Emre Gungor is out for the rest of the tournament with a calf problem while goalkeeper Volkan Demirel and Mehmet Aurelio are suspended. Midfielder Tumer Metin will also miss the Croatia match due to injury.

Terim said there would be no change in the team's philosophy despite their problems. Â

"We have so far started playing a slow game in the first half and then start attacking in the second," Terim said. "This is something that Croatia will experience as well because we will continue attacking so that we are the winning side at the end."

This is the second time that Turkey has made the quarter-finals at the European Championships, the first time being back in 2000 when they lost to Portugal 2-0.

They have come a long way since their first appearance at the finals in 1996 in England, when they bowed out in the group stages - losing 1-0 to Croatia in their last meeting in a meaningful match - and Terim believes they are better prepared than ever now.

"In 1996 that was the first time Turkey took part in the Euros and since then at the World Cup and the European Championships and also at club level.

"That’s the big difference now, there’s been many successes, we’ve got more experience than then.

"These players are at their prime and have more experience so the 12 years since ‘96 have been important in terms of changing the mentality in Turkish football and in gaining experience."

The starting line-up would be; 1- Rustu Recter, 22- Hamit Altintop, 2- Servet Cetin, 15- Emre Asik, 3- Hakan Balta, 10- Gokdeniz Karadeniz, 18- Kazim Kazim, 6- Mehmet Topal, 14- Arda Turan, 17- Tuncay Sanli 8,- Nihat Kahveci.

 

CROATIAN SIDE

Croatia coach Slaven Bilic has seen how Turkey rallied to win its last two games at the European Championship. Ahead of his team’s quarter-final match against the Turks, he has also been studying why they fell behind.

"The way they managed the comebacks in those games was impressive," Bilic was quoted by the AP as saying.

"But, the way they trailed in those games also tells us something. Their strength is obviously somewhere in between."

Photo: AP