Blackhawks' Flurry Includes Bertuzzi, Teravainen
LEIPZIG, Germany, July 1 (Reuters) - Turkey manager Vincenzo Montella knows that without his captain Hakan Calhanoglu and defender Samet Akaydin he will have to work wonders with his lineup in their last-16 clash on Tuesday against an Austria team he believes is the best at Euro 2024.
Turkey's last outing was a hot-tempered group game against the Czech Republic that saw Montella's men receive a whopping 11 bookings - and Calhanoglu and Akaydin suspended for Tuesday for their accumulation of yellow cards.
"I always want everyone available for selection," Montella said. "We'll be without two players, they're irreplaceable. Of course it does bother me a little bit ... but I do believe that there will be players who are ready to step in and do their job."
Montella pointed to his team's offensive output in the group stage as a reason for optimism. They scored five goals -- joint third-best at the tournament -- from five different players. None were own goals or penalties. Turkey were also third in total shots, averaging 16.67 per game.
"So I think in possession we're doing excellently, we're doing excellently in front of goal as well," Montella said.
Still, the former Roma striker knows what a formidable foe Austria are. They thrashed his side 6-1 in a friendly in March and topped a European Championship group containing France, the Netherlands and Poland.
"They're a complete team, they're perhaps the best team as a team unit, they're a team that presses very aggressively high up the pitch very consistently, they're excellent in transition," Montella said.
"They remind me of a club team because they're able to recognise all different match situations," he added.
Montella will be hoping for another big game from "the Turkish Messi" Arda Guler, who became the youngest player to score on his Euro debut at 19 years and 114 days, an accolade previously held by Cristiano Ronaldo.
"He's a very talented player. And that's there for all to see," Montella said. "Of course, there are certain areas of his game that he needs to improve, but it's difficult to leave him out because as you see on the training ground, when you see those that take shots and score goals, he's amongst the best of the lot.
"When you are playing without Arda, you feel his absence."
Turkey, who reached the Euro 2008 semi-finals in their best run yet, arrived in Germany optimistic about going deep again.
But after beating Georgia 3-1 they were thumped 3-0 by Portugal and struggled to beat the 10-man Czech Republic 2-1 in their group stage finale. All three matches were highly charged.
Turkey defender Mert Muldur, speaking after the team's walkabout on the Leipzig Stadium pitch on Monday, is optimistic the team will be roared on by a huge crowd on Tuesday night.
"As soon as we stepped out onto the pitch each one of the players, we were all thinking what kind of an atmosphere we will have," Muldur said. "In previous games, we've been very well-loved and supported by our supporters. And hopefully, it'll be the same tomorrow, we'll go through similar emotions."
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
88c80846337030c6fffa92839fd2172a South America Political Map Image AglaSem Schools 1140x570 ?crop=1789e18a20060ced824fe81ddfd1b4f0d Untitled Design 1 Hq2 ?sqp= OaymwEoCOADEOgC8quKqQMcGADwAQH4AbYIgAKAD4oCDAgAEAEYSSBSKGUwDw==&rs=AOn4CLBZwAxoqvWQKP3Igt3tML7iHpWThQ0381d8cbd72ec076d4eb94c4e4f17b28 South America Green Map Set Vector 31649761 Acb5d8059d32929b2661da343a7ea905 South American Flags Calendar R4388f9b0f71d46c59bdd59b271158244 Afepc4 8byvr 170 ?rlvnet=1F118b6d587d53e84117d487e642f1d47 B5bda85c98854a6c4284a9443cc719ce Map Of South America Flags Globe Focused On South America 71JM53xtjAS. AC SL1500 Map Draft Flag Map Of South America 6893ec16b25ba3efad1bf2d0da7b8682 6dd636b7c8730f8a10ff14595406c0ca South America Flags 61bcy Xwunl Ac Sl1500 Orig Map Of South America With Countries And Capitals 2 Trump 2024 Save America Flag 768x768 5f6abdd4aa43329721b493d6b6fc94ca Map Of South America 7d3fcb16fffec26ac5e9508ad369952e Trump 2024 Save America American Flag Letters 71949.1629763046 ?c=1UPF102819 SOA TB Rv72vgy113l11 B671d6a9d40f64ebfa887122d18e1ffa Countries South America 0066f46bde Color Map South America Flags On Country Vector 27999178 Maxresdefault About Us Page Map 05 1680x1959