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Turkey hosts Belgium today in first real test for coach Hiddink
But the fact that Kazakhstan does not appear on the football map has left soccer fans wondering how their team is going to perform against quality opposition.
“Belgium is a better team than Kazakhstan,” Hiddink said. “We are aware of this and are preparing for Tuesday’s [today’s] match accordingly.
New coach, old team
That fact that Hiddink has decided to continue with the exact same team as his predecessor, Fatih Terim, has angered some sports writers and commentators in this country. Most people expected to see new faces in Hiddink’s team after Terim and his men failed to make South Africa 2010 in the summer. But the only newcomer is the 30-something Bursaspor defender Ömer Erdoğan. The interesting thing is that some of these players are out of form. Galatasaray defenders Servet Çetin and Hakan Kadir Balta are a far cry from the players they were in the past. No surprise why Galatasaray is placed 12th in the domestic league standings and has also been eliminated from all European competitions this season.
Galatasaray defensive midfielder Sabri Sarıoğlu hardly played for his team this season yet was called from the club’s infirmary to the national team and featured on Saturday. Striker Nihat Kahveci of Beşiktaş and Stoke City’s Tuncay Şanlı are also facing uphill battles against poor form.
Hiddink is the boss and has the right to field any player of his choice -- as long as the national team succeeds. If it stumbles, then the Dutchman will realize that the 75 million or so people living in this country are keeping a very close eye on him.
One good turn deserves another, and so the Dutch coach is very likely to start this evening with the three players who appeared on the score sheet in Astana Arena -- Galatasaray captain-midfielder Arda Turan, Bayern Munich midfielder Hamit Altıntop and Nihat. Ömer did a splendid job on Saturday and he also may be rewarded with a place in the starting XI. Another sure starter should be Fener midfield dynamo Emre Belözoğlu.
With first choice Fener keeper Volkan Demirel still nursing an injury, Önur Kıvrak of Trabzonspor again will deputize him. Önur oozes confidence between the posts for Trabzon; hopefully he do the same for the national team today. This is the very first time that Turkey and Belgium will be meeting in a Euro qualifier though they had squared off in the group stage of Euro 2000.
The pointless Belgians will be all out to garner their first point or points in İstanbul this evening, and so Hiddink and his boys should not expect an easy ride. Kickoff is at 9 p.m. Also in Group A today, Austria hosts Kazakhstan and Germany entertains Azerbaijan.
Other Euro 2012 fixtures today
Group B: Russia vs. Slovakia, Macedonia vs. Armenia, Ireland vs. Andorra; Group C: Serbia vs. Slovenia, Italy vs. Faroe Islands; Group D: Belarus vs. Romania, Albania vs. Luxembourg; Bosnia vs. France; Group E: Sweden vs. San Marino, Netherlands vs. Finland, Hungary vs. Moldova; Group F: Georgia vs. Israel, Malta vs. Latvia, Croatia vs. Greece; Group G: Bulgaria vs. Montenegro, Switzerland vs. England; Group H: Denmark vs. Iceland, Norway vs. Portugal; Group I: Czech Republic vs. Lithuania, Scotland vs. Liechtenstein.
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