Turkey are in a bit of an interesting position right now in terms of their European Championship qualifying campaign. They can’t catch their opponents in this match, the Czech Republic -- or Iceland in the Group A standings to directly qualify through their group positioning -- but thanks to the complicated nature of the third-place qualification rules, they still have a chance to qualify without going through a playoff match.
Czech Republic vs. Turkey live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch Euro qualifying online
If Turkey can pick off the Czechs to avenge their home loss early in the group, they still have a shot at directly qualifying for Euro 2016 -- but it’s still a faint one.
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The rules are immensely complicated thanks to France being involved in a qualifying group, but simply put, if Turkey win this match against the Czech Republic and their final match against Iceland, and they get a fair bit of luck from other qualifying groups, the Turks have an outside shot at finishing atop the third-placed country standings, taking the last guaranteed spot in Euro 2016.
It’s an extraordinary long shot -- the teams that finish last in each group have a major impact as games against them don’t count in the third-placed teams “table” -- but all Turkey can do now is win their remaining matches and hope for the best elsewhere, knowing that they had done everything in their power to advance. Worst-case scenario, Turkey are locked into third place in their group, so they’ll still have a shot at Euro 2016 through that playoff round.
Key player -- Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Turkey)
There may not be a more lethal player from dead ball situations than Çalhanoğlu right now. Direct free kicks, indirect free kicks, corners, you name it, he’s going to make his opposition’s day a whole lot worse just by making them think about what he can do. He’s been deservedly nicknamed “Free Kick God” for his ability to score from almost anywhere on the pitch -- and oh yeah, he’s a pretty lethal creator and goalscorer from open play, too. Çalhanoğlu has to be the first focus of the Czech defense to slow down, and that’s not going to be an easy task.
Key Matchup -- Gebre Selassie (Czech Republic) vs. Arda Turan (Turkey)
Arda Turan is, on talent, one of Turkey’s best players, if not the best. The trouble is, no one knows what he’s going to give his team in this match -- because of Barcelona’s transfer ban, he hasn’t played a single minute of competitive football this season, and won’t until January. Turkey can’t afford to bench him in such an important match, but they also can’t do much more than cross their fingers and hope that he doesn’t faceplant in this match -- especially since Selassie is a talented fullback who defends his flank very well. If Turan can’t get rolling early, Turkey will have a harder time in this match than they’re hoping for.
Match Date/Time: Sat., 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local
Venue: Generali Arena, Prague, Czech Republic
TV: FOX Soccer Plus (US - English), FOX Deportes (US - Spanish), CT Sport (Czech Republic), Idman TV, Show TV (Turkey)
Online: FOX Soccer 2 Go (US), Sky Go (U.K.)
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