Wales vs Turkey tips and predictions: No fairytale ending for The Dragons

Wales know that anything less than three points ends their chances of qualifying for back-to-back tournaments.

Wales vs Turkey team news

Chris Mepham’s suspension means at least one enforced change with Tom Lockyer the most likely player to start.

Brennan Johnson’s return to fitness could see him earn a place in the starting lineup, while Dan James is also pushing for a recall.

Visitors Turkey will be without captain Hakan Calhanoglou as he is suffering from an illness.

Suggested bets

Both teams to score

Over 2.5 goals

Turkey to win

Key stats

- Wales must win and hope Croatia drop points against Armenia.
- Turkey have won all three of their away games in qualifying.
- Turkey beat Germany 3-2 in Berlin on Saturday.
- Turkey have never scored a goal on Welsh soil.

Wales vs Turkey verdict

Wales’ 2-2 draw away to Armenia means their fate is no longer in their hands. Rob Page’s men know they must win on Tuesday, but they’ll need a favour in Zagreb.

When The Dragons scored a late goal to beat Croatia at the Cardiff City Stadium, they ensured that they’d be the team to progress in the event of a tiebreaker.

Seeing as Croatia have already beaten Armenia on their travels - firing off 26 shots in the process - it would seem like a lost cause. But you never know.

A win for Turkey would solidify their achievement as group winners but it won’t change the fact they’ll likely be in pot two for the draw.

Their victory in the reverse fixture was aided by Joe Morrell’s red card but Stefan Kuntz’s side have looked solid throughout qualifying and have a 100% record on their travels.

Their historic win over Germany at the weekend is only going to add to the confidence in the Turkish camp and with the pressure off, they look an extremely dangerous opponent.

The visitors are averaging two goals per game in 2023 but Japan, Germany, Croatia and Latvia have all scored two or more against them, so both teams to score looks likely.