Turkey have a lot of talent and quality on their roster, so I believe they will make this affair tricky for Les Bleus. However, French scoring potential should make the difference and help them secure three points.
Key Stats
- Turkey have lost 2 of their last 3 matches.
- Turkey have scored in their last 2 matches against France.
- France have won 7 of their last 9 matches.
- France have conceded 6 goals in their last 2 matches.
- Ousmane Dembele has scored 2 goals in his last 3 matches for France.
Les Bleus Lead Head to Head
These two nations locked horns six times so far, France holding a 4-1 advantage in terms of victories.
Turkey Trying to Mend Their WC Wounds
Turkey were tagged as one of biggest dark horses going into the World Cup 2026, especially after winning their two friendly games against North Macedonia 4-0 and Venezuela 2-1 ahead of the tournament.
The Crescent Stars dominated the pitch and missed dozens of chances in their first two games at the WC, registering back to back defeats to Australia 2-0 and Paraguay 1-0 (had 62 shots total in these two games) and suffered elimination.
Vincenzo Montella's side claimed some consolation by defeating the United States 3-2 in the final round, Arda Guler, Baris Yilmaz and Kaan Ayhan appearing on the scoresheet.
Debut Match for Zinedine Zidane
France entered the World Cup 2026 as prime candidate to go all the way, looked great all until the semifinals where they were deservedly beaten by Spain 2-0.
Next, Les bleus locked horns against England in the bronze medal decider and suffered another loss 6-4. Kylian Mbappe netted a brace here, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele also on target.
This was the final match for Didier Deschamps as French national coach, stepping down after 14 years with Zinedine Zidane being appointed as the successor.
Team News & Predicted Lineups
Turkey (4-3-3) Ugurcan Cakir; Zeki Celik, Merih Demiral, Abdulkerim Bardakci, Eren Elmali; Salih Ozcan, Ismail Yuksek, Arda Guler; Irfan Can Kahveci, Baris Alper Yilmaz, Kerem Akturkoglu
Captain Hakan Calhanoglu and Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz are sidelined through injuries, while Orkun Kokcu remains a doubt.
Captain Hakan Calhanoglu and Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz are sidelined through injuries, while Orkun Kokcu remains a doubt.
France (4-3-3) Mike Maignan; Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamecano, Ibrahima Konate, Adrien Truffert; Eduardo Camavinga, Adrien Rabiot, Michael Olise; Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe, Desire Doue
William Saliba, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Warren Zaire-Emery were out of contention due to injuries. N'Golo Kante and MarcusThuram were not called up this time.
William Saliba, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Warren Zaire-Emery were out of contention due to injuries. N'Golo Kante and MarcusThuram were not called up this time.