Two sides desperately in need of three points to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for Euro 2016 go head to head when the Netherlands travel to Turkey for their Group A clash on Sunday.

Both sides sit outside the automatic qualification places coming into this fixture, but know that a strong finish to the campaign could be enough to send them to France.

Turkey

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With three matches still to play, Turkey know that they face an uphill battle to make the top two in Group A. They currently sit seven points behind the Czech Republic, and nine adrift of group leaders Iceland.

There was disappointment for Faith Terim's side last time out as a late equaliser from Valerijs Sabala secured a 1-1 draw for Latvia. It is the second time in three outings that the side have given up the lead in injury time.

Turkey are unbeaten in their last five qualifiers though, having defeated Kazakhstan twice, shared another draw with Latvia and finished level in the reverse fixture against the Dutch side.

It is their start to the campaign that has hurt Turkey's chances of reaching the finals in France next summer. Defeats to Iceland and the Czech Republic have meant that they have been chasing throughout the qualifiers, and have a difficult run-in, facing the three sides above them in their final three fixtures.

Scoring goals has been a bit of a problem throughout this campaign for Sunday's hosts. Only Burak Yilmaz has found the back of the net more than once, scoring three of their eight goals so far. Only in the 3-1 win over Kazakhstan did they find the back of the net more than once, while keeping just one clean sheet in their seven outings.

Turkey failed to qualify for the last European Championships, but were one of the strongest sides in 2008's tournament, eventually finishing third, six years after a third-place finish at the World Cup.

Recent form: LDWDWD

Netherlands

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Danny Blind takes charge of the Netherlands for just the second time, having been named as Guus Hiddink's successor over the summer. The former Australia, Russia and Turkey coach quit his post as a result of the team's poor start to the campaign.

It was a losing start for Blind though, as a Gylfi Sigurdsson penalty ensured that Iceland took a 1-0 win in their match in Amsterdam, extending their lead at the top of the group.

As a result, the Dutch side now sit eight points behind Iceland, and six points adrift of second-placed Czech Republic. Although they can still claim one of the two automatic qualifying places, the team will have to hope that at least one of the sides above them slips up in their remaining three fixtures.

It was a defeat to the Czech Republic in the opening match of the campaign that left the Netherlands trailing. Although wins over Latvia and Kazakhstan have kept them in contention, the side are yet to record back-to-back wins.

There is still hope for the Dutch though, as they face the Czech team in their last match, so will have a chance to climb up to second if they can get the gap down to three points.

The Netherlands have not failed to qualify for the European Championships since 1984. They returned at the following tournament to lift the trophy in 1988, and have reached the semi-finals three times since then.

Recent form: WLWDWL

Team News

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The visitors will be missing Bruno Martins Indi, as he was sent off in the match against Iceland earlier this week in an incident the coach described as "unbelievably unprofessional", resulting in him being suspended for this fixture.

His absence could see one of three uncapped defenders in the squad handed their first start, including new Southampton signing Virgil van Dijk.

Turkey captain Arda Turan missed the reverse fixture after amassing too many bookings early in the campaign, but he is available for this match, despite currently being unable to play for new club Barcelona.

Neither side have reported any new injuries following their first matches during the current international break.

Turkey possible starting lineup:
Babacan, Balta, Aziz, Calhanoglu, Inan, Turan, Tore, Tufan, Sen, Bulut, Yilmaz

Netherlands possible starting lineup:
Cillessen, Van der Wiel, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Blind, Klaassen, Wijnaldum, Sneijder, Depay, Robben, Huntelaar

Head To Head

When the sides met in the reverse fixture in the Netherlands back in March, the match finished level, with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar equalising in stoppage time for the hosts.

That was the 11th meeting between the two teams, and the sixth in a row which has not seen Turkey secure a win. Their last victory over the Dutch side came back in 1997 in a World Cup qualifier.

The Netherlands have won five of their previous meetings and drawn four, with Turkey only beating them twice since their first meeting in 1958.

We say: Turkey 1-2 Netherlands

Both sides will be desperate for the win to keep them in the qualifying race. While Turkey will have the home advantage, the Netherlands are still the stronger side on paper, despite their recent indifferent form. The Dutch certainly have the better record against this weekend's opponents, and could take advantage of Turkey's habit of conceding late on.

Written by
Sian Cowper

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