Preview: Turkey vs Italy - prediction, team news, lineups

Both defeated on the opening matchday, Turkey and Italy must play catch up in League A Group 1 when they continue their UEFA Nations League campaigns on Monday.

With the pair trailing behind early leaders Belgium and France, the second of four quickfire fixtures during this international period will take place in Bursa.

Match preview

Following back-to-back promotions from Europe's third tier, Turkey made their debut at League A level on Friday evening, when a new-look France side arrived in Kocaeli.

Les Bleus had most of the ball in their first game under Zinedine Zidane, but the hosts held firm for almost an hour before Kylian Mbappe produced his customary goal.

Though Turkey tested Mike Maignan more than once as they improved in the second half, their hopes were effectively ended when goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir was sent off after a VAR review.

It was a third defeat in four games for Vincenzo Montella's men, who were knocked out in the group stage at this summer's World Cup, having lost to Austria and Paraguay before beating the United States.

Ultimately building towards Euro 2028, they now face a fight to survive in the Nations League's top tier, as Belgium and Italy are also vying for points in Group 1.

A potent striker in his playing days, Montella scored three times for the Italian national team across 20 appearances, then made relatively little impact as a manager in Serie A.

So, he may be keen to prove a point when the Azzurri visit Turkey - particularly while sharing the touchline with an old teammate.

Three years after leaving La Nazionale behind for Saudi Arabia, Euro 2020 winner Roberto Mancini returned to the bench on Friday evening, in the aftermath of a third straight World Cup qualifying failure.

Tasked with leading his country towards the next Euros, the veteran manager took over from Gennaro Gattuso, who was the latest coach to pay the price for playoff disaster.

In between, interim boss Silvio Baldini had named an experimental young squad for two summer friendlies, and Mancini called up several fresh faces in his expanded 34-man selection.

However, that revamp failed to pay instant dividends, as Italy were comfortably beaten 2-0 by Belgium in Rome, conceding midway through each half at Stadio Olimpico.

That marked the Azzurri's first competitive defeat to the Belgians since 1972, while highlighting the long road ahead for Mancini.

With precious little time to reflect - as they face three more games within a week - the pressure will be on to beat Turkey, before facing a tough trip to France four days later.

Turkey Nations League form:

Italy Nations League form:

Team News

As Cakir must serve a suspension for his red card against France, Altay Bayindir is set to take the gloves for Turkey, after playing the last few minutes in Kocaeli.

Montella was already without two key men, as Italy-based stars Hakan Calhanoglu and Kenan Yildiz are both injured, while Orkun Kokcu continues to struggle with a toe problem.

Former Juventus defender Merih Demiral will captain the Crescent-Stars again, with Real Madrid's Arda Guler pulling the strings in midfield.

Meanwhile, the visitors will be led by Gianluigi Donnarumma, who has already won 84 senior caps at the age of 27.

Like his former Sampdoria teammate, Italy coach Mancini will be missing several players, with Federico Dimarco, Bryan Cristante and Juventus skipper Manuel Locatelli all injured. Alessandro Bastoni is back from a ban, though.

Mateo Retegui was not called up, so Moise Kean and Gianluca Scamacca must compete with brothers Sebastiano and Pio Esposito to start up front - the latter has scored five goals in 10 international appearances.

Among a handful of new faces, Cagliari midfielder Alessandro Romano turned down Switzerland to represent the Azzurri, while Michael Kayode has impressed in the Premier League for Brentford.

Turkey possible starting lineup:

Cakir; Celik, Demiral, Bardakci; Aydin, Ozcan, Yuksek, Kadioglu; Guler, Akturkoglu; Yilmaz

Italy possible starting lineup:

Donnarumma; Kayode, Mancini, Bastoni, Calafiori; Barella, Tonali, Frattesi; Cambiaghi, P. Esposito, Raspadori

We say: Turkey 2-1 Italy

While both teams lost their first fixture, Turkey looked far more coherent and pushed a star-studded France side all the way. Italy simply seemed lost.

Much further along in their development under Montella than Mancini's new-look Azzurri, the hosts will celebrate their first-ever win in League A.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.