All you need to know about the UEFA EURO 2024 Group F match between Turkey and Georgia.

When is it? How can you watch it? What are the possible line-ups?

Turkey and Georgia meet in their first Group F match at UEFA EURO 2024.

Turkey vs Georgia at a glance

When: Thrusday 19 June (00:00 GMT+8 kick-off)
Where: BVB Stadion Dortmund
What: UEFA EURO 2024 Group F Matchday 1

What do you need to know?

Of their five past meetings with finals debutants Georgia, Türkiye have won three – an encouraging sign for Vincenzo Montella’s side as they look to bounce back from some uninspiring recent form, entering this tournament without a win in five games: D2 L3. However, these teams have not met since 2012, and much has changed since.

Under former Bayern and France full-back Willy Sagnol, Georgia have made it to their first major international tournament, the nation still buzzing from their shoot-out success against Greece in the play-off final. Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is sure to be one to watch for Türkiye’s defence, while Inter’s free-kick maestro Hakan Çalhanoğlu will aim to curb Georgia’s enthusiasm from midfield.

Predicted line-ups

Turkey: Günok; Ayhan, Demiral, Bardakcı, Kadıoğlu; Özcan, Çalhanoğlu; Güler, Yıldız, Aktürkoğlu; Yılmaz

Georgia: Mamardashvili; Kverkvelia, Kashia, Dvali; Kakabadze, Kiteishvili, Kochorashvili, Shengelia, Chakvetadze; Kvaratskhelia, Mikautadze
Out: Giorgi Loria (suspended)

Form guide

Turkey:
Form (all competitions, most recent first): LDLLDW

Georgia:
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WDWLDW

Expert predictions

Aydin Güvenir, Türkiye reporter

Competing in their sixth EURO, Türkiye are aiming for their first victory in an opening group match. Despite having more experience than their opponents, who are first-time finalists, the Crescent-Stars will compete with a youthful squad in this tournament. Montella’s team, led by Inter star Hakan Çalhanoğlu as captain, will be seeking victory with an expected huge support from their fans in Dortmund. Although central defensive injuries are a concern, Türkiye will rely on the energy of talented young players like Barış Alper Yılmaz, Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız to be effective in their attacking efforts.

Vakhtang Bzikadze, Georgia reporter

It is a historic first for Georgia, as Willy Sagnol’s men prepare to make their EURO debut against Türkiye. Even without İrfan Can Kahveci, Vincenzo Montella’s side are a force to be reckoned with, but Georgia have plenty of attacking options if chances come their way. Experienced goalkeeper Giorgi Loria is suspended and with midfielder Otar Kiteishvili still training alone, Sagnol has decisions to make about the heart of his team. The occasion is a big one. Will Georgia rise to it?

Who will win?

What the coaches say

Vincenzo Montella, Türkiye coach: “We want to make our fans proud and play with passion and courage. We have a nice mix of young, talented players and guys like Çalhanoğlu, who are experienced role models, so we have a chance. We have some big absentees because of injuries but we have to focus and have faith in the people we have here with us. We didn’t get through the group stage in our last two tournaments, so we really need to start taking points and winning matches from the start.”

Willy Sagnol, Georgia coach: “It’s our first match, but it’s also Türkiye’s first match, and I’m sure they are under more pressure than us. If you talk about the strengths of Türkiye we could be here for a long time, because they have a lot of good players with great technical ability. It’s going to be a great challenge for us. After the play-off final, it was a little difficult for some players to return to their daily routines, because it was as if they were living a dream. This dream needs to end at a certain point and we need to focus again.”