Turkey are sitting pretty at the top of Group D and a win against Latvia would see them all but through to next summer’s European Championship Finals in Germany.
Vincenzo Montella’s men have taken 13 points from a possible 18 so far and are well-placed to top the group ahead of 2022 World Cup bronze medallists Croatia, as well as Wales and Armenia.
Latvia have already been eliminated having only taken three points from six games and Turkey should be confident of scoring a routine victory in Konya.
Team news
Al-Ahli centre-back Merih Demiral is back following a suspension, and could slot back into the heart of Turkey’s defence.
Conversely, Latvia defender Marcis Oss was sent off in their last game and misses out, although they are boosted by the return of captain Kristers Tober following a one-match-ban.
Turkey to win and over 3.5 goals @ 13/10
New boss Montella got off to a dream start in his first game in charge, beating Croatia 1-0 on Thursday to take the top spot in Group D, and he will be looking to build on that against an already-eliminated Latvia.
Turkey are now three points ahead of the Blazers but their goal difference is worse than their rivals, so this game provides a good opportunity for them to better that record and increase their qualification chances.
The reverse fixture between the Crescent-Stars and Latvia saw Turkey triumph as 3-2 victors, although that match occurred much before Montella’s arrival and a more convincing result should be on the cards this time around.
The hosts should land the win in Konya and backing over 3.5 goals seems a good way to go, given that two of the last three meetings between the two have seen that bet land.
#PickYourPunt – Baris Yilmaz to score anytime and Turkey to keep a clean sheet @ 11/4
Yilmaz opened his international account against Croatia and looks set to lead the line for Turkey again.
Despite playing the third-place finishers at the last World Cup, the Galatasaray forward managed to take four shots on Thursday suggesting he may get even more openings against a much weaker Latvia.
The visitors have only managed to find the net in half of their qualifiers (3/6) and may struggle to do so once more against a Turkey side boosted by the return of star centre-back Demiral.
Combining the bets of Turkey to keep a clean sheet and Yilmaz to score anytime would be a great use of our #PickYourPunt feature.
Match Odds
It is unsurprising to see Turkey are overwhelming favourites at 1/8, while Latvia are priced at 22/1 with odds of 7/1 available for the two to share the spoils, suggesting that Turkey should get the job done with ease.
The both teams to score market is one that sees the more likely outcome of no at 4/9, with yes on offer at 13/8. It looks as if Turkey will do the bulk of the scoring in this fixture, so if betting on goals is your thing, taking the hosts to net over 3.5 goals at 2/1 could prove profitable.
