Euro 2008: Quarter Final Action As Turkey Take on Croatia

June 19, 2008 - A.J Ryder At the outset you would peg this game as a no-brainer. Croatia eliminated England from the competition (with a little help from Steve McLaren) and they managed to rip apart tournament favorites Germany in the qualifying stages. Turkey squeaked into the quarter-finals on the back of some last minute heroics against the one-dimensional Czechs.

I am very tempted to call this one clearly in favor of Croatia, but there is something to this Turkish side. That something is called resilience and I think it could tilt the match in their favor (or at least a little closer to their favor). The Croats will know that a two-goal cushion isn't enough and they will have to continue attacking and pressing in order to keep Turkey on the backfoot. The lesson learned by the Czechs was "sit back against Turkey and be punished" and that will be ever present in the minds of Slaven Bilic's men.

Despite that, I am confident that Croatia will win this one. It won't be an emphatic victory (quarter-finals seldom are) but the game is Croatia's to win. Turkey are a battered side with only 15 fit players and 2 goalkeepers remaining. Turkey's lack of depth will be their undoing. I can't see a game-changing substitution coming out of that team. The Croatians have also been steely in defense, conceding only one goal the whole tournament.

This won't be a walk in the park for Croatia, but I expect them to outclass Turkey if they can stay focused for a full 90 minutes.

Recomendations:
Croatia to win either 2-0 or 2/1 at 7/1 odds.
Klasnic to score at 15/2

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