[2024 European Cup Turkey] Which 26 players will make the cut from Turkey head coach Vincenzo Montella's 35-man preliminary squad?

UEFA Euro 2024

Turkey arrived at Euro 2020 as one of the tournament dark horses after an impressive spell of just three defeats in Şenol Gunes’ opening 26 matches of his second tenure as Turkey's coach.

Then the tournament began, and they crashed out in the group stage – losing all three games and scoring just one goal in the process. They also missed out on the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

There is a sense of cautious optimism again after the Euro 2008 and 2002 World Cup semi-finalists progressed to their third successive European Championships after finishing at the summit of their qualification group ahead of Croatia, Wales, Armenia and Latvia.

Vincenzo Montella has had a successful first four games in command of the Crescent-Stars, winning three and drawing one, with a remarkable 3-2 friendly win over Germany as one of the highlights of his reign thus far.

Head coach Montella has yet to finalise a 26-player Turkey squad for the European Championship in Germany this summer.

GOALKEEPERS

Turkish fans may have expected Uğurcan Çakır and Altay Bayındır to be the long-term goalkeepers after the duo fuelled the hopes of their national team futures with excellent domestic form in 2021-22.

While Bayindir is struggling for minutes at Manchester United, Çakır's performance has not been as impressive in subsequent campaigns.

Although Cakir remains the No. 1 pick for Turkey, Besiktas' Mert Gunok has emerged as a solid candidate following an impressive campaign in the Super Lig.

Name Club

Altay Bayindir Manchester United

Doğan Alemdar Troyes

Mert Gunok Besiktas

Ugurcan Cakir Trabzonspor

DEFENDERS

A few years back, many Turkish fans were excited about their potential central defensive options in years to come. Çaglar Soyuncu was among the Premier League elites, Merih Demiral was partnering with the likes of Bonucci and Chiellini at Juventus while Ozan Kabak was one of the best young defensive prospects in the Bundesliga.

Kabak has somewhat regained his stock following an outstanding season with Hoffenheim, but things have gone awry for the other two: Demiral is playing in a less competitive Saudi Pro League, while Soyuncu is back on loan with Fenerbahce in Turkey.

Turkey have already begun to bring through new central defensive talent, with Ajax's Ahmetcan Kaplan and Valencia's Cenk Ozkacar being prime examples. Zeki Celik and Mert Muldur will likely form the full-back duo in case Montella opts for a back-four system.

Name Club

Abdülkerim Bardakci Galatasaray

Ahmetcan Kaplan Ajax

Cenk Özkacar Valencia

Cağlar Soyuncu Fenerbahce

Ferdi Kadioğlu Fenerbahce

Merih Demiral Al-Ahli

Mert Müldür Fenerbahce

Ozan Kabak Hoffenheim

Samet Akaydin Panathinaikos

Zeki çelik Roma

MIDFIELDERS

Inter Milan's Hakan Calhanoglu is the most-capped player (82) in Montella's squad and the playmaker is expected to play in a midfield role alongside Benfica's Orkan Kokcu and Dortmund's strong tackler Salih Ozcan.

Although he has endured an injury-ridden 2023-24 campaign with Real Madrid, highly-rated teenager Arda Guler has been called up to the senior squad this month and could be one of the breakout stars at the upcoming Euros.

Name Club

Berat Ozdemir Trabzonspor

Can Uzun Nürnberg

Hakan Calhanoglu Inter

İsmail Yuksek Fenerbahce

Kaan Ayhan Galatasaray

Okay Yokuslu West Bromwich

Orkun Kokcu Benfica

Salih Ozcan Borussia Dortmund

FORWARDS

With long-time servant Burak Yılmaz retiring from international stage last year, Enes Ünal seems like the main hope of goals in this squad, having earned a Premier League loan move to Bournemouth from La Liga side Getafe in the winter transfer window.

Juventus' Kenan Yildiz and Galatasaray's Kerem Akturkoglu are frontrunners to start out wide, with Cengiz Under, Yusuf Yazici, and Yunus Akgun set to serve as the back-up options.

Although he has endured an injury-ridden 2023-24 campaign with Real Madrid, highly-rated teenager Arda Guler has been called up to the preliminary squad this month and could be one of the breakout stars at the upcoming Euros.

Name Club

Abdulkadir Omur Hull City

Arda Guler Real Madrid

Barıs Alper Yilmaz Galatasaray

Bertug Yildirim Rennais

Cenk Tosun Besiktas

Enes Unal Bournemouth

İrfan Can Kahveci Fenerbahce

Kenan Yildiz Juventus

Kerem Akturkoglu Galatasaray

Oguz Aydin Corendon Alanyaspor

Semih Kılıcsoy Besiktas