Turkey and Paraguay meet in California tomorrow morning at 6 am, knowing that another defeat could leave their World Cup knockout-stage hopes in serious danger after disappointing opening performances.
The Crescent Stars endured a frustrating start against Australia, losing 2-0 despite producing a remarkable 30 shots, the most by any team without scoring in a World Cup match in normal time since 1974.
The defeat continued Turkey’s struggles at major tournaments, representing their ninth loss in their last 13 matches on that stage.
However, there are reasons for optimism, as Vincenzo Montella’s side had gone unbeaten since September before the Australia setback and have not suffered consecutive defeats since March 2024.
Turkey’s challenge will be turning possession and attacking pressure into goals. Their creativity has been evident, but they must find greater efficiency in front of goal if they are to keep their tournament alive.
Paraguay, meanwhile, suffered an even heavier blow after being beaten 4-1 by USA. The result was particularly damaging because they conceded three first-half goals, matching the number of first-half goals they had allowed across their previous 16 World Cup matches combined.
Despite that setback, Paraguay can draw confidence from their tournament history. They have reached the knockout stage in four of their last five World Cup appearances, including a historic quarter-final run in 2010.
Before their defeat to USA, La Albirroja had gone unbeaten in four consecutive World Cup group matches, keeping three clean sheets during that period.
The teams have only met once before, playing out a goalless draw in a friendly in 1995.
Turkey will look towards Yunus Akgün, who scored the winner in their final warm-up match against Venezuela and has seen all four of his international goals contribute directly to victories.
Paraguay, on the other hand, will hope Maurício can provide attacking inspiration after scoring their consolation goal against USA.
With both teams needing a response, this could be a tense contest where one moment of quality determines who keeps their World Cup dreams alive.
