Türkiye head coach Vincenzo Montella has announced a 29-player preliminary squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures. Four uncapped players have earned their first senior call-ups based on their club form.
Montella said he included the four new players because of their standout performances at club level. The debutants are defender Adil Demirbağ, midfielders Bartuğ Elmaz and Melih Kabasakal, and forward İlhan Fakılı.
Their recent form reads three wins and two losses from the last five outings (WLLWW).
The goalkeeping group consists of Altay Bayındır, Muhammed Şengezer, Okan Kocuk, and Uğurcan Çakır. In defence, Abdülkerim Bardakcı, Merih Demiral, Ozan Kabak, Samet Akaydin, Zeki Çelik, Eren Elmalı, and Ferdi Kadıoğlu are joined by new call-up Adil Demirbağ and Emirhan Topçu.
The midfield selections include İsmail Yüksek, Orkun Kökçü, Salih Özcan, Demir Ege Tıknaz, plus newcomers Bartuğ Elmaz and Melih Kabasakal. Up front, Arda Güler, Barış Alper Yılmaz, Kerem Aktürkoğlu, Yunus Akgün, Can Uzun, Deniz Gül, Aral Şimşir, Oğuz Aydın, İrfan Can Kahveci, and İlhan Fakılı make up the attacking options.
Türkiye's first match is against France at Kocaeli Stadium on Friday, 25 September at 21:45. They then face Italy in Bursa on 28 September and travel to Belgium on 2 October. Check the latest squad list for updates.
This story first appeared at Milliyet
