Contending squads Turkey (0-0-1, 1 point) and Ukraine (0-0-1, 1 point) will meet at the Torku Arena in Konya this Thursday, Oct. 6 to conclude the second round of Group I competitions in the 2018 FIFA World Cup UEFA qualifiers.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 9:45 p.m. UTC+3. It can be viewed live Online Thru FuboTV.
Turkey, currently ranked 21st in the world by FIFA, held 14th-ranked Croatia to a 1-1 draw during their tournament-opener on Sep. 6 at the Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb, as per Press TV.
The contest, which was played without spectators due to FIFA's sanction on Croatia for two cases of discriminatory chants by fans, was tight from the kickoff as the two high-profile teams failed to score a goal in the first 44 minutes of play amidst attacks and counterattacks from both sides.
Croatia finally drew first blood with one minute remaining in the first half as FC Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic successfully buried his penalty kick off an Ismail Köybasi yellow card.
The lead was short-lived, though, as head coach Fatih Terim's squad was quick to find the equalizer with a successful free kick from Bayer Leverkusen winger Hakan Calhanoglu after Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric fouled Borussia Dortmund's Emre Mor.
Meanwhile, 29th-ranked Ukraine also settled to a 1-1 stalemate with 27th-ranked Iceland in another close Group I contest at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev also on Sep. 6, ESPN reported.
Augsburg striker Alfred Finnbogason netted the opening goal of the match right at the fifth minute with a right-footed shot from the left side of the 6-yard box.
The game was eventually tied at the 41st minute with a left-footed shot from outside the box by Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Andriy Yarmolenko.
The two squads went goalless from that time as they shared a point in the overall standings with the tie.
Prediction and Predicted Lineup
The predicted result is a 2-1 victory for Turkey.
Turkey starting lineup (4-1-4-1 formation): Babacan; Ozbayrakli, Balta, Topal, Ayhan; Yokuslu; Mor, Tufan, Calhanoglu, Koybasi; Tosun
Ukraine starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Pyatov; Butko, Kucher, Rakitskyi, Sobol; Stepanenko, Sydorchuk; Yarmolenko, Zinchenko, Konoplyanka; Kovalenko