The Turkish national football team looks to extend its UEFA Nations League winning streak as it hosts European minnow Lithuania in Izmir Tuesday.
Helmed by German coach Stefan Kuntz, the Crescent-Stars have made an impressive start to their 2022-23 Nations League campaign.
Playing alongside the Faroe Islands, Lithuania and Luxembourg in Turkey tops League C, Group 1, with three wins in three matches so far.
Turkey kicked off the group stages battle in style by hammering European minnows the Faroe Islands 4-0 on June 4 in Istanbul.
It then carried the momentum to Vilnius, with a dominating 6-0 away win against host side Lithuania on June 7. Debutant Doğukan Sinik and Serdar Dursun scored two goals each in the six-goal rout.
The national football team is now eyeing a move toward the Nations League second tier after a 2-0 win over Luxembourg on Saturday.
With the win, Turkey consolidated its lead in the group with nine points, ahead of Luxembourg, which now has six points from three matches.
Lithuania, on the other hand, has had a tough campaign and is yet to register a win.
It lost to Luxembourg 2-0 in the opening match and was beaten 2-1 by the Faroe Islands over the weekend.
It is currently bottom of League C, Group 1 with no points from three matches.
Turkey will miss Rıdvan Yılmaz, while star striker Enes Ünal also remains doubtful through injuries.
The match, to be officiated by French women referee Stephanie Frappart, will kick off at Izmir's Gürsel Aksel Stadium at 9:45 local p.m. (5:45 p.m. GMT). It will be live on state broadcaster TRT 1.
In the other match in the group, Luxembourg will host the Faroe Islands.
In the Nations League top tier, Germany will face European champion Italy Tuesday.
Coach Hansi Flick had all his 25 players available for the final training session Monday ahead of the match against Italy.
The German team had stayed in Budapest after Saturday's 1-1 draw against Hungary and was set to return home later in the day for Tuesday's game against the European champions in Monchengladbach.
Germany wants victory at last after drawing all its three group games 1-1, the other two in Italy and against England. It also played to the same result in the previous game in the Netherlands in March.
Flick's team is third in the tight League A Group 3, two behind Italy, one behind Hungary, and one ahead of England who hosts Hungary in the other Tuesday game.
The final two Nations League games are in September against Hungary and in England.
The group winner advances to next year's finals, the bottom club is relegated to the second-tier League B.
