The Turkish national football team, gearing up for the 2024 European Championship (Euro 2024), will kick off their final preparations with an away friendly against Italy at Bologna's Renato Dell'Ara Stadium on Tuesday.
After suffering defeats in their last two friendly matches in March, losing 1-0 to Hungary and 6-1 to Austria, the Crescent-Stars are looking to regain momentum.
They will play their final preparation match before Euro 2024 against Poland away on June 10, following the Italy match.
Vincenzo Montella's men will look to reignite their engines as they prepare to face their Group F rivals, Portugal, Georgia and Czechia.
Italy, the defending champions, will also compete in Group B against Spain, Croatia and Albania in the championship.
Ahead of the tournament, head coach Montella announced a 35-man squad, excluding Enes Ünal and Çağlar Söyüncü due to injuries.
Bertuğ Yıldırım has been sent to the under-21 national team, while Doğan Alemdar and Ahmetcan Kaplan will rejoin the squad after the Italy match.
Champions League winner Arda Güler and runner-up Salih Özcan, who were expected to join the national team camp in Italy, are unlikely to be in the match squad as they were given a few extra days due to their Saturday's final participation.
Following the match against the Azzurri, the Crescent-Stars will travel to Poznan for a friendly match against Poland.
They will have a four-day camp there, and then on June 9, they will move to the capital, Warsaw, where the match will be held.
Türkiye and Italy have played a total of 15 matches so far, nine official and six friendly.
In these matches, Italy won 11 times, and four matches ended in a draw.
The two teams last faced each other on March 29, 2022, in a friendly match in Konya, which Italy won 3-2.
The two countries will also jointly host Euro 2032.
The Crescent-Stars will play their 625th match with the Italy match.
They have won 242 of the 341 official and 283 friendly matches they have played so far, with one match ending in a forfeit.
Türkiye have suffered 235 defeats and recorded 147 draws.
They have scored 852 goals in the matches they have played while conceding 895 goals.
Montella has steered the Turkish ship in six matches so far, three official and three friendly, with three wins, two losses, and a single draw.
However, Italy are also gearing up for Euro 2024, aiming to defend their title in Germany.
The Azzurri have recorded three wins from their last four matches, including a crucial draw with Ukraine that secured their qualification.
Following the departure of Roberto Mancini at the end of last year, new head coach Luciano Spalletti has steered Italy to a second-place finish in Group C, narrowly avoiding a playoff.
Italy's recent friendlies in the U.S. allowed Spalletti to assess various options tactically and in terms of personnel as they prepare to face Spain, Croatia, and Albania in the group stage.
Italy's preparations include friendlies against Türkiye and Bosnia-Herzegovina, with their Euro 2024 campaign kicking off against Albania.
