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Kaan Ayhan replaces suspended captain Hakan Calhanoglu for Turkey against Austria at Euro 2024

Tue, Jul 2, 2024
Soccer News (AP)

LEIPZIG, Germany (AP) - Galatasaray defender Kaan Ayhan will captain Turkey in place of the suspended Hakan Calhanoglu as coach Vincenzo Montella made three changes for the team's last-16 game against Austria at the European Championship.

Abdulkerim Bardakci is back for Tuesday's game after serving a suspension in the 2-1 win over the Czech Republic and Orkun Kokcu also starts, with Borussia Dortmund midfielder Salih Ozcan dropping to the bench.

Both Calhanoglu and defender Samet Akaydin are suspended because of an accumulation of yellow cards, while 10 Turkish players - including Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz - are in danger of missing the next match if booked.

Austria coach Ralf Rangnick had to replace the suspended Patrick Wimmer and made three additional changes to the team that defeated the Netherlands 3-2, with Kevin Danso, Philipp Mwene, Konrad Laimer and Christoph Baumgartner all starting.

Eight Austrian players including stand-in captain Marko Arnautovic are in danger of suspension.

Austria won 6-1 in Vienna when the teams last played in March, but it hasn't beaten Turkey in competitive match since 1990.

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Austria's injured team captain David Alaba and his Real Madrid teammate, Turkey star Arda Guler, shared a warm embrace before the game, as did Inter Milan teammates Marko Arnautovic and Calhanoglu.

The game is the only one from the round of 16 that isn't being shown on free TV in Germany, prompting disappointment and anger from Turkish supporters. Some 3 million Turks or people with Turkish roots live in Germany, making them the country's largest ethnic minority.

The winner of Tuesday's match will play the Netherlands in Berlin on Saturday in the quarterfinals. The Dutch earlier defeated Romania 3-0 to progress.

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Turkey: Mert Gunok, Ferdi Kadioglu, Merih Demiral, Abdulkerim Bardakci, Mert Muldur, Kaan Ayhan, Ismail Yuksek, Kenan Yildiz, Orkun Kokcu, Baris Alper Yilmaz, Arda Guler.

Austria: Patrick Pentz, Kevin Danso, Stefan Posch, Nicolas Seiwald, Marko Arnautovic, Marcel Sabitzer, Philipp Lienhart, Philipp Mwene, Romano Schmid, Christoph Baumgartner, Konrad Laimer.

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AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024

CIARAN FAHEY Fahey is a Berlin-based reporter for The Associated Press, covering sports in Germany and beyond. twitter instagram mailto "

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