All you need to know ahead of Turkey vs Scotland international friendly
Turkey will host Scotland in an international friendly fixture this evening. How to watch on UK TV and squad news
Just a few days after Turkey was struck by a deadly explosion in Istanbul, their national football team will host Scotland for an international friendly fixture. The blast, in which several tragically died and more were injured, has led to heightened security for the Scotland squad with one police officer for every two Scotland fans in the city, authorities have said.
In terms of the football, Scotland manager Steve Clarke and his captain Andy Robertson both believe that it is exactly the sort of challenge their squad need. The Liverpool midfielder has said: “It’s an important test. Two teams that are similarly ranked and it will be a full crowd - we know the Turkish crowd can always be lively and get right behind their team.
“When you are in campaigns, these are the types of places you have to come and get a result. It’s a good friendly for us and a good way to prepare for the campaign ahead. Both teams wish they were going to the World Cup. We’ll both be competitive and try and get out of it what we need to prepare for the Euro campaigm.”
When is Turkey vs Scotland?
The match will take place later today, Wednesday 16 November 2022, and will have a kick-off time of 5pm GMT. The two sides will play at Diyarbakir Stadyumu in Diyarbakir and it is the first time the city will have ever hosted an international fixture. Diyabakir is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey and is located in south-east of the country, and is over 1,000km away from Istanbul.
How to watch Turkey vs Scotland
The match is set to be available to watch on Sky Sports. Main Event and Sky Sports Football will both show the coverage with the action set to start at 4.55pm ahead of the 5pm kick-off.
Sky Sport subscriptions cost from £46/month and subscribers can also stream the action through the SkyGo app. NowTV offer daily Sky Sport passes for £11.98/day. BBC Radio will also provide live coverage of the fixture.
What are the odds?
This will only the second time the two sides have met with their first clash coming in June 1960, where Turkey took the win 4-2. Scotland have been unbeaten in their last four outings across all competitions, claiming three wins and a draw since losing 3-0 to the Republic of Ireland last June.
Steve Clarke is to be without any Celtic players as the Hoops are currently featuring in a club tour to Australia. Clarke will also be missing Che Adams, whose wife is expecting their baby. Nathan Patterson has also pulled out due to injury, alongide Kenny McLean. Liverpool’s latest recruit, Calvin Ramsey, however looks in line to make his international debut.
