National team coach Mircea Lucescu and midfielder Mahmut Tekdemir answered the questions before the friendly match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Today, Thursday, is again international time in Turkey. For this reason, the Turkish selection in the Rize Yeni Sehir Stadium receives the team of Bosnia and Herzegovina before it comes on Sunday in Russia to the absolute showdown for the UEFA Nations League. Both nations have met five times so far. Both teams get two wins. Once they separated with a draw. Tomorrow's match is the sixth test match in the current calendar year. So far, you could get two wins and three draws from five matches. The friendly matches are compared to only two competitive matches from the Nations League, where you recorded a win or a defeat. In the Bosnian selection, four players from the Spor Toto Süper Lig are represented. Before the encounter with the Bosnian selection for coach Robert Prosinecki, who successfully coached Kayserispor between 2012 and 2013, head coach Mircea Lucescu and midfielder Mahmut Tekdemir held a press conference.
Mircea Lucescu, Turkey coach: "We play against Bosnia. It is a team that has been playing together for over six years. For comparison, we have put together this young troupe only since March in the way. There are three things to consider when doing this. The first is the formation of a young, dynamic and completing troupe. The second is to find a suitable system that the young players can understand and implement on the pitch. The conclusion is of course the result. We are currently in the development phase where we are trying to implement a system on the pitch that will put the stamp on the entire game. And we will do that with these guys. They will be the future of Turkey because the desire of them is different from the older one. But we must not forget that in addition to these young players and experienced players are needed, because they are the link in the team. Since we have the disadvantage of not having so much time in the national team to get things done, the younger ones are a bit easier. It is unfortunately more difficult to change a player who is already 32 years old. Due to the tight time we focus more on the mental. For example, we were only able to hold two sessions in the last few days, but had four meetings."
Mahmut Tekdemir, Midfielder Turkey: "Our coach definitely has a game philosophy that he tries to convey to us. Of course it is not easy in such a short time, but we strive to be even more experienced as soon as possible. The victory against Sweden has certainly strengthened our confidence. There is also a good mood within the team. I hope we can show that tomorrow on the pitch as well. To my teammate at Medipol Basaksehir, Edin Visca, all I can say is that I'm looking forward to meeting him. He is absolute a top player."
Robert Prosinecki, Bosnia and Herzegovina coach: "I hope we will get a good result tomorrow. The Turkish people received us warmly. I hope the stands will be full and we will play a good game. In four days, a very important game is up for us. We have scored two wins in the group and we want to finish this with a great success. But some of my players have not played in the national team's dress yet. Still, I think everyone will give their all for the national team. Some important players such as Edin Dzeko or Miralem Pjanic could be in the field tomorrow. I can say the following about the Turkish selection - I follow the boys of the national team and think that they are getting better and better."
Edin Visca, Bosnia and Herzegovina midfielder: "The most important thing is that nobody will hurt themselves tomorrow. I talked to my coach about the game because I'm playing here. It will definitely be an exciting match tomorrow in a sold-out stadium. The Turkish selection has really good and young players. Cengiz Ünder my old teammate, for example. I've been playing in Turkey for eight years now and I'm incredibly happy to be here. But you should not compare the national teams, so I would be happy if I could score."
Comments