Euro 2008 team profile: Turkey

Turkey

Quarter-finals at Euro 2000 and then third place in the World Cup announced Turkey as a force on the global stage, and they qualified for this tournament despite a mid-session blip when beaten by Bosnia and held by Malta. Coach Fatih Terim is three years into his second spell in charge. Gone are the days when they would look for Hakan Suker's head; the players are trickier, with more skill, and have enough quality to make a mark on the finals. Still, strikers hardly inspire confidence towards a major challenge.

EURO 2008 GROUP A:  CZECH REPUBLIC - PORTUGAL - SWITZERLAND - TURKEY

Main man: Nihat Kahveci

Helped Villarreal to second place in La Liga, and in six years in Spain Nihat has consistently scored goals. It's even more of an accomplishment as he's not an out-and-out striker, and Middlesbrough's Tuncay should lead the line here for Turkey. With Hakan Sukur dropped from the squad, Nihat will take the brunt of the pressure on his shoulders, and has to find a link between midfield and attack. If they play as a team Turkey can do some damage.

One to watch: Arda Turan

21 year old winger is in the sights of Newcastle, with the Geordies apparently willing to splash £10m+ on the Galatasaray man. Likely to play alongside Emre in midfield, so excuses won't cut it when he turns out to be a cold-blooded reject. For now though Arda can play on either wing, beating men for fun and setting up his strikers. It surely can't go wrong.