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Monday, 5 October 2026dailybeirut.com
Football
Italy faces Turkey at Renato Dall'Ara Stadium on Monday evening, aiming to maintain momentum in the 2026-2027 UEFA Nations League Group A standings.
The Italian national team welcomes Turkey for a UEFA Nations League 2026-2027 fixture scheduled for Monday evening at the Renato Dall'Ara Stadium in Bologna. Kickoff is set for a quarter to ten local time. The match forms part of the fourth round of the group stage, where Italy seeks to extend its positive results and close the gap with the group leaders.
In Group A, France leads the table with seven points, followed by Belgium in second place with six points. Italy currently occupies third position with four points. Turkey sits at the bottom of the ranking without any points collected so far.
Italy enters this contest with high morale after securing a 1-1 draw against France in the previous round. That match took place on French soil, where Michael Olise gave the home side an early lead. Alessandro Bastoni equalized for Italy with a header in the 68th minute, earning a valuable point away from home and keeping qualification hopes alive.
Turkey approaches the game seeking redemption after a heavy defeat in their earlier meeting. In the second round, played in Bursa, Italy won decisively by a scoreline of 4-1. This result adds specific significance to the upcoming fixture for the Turkish side, which aims to correct its course following that loss.
Vincenzo Montella leads the Turkish squad into this match, looking for a positive outcome to re-enter the competition. The team suffered a 3-0 loss to Belgium in the third round. Despite creating twenty shooting opportunities during that encounter, Turkey failed to find the net. Kevin De Bruyne scored twice for Belgium, while Romelu Lukaku added the third goal.
Montella focuses on improving defensive performance, particularly given the four goals conceded against Italy in their previous confrontation. Pressure is expected on the central defensive pairing of Merih Demiral and Abdülkerim Bardakcı as they face the Italian attack. Both teams view this match as critical due to the intense competition for advancement spots in the tournament.
Italy intends to secure three points in front of its supporters to strengthen its standing in the group. Conversely, Turkey remains committed to its chances despite a difficult start, pursuing revenge for the heavy defeat sustained in the second round.
