No room for error. Prediction for the World Cup match between Turkey and Paraguay
In the second round of the World Cup group stage, Turkey and Paraguay will go head-to-head. The game is scheduled for the early hours of Saturday, June 20, with kickoff at 05:00 Central European Time. Here’s my pick for the winner of this high-stakes clash.
Head-to-head and key stats
- Turkey have suffered just one defeat in their last nine matches.
- Paraguay have found the net in six consecutive games.
- The two teams have only met once before, back in 1995, and that match ended in a goalless draw.
- These sides have never faced each other at a World Cup.
Turkey in a tough spot
Turkey arrived at the World Cup carrying high expectations after a strong qualifying campaign and a string of impressive results in friendlies. Vincenzo Montella’s squad showcased attacking football, powered by a young and talented core led by Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız.
But the start to their World Cup campaign was a disaster. In the opening round, Turkey suffered a shock 0-2 defeat to Australia. Despite dominating possession and creating plenty of chances, they failed to break through the opposition defense. To make matters worse, the Australians capitalized on their counterattacks and punished Turkey for defensive lapses.
Leading up to the tournament, Turkey had been scoring freely in their warm-up matches, with the attack—still marshaled by Hakan Çalhanoğlu—drawing plenty of attention. However, the loss to Australia exposed their struggles with converting chances into goals.
Now, Turkey have virtually no margin for error. Another slip-up in the second round would make advancing from the group extremely difficult, so Montella’s men are likely to push for a more aggressive game plan.
Has Paraguay recovered from the loss to the USA?
Paraguay also opened their World Cup campaign with a defeat. The South Americans fell 1-4 to tournament hosts USA in the first round. Despite the scoreline, Paraguay had their moments—Mauricio found the net—but the gulf in quality was clear.
Paraguay earned their World Cup ticket through an impressive South American qualifying run, finishing ahead of several strong teams. Their successful campaign was built on a rock-solid defense and high discipline, but these strengths were not fully on display in the tournament opener.
In pre-World Cup friendlies, Paraguay delivered steady results, rarely suffering heavy defeats and sticking to their trademark compact, defensive style. The team is still led by the likes of Miguel Almirón, Julio Enciso, and Gustavo Gómez—players with experience at the highest level.
Like Turkey, Paraguay enter the second round with zero points. The South Americans know that even a draw might not be enough in the race for the knockout stage, so expect a more adventurous attacking approach than they showed against the USA.
Probable lineups
- Turkey: Çakır, Çelik, Demiral, Bardakcı, Kadioglu, Yüksek, Çalhanoğlu, Kökçü, Yılmaz, Güler, Aktürkoğlu.
- Paraguay: Gill, Alonso, Alderete, Gómez, Cáceres, Cubas, Bobadilla, Gómez, Almirón, Enciso, Sanabria.
What’s the bet?
Both teams lost their openers and are already backed into a corner after just one round. Turkey look like slight favorites due to their more potent attacking options, but Paraguay are renowned for their resilience and can cause problems for any opponent. I believe Montella’s squad will edge out a tough rival and I’m backing Turkey to win with a 0 handicap.
