Why Real Madrid star Arda Güler has dropped to the bench for Turkey vs Portugal | OneFootball

Turkey national team head coach Vincenzo Montella has on Saturday provided an explanation for the absence of Arda Güler from his latest starting line-up.

Turkey, of course, are set to mark their return to action in short order.

After getting the country’s Euro 2024 campaign off to a winning start courtesy of a 3-1 downing of Georgia, an altogether more daunting task awaits The Crescent-Stars this time round.

This comes in the form of a showdown with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.

In their efforts to pull out what would be a surprise victory over the Portuguese this evening, however, Turkey will take to the pitch without the standout performer from their opening day victory.

As much comes amid confirmation that attacking sensation Arda Güler has been dropped to the bench.

Speaking to the media ahead of the action getting underway in Dortmund, it therefore came as little surprise when the subject of his decision to leave the 19-year-old out was put to Vincenzo Montella.

And Turkey’s headmaster went on to reveal that Güler is suffering with fatigue, with the hope therefore that he will not need to be introduced off the bench, either:

“We protected Arda Güler for the last two days. He had a certain fatigue. We talked to him and the doctor, we did not want to take risks. I hope we will not need him in the second-half.”

Conor Laird | GSFN