Turkiye vs USA
Initially dubbed as one of the dark horses of World Cup 2026, Turkiye failed to live up to expectations, as they’re already out of the tournament, and Vincenzo Montella’s men will try to take some positives when they face the United States at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on Thursday.
The Crescent Stars are eliminated after losing to Australia (2-0) and Paraguay (1-0), leaving them without a point thus far. After Thursday, Turkiye will do a lot of soul-searching because they failed to reach the bare minimum, despite their star-studded squad.
Meanwhile, it’s all smiles for one of the competition’s co-hosts, the United States, as they are already through to the Round of 32 with wins against Paraguay (4-1) and Australia (2-0). Head coach Mauricio Pochettino will have the luxury of resting his key players against Turkiye since they’ll likely finish on top of Group D, per the World Cup 2026 odds.
Talking Points
Turkiye’s profligacy cost them
Turkiye are out of the World Cup, as they haven’t been clinical in the final third. Believe it or not, as talented as they are, the Crescent Stars haven’t scored so far in the quadrennial tournament. Despite this, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) will continue to back head coach Vincenzo Montella, per reports.
Montella is mostly accountable for Turkiye’s early exit, though. Against Australia in the opener, he inexplicably brought Kenan Yildiz, one of their brightest young attackers, off the bench. And when the Juventus winger came on, Australia were already ahead. They had 63-per cent possession and 28 total shots for an xG of 1.36, but to no avail.
The Crescent Stars also couldn’t get the job done against Paraguay, reduced to 10 men before halftime after Miguel Almiron received his marching orders under the controversial “Prestianni Law.” Turkiye had 78-per cent possession and 33 total shots for an xG of 2.17, but they still couldn’t get a point.
Still, Turkiye are too good to leave the competition scoreless, with Kerem Akturkoglu, Can Uzun, Hakan Calhanoglu, Arda Guler, Yunus Akgun, and Baris Alper Yilmaz on their roster. While they’re at it, their defence needs work too.
Pulisic’s health remains a question mark for USA
Christian Pulisic played only the first half against Paraguay due to a nagging calf injury and was absent against Australia. Despite this, the Stars and Stripes didn’t skip a beat, as others stepped up. Folarin Balogun scored a brace to propel the United States past Paraguay, and Gio Reyna added a late goal. Alex Freeman got on the scoresheet against Australia. They also benefited from Damian Bobadilla and Cameron Burgess’ own goals.
The good news is that Pulisic’s injury doesn’t look too serious, as the AC Milan forward has fully participated in their recent training sessions. However, we don’t expect head coach Mauricio Pochettino to play the skipper in this dead rubber match. With that said, Ricardo Pepi could continue to start in Pulisic’s absence.
History
Turkiye won 2-1 in their most recent encounter against the United States in March 2025, a result that put Mauricio Pochettino in the hot seat. That is because he became the first USMNT manager to lose three straight games to open his reign since Jurgen Klinsmann in 2015. Jack McGlynn put the Stars and Stripes ahead in the opening minute, but Arda Guler and Kerem Akturkoglu mounted a successful rally for the Crescent Stars. Before this, the United States were unbeaten in three of their previous four matches against Turkiye (W2, D1).
Both teams are in similar recent form, with three wins and two losses in their last five. However, Turkiye would gladly take back their defeats against Australia and Paraguay since those cost them their World Cup hopes.
Betting Tip
Even if the United States rotate their lineup and take it easy, they are favoured to win on Thursday against Turkiye anyway. The Stars and Stripes are 1.95 favourites to take three more points, whereas the Crescent Stars are 3.63 underdogs, and a draw is at 3.66 in the 1X2 market.
These two teams should produce enough World Cup 2026 highlights on Thursday, based on their past meetings and collective firepower. However, the tournament’s co-hosts have the momentum. Besides our recommended bet, SBOTOP punters may also add Over 2.50 at 1.76, Over 2.75 at 1.97, and Total Goal 2-3 at 2.02 to the parlay. Furthermore, a Correct Score of 2-1 in favour of Turkiye – the result of their previous encounter – yields a robust payday of 12.50 your bet.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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