Wales face Turkey at the Cardiff City Stadium on Friday evening in the first match of their Nations League campaign, as they look for a the perfect start to Craig Bellamy’s tenure.
Bellamy was appointed manager in July after the Welsh FA sacked Rob Page, and he leads Wales in the Nations League as a precursor to the qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup,
Matches against Turkey and Montenegro give Bellamy the first chance to see his new-look team in action, though his first game is against a Turkey side that reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2024.
Turkey boast plenty of quality in their squad, including Real Madrid’s Arda Guler and Inter Milan’s Hakan Çalhanoğlu, and will provide a tough test to a Wales squad that is yet to gel despite the experience in their ranks.
Follow all the latest build-up, updates and reaction from the Nations League below:
Wales 0-0 Turkey
3 mins: Johnson receives the ball out on the right side and slots it over to Ethan Ampadu. He slips the ball into the penalty area but Connor Roberts’ enterprising run doesn’t end with him in possession.
Wales have started this match with control of the ball.
Mike Jones6 September 2024 19:50
Kick off! Wales 0-0 Turkey
The anthems are played before kick off with the watching crowd in full voice as the Welsh national anthem is sung under the lights at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Wales get the ball rolling for this Nations League clash. They send it back to the defence where it gets booted over to the right wing with Brennan Johnson the target but the ball is chested out for a throw in.
Mike Jones6 September 2024 19:48
Wales vs Turkey
Almost time for kick off at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Craig Bellamy will be hoping for a successful start to this era of Welsh football. He’s brought some early messages to the team about high intensity and dominating possession.
Turkey will be a tough team to control though and it’ll be interesting to see how Wales go tonight. Kick off is up next…
Mike Jones6 September 2024 19:40
Wales vs Turkey
Harry Wilson has had a hand in five goals in his past seven appearances for Wales (two goals, three assists), with one of those assists coming against Turkey in November last year.
Mike Jones6 September 2024 19:35
Wales vs Turkey
Turkey have only lost two of their past 11 matches in the Nations League (five wins, four draws), although they did lose their most recent match in September 2022 against a Faroe Islands team ranked 125th in the world.
Mike Jones6 September 2024 19:30
Wales vs Turkey
Wales have only lost three of their past 30 home matches in all competitions (17 wins, 10 draws). Two of those losses were in the Nations League against the Netherlands and Poland in 2022.
Mike Jones6 September 2024 19:25
Wales vs Turkey
Turkey are winless in their past five away matches (two draws, three defeats), having won six of their previous seven on the road before this run.
Mike Jones6 September 2024 19:20
Wales vs Turkey
Wales have failed to score in their past three games, with their most recent match a 4-0 defeat by Slovakia in June. They have not gone four without a goal since September 2012, with new boss Craig Bellamy playing in three of those four matches.
Mike Jones6 September 2024 19:15
Wales vs Turkey
Turkey have failed to win any of their four away matches against Wales (two draws, two defeats), scoring just one goal in those four games, a Yusuf Yazıcı penalty in a 1-1 draw in November 2023.
Mike Jones6 September 2024 19:10
Wales vs Turkey
Wales have only won one of their past five matches against Turkey (two draws, two defeats), winning 2-0 at Euro 2020.
Mike Jones6 September 2024 19:05
