Turkey Euro 2016 team profile: Arda Turan and Fatih Terim keen to relive 2008 magic

World ranking: 18<sup>

Best European Championship finish: Semi-finals, Euro 2008

How they qualified: Secured automatic qualification as the best third-placed team in qualifying after a last-minute winner against Iceland.

Fixtures: Croatia (12 June), Spain (17 June), Czech Republic (21 June)

Squad -

Goalkeepers: Harun Tekin (Bursaspor), Onur Kıvrak (Trabzonspor), Volkan Babacan (İstanbul Başakşehir).

Defenders: Gökhan Gönül (Fenerbahçe), Şener Özbayraklı (Fenerbahçe), Ahmet Çalık (Gençlerbirliği), Hakan Balta (Galatasaray), Mehmet Topal (Fenerbahçe), Semih Kaya (Galatasaray), Caner Erkin (Fenerbahçe), İsmail Köybaşı (Beşiktaş).

Midfielders: Emre Mor (Nordsjælland), Volkan Şen (Fenerbahçe), Hakan Çalhanoğu (Bayer Leverkusen), Nuri Şahin (Borussia Dortmund), Oğuzhan Özyakup (Beşiktaş), Ozan Tufan (Fenerbahçe), Selçuk İnan (Galatasaray), Arda Turan (Barcelona), Olcay Şahan (Beşiktaş).

Forwards: Burak Yılmaz (Beijing Guoan), Cenk Tosun (Beşiktaş), Yunus Mallı (Mainz)

Expectations

The fact that Turkey even made it to France is a minor miracle. After taking just a point from their first three games, they rallied and took 13 from their last five and conceded just once, culminating in wins over Netherlands, Czech Republic and group winners Iceland. Turkey are not regulars at major competitions, having qualified for just two World Cups and three Euros – but when they do show up, they usually leave with a story to tell, having reached the semi-final stage in Austria and Switzerland eight years ago.

While they have been presented with one of the most difficult groups, Fatih Terim's side will be confident of reaching the knock-out stages after the excellent end to their qualifying campaign.

Captain Arda Turan didn't play for the first sixth months of the 2015-16 season due to Barcelona's transfer ban and had just a minor role to play in their La Liga and Copa del Rey successes. He will be eager to make up for lost time. Bayer Leverkusen's Hakan Çalhanoğlu, one of Europe finest free kick specialists, will be hoping to leave a mark of his own.

Manager: Fatih Terim

Currently in his third spell in charge of the national side, Terim was tactician behind Turkey's exhilarating Euro 2008 campaign, where their last-minute heroics were one of the competition's highlights. More recently, he could be spotted having his phone confiscated after using it show a fourth official just how offside Harry Kane was in his goal in a friendly against England at the Etihad Stadium.

Prediction: Round of 16 – Terim's side have sufficient individual quality to navigate their way out of a formidable-looking group that also includes Spain, the Czech Republic and Croatia. In the second round, however, they could easily find themselves up against Roy Hodgson's England – and while there is little to choose between the two sides, the Three Lions might just steal that game.