Australia vs. Turkiye Prediction & Best Bets

Australia begin their sixth successive World Cup campaign with a tough test against perennial dark horses Turkiye in Vancouver.

Under Graham Arnold, the Aussies made it out of a group containing France, Denmark and Tunisia in 2022, only to run into eventual champions Argentina in the last 16.

This summer, former Socceroos defender Tony Popovic will be looking to match that result in what appears to be a fairly open Group D.

For Turkiye, this is their first appearance at the World Cup since a remarkable third-place finish in 2002.

Since then, the Crescent-Stars have played in four European Championships, reaching the semi-finals in 2008 and quarter-finals in 2024, but not another World Cup.

Vincenzo Montella will be aiming to lead the Crescent-Stars to another quarter-final this summer, starting by progressing from Group D.

Australia vs. Turkiye betting picks and predictions

Turkiye to win (-143)

Under Montella, the Turks are going from strength to strength and this could be a tournament to remember.

The national side boast several young talents who should become the cornerstone of the team for years to come, with Can Uzun, Kenin Yildaz, Deniz Gul and Arda Guler aged 21 or younger.

Since the 2-1 defeat to the Netherlands at Euro 2024, Turkiye have suffered only two competitive losses.

The 6-0 defeat to Spain in the qualifiers last September was dismal, but Montella rallied his troops and they eventually finished second in the group.

Successive 1-0 wins over Romania and Kosovo sealed a spot at the World Cup and the Crescent-Stars have now won seven of their previous eight matches.

Australia lost to Mexico and drew with Switzerland in their two warm-up matches ahead of the tournament. Ties against the USA and Paraguay come next for the Socceroos, but Turkiye should emerge victorious from this match.

Arda Guler to score or assist (-120)

Arda Guler is arguably Montella's jewel. He shone at Euro 2024 when he was only 19, scoring once and recording two assists as Turkiye reached the quarter-finals.

He made 51 appearances for Real Madrid last season, registering 20 goal contributions in the process and, while Los Blancos didn't win a major trophy, Guler was one of the few bright sparks.

His record for Turkiye is also impressive. Across 30 matches since making his debut in 2022 aged just 17, Guler has scored six times and registered nine assists. He averages a goal contribution on average once every two games.

Guler was unleashed behind Gul in a familiar number ten role for his country and assisted Yunus Akgun for the winner in the second half.

The attacking midfielder could get off to a positive start against Australia, setting him up nicely for a wonderful tournament.

Over 2.5 goals (+100)

One thing is certain under Montella, goals. The aforementioned attacking talent at his disposal means Turkiye are fluid in the final third and this will be their greatest strength in North America.

Eight goals were scored at Euro 2024, while seven of their previous 10 matches have featured three or more goals being scored.

Games involving Australia might not have seen as many goals, with only three being scored across the two recent friendlies.

Popovic did lead his team to a 5-1 win over Curacao, however, and matches against Colombia and USA resulted in 3-0 and 2-1 defeats respectively.

Should Turkiye find their groove early, goals could be on the cards throughout this match.

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Australia vs. Turkiye odds

Australia	+400
Tie	+275
Turkiye	-143

Australia vs. Turkiye player props

Anytime goalscorer

Kerem Akturkoglu (Turkiye)	+187
Arda Guler (Turkiye)	+200
Kenan Yildiz (Turkiye)	+200
Hakan Calhanoglu (Turkiye)	+240
Baris Yilmaz (Turkiye)	+240
Mohamed Toure (Australia)	+400

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.