Bad News from Montella Hours Before the Australia Clash! Arda Güler, Kenan Yıldız, Hakan Çalhanoğlu: 'I have question marks in my mind'

The Turkish National Football Team will face Australia tomorrow at 07:00 TRT in their first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group D. Prior to the clash, National Team Head Coach Vincenzo Montella held a press conference at the BC Place Stadium, where the match will be played. Expressing his excitement for tomorrow's game, Montella said, "This is a match we have been waiting for a long time, for 24 years. We are very excited. We believe we will put on a good performance. We are aware of the challenges we will face. We want to enjoy this. We want to be very proud of what we do and make our nation proud."

Stating that he expects a tough match, similar to the one against Kosovo, the experienced tactician said, "I have great respect for Australia. I watched their games. We saw that they are highly accustomed to playing in the World Cup, they are a balanced team, and they are physical. We have been in this game with these forwards for a long time. Speed could pose a challenge for them. I am also expecting a difficult match, just like the Kosovo game. We are prepared for any conditions. We have faced tough matches before. It will be a tight, neck-and-neck contest. Whoever has the talent will make the difference." Believing they will play a good game, the Italian coach continued his words as follows:

"I wanted all players to join the team. We need to further improve the level of football we play, and this will start from tomorrow. We believe we will put on a good show. We know there are many difficulties we need to overcome. We also need to be very balanced. We must be mentally balanced and prepared for any kind of hardship."

"I don't think they can last 100 minutes"
Speaking about the players coming off injuries, Vincenzo Montella said:

"There are specific things we need to do in every match. We need to prepare depending on how we will play and, of course, based on the characteristics of the opposing team. We have worked on this. We have always taken this into consideration. We worked very hard. I know our opponent worked hard too. We need to make the right moves. All players play by overcoming certain difficulties. As for Arda, Hakan, and Kenan, I hope they can get as many minutes as possible in a 100-minute match, but I don't think they can last the full 100 minutes. I have a few question marks in my mind regarding this."

Pointing out that the first matches are crucial in organizations like the World Cup, Montella said, "I think the group is extremely balanced. All four teams hope to make it out of the group. We believe we will do a good job. We will do our best. The first match is important. You can get very crucial points in subsequent matches, but I think the first match will be the decisive one. I believe it will secure a very good position for our team in the future."

"I feel at home"
Stating that he feels at home, Montella used the following expressions:

"I feel the responsibility. We need to do our best. I feel as if I have been adopted. I feel like I'm at home. I am passionately attached to my team. I don't follow social media, even if they say good things. I might receive bad criticism as well. This is part of my job, I have to handle it."

Saying that Australia is physically strong and mentally resilient, the experienced manager spoke as follows:

"Talent could be the deciding factor for this match. Australia is very strong, and they are mentally very resilient. They can display a compact game patiently. We must not fall into these traps because the opponent thrives on counter-attacks. We need to prevent these. We must play our team game very well."

Vincenzo Montella mentioned that he told his players to play their own game and stay relaxed, saying, "We have a passionate team. We feel the responsibilities. We also know that millions are supporting us. We know they have expectations. Every time I speak with our players, I tell them that we need to play our own game and that they need to be relaxed. We need to continue the way we got here."

"Vancouver is a beautiful city"
Stating that Turkish fans welcomed them very well in Vancouver, Montella used the following words:

"We felt at home. There were many Turkish fans. I thank them for being with us. We always see them at the hotel. Vancouver is a beautiful city. We had a great encounter. It's my first time here. It's a very beautiful pitch and stadium. All conditions are in place for us to make a great start. We will not be in a rush. We will display our own game patiently."

Pointing out that there were more comfortable conditions in the 2024 European Championship, the Italian coach stated, "Everything was very easy in Germany. Our location was excellent. Our hotel, everything belonged to us. Travel times were at most 2 hours. The situation here is very different. We need to adapt to this. It's not easy for people of my age to get used to these time zones. We are traveling back and forth between massive countries. We need to adapt. It's not a situation we can change."

Emphasizing Australia's speed, Montella said, "Australia is a very fast team as a whole. They have very good players. They have very fast players upfront. They have a game plan. I believe we need to play our own game without giving them many opportunities."

Speaking about the cooling breaks given during the matches, Montella concluded his words by saying, "I watched some matches. I am mostly interested in the USA vs. Paraguay match, but right now I am here. Cooling breaks become like an additional timeout. It's an opportunity to talk to the team. Utilizing these breaks could be a good opportunity."