Turkey head coach Vincenzo Montella has now confirmed his 26-man squad for this summer's European Championship, with nine players being removed from the initial selection.
The national side drew 0-0 with Italy in their opening warm-up fixture for Euro 2024 on June 4, and they then suffered a 2-1 defeat to Poland on June 10.
Montella's side will open their tournament against Georgia on June 18; Turkey will also take on Portugal and the Czech Republic in Group F this summer, and the Crescent-Stars will be bidding to advance through the group stage for the first time since 2008, when they secured a spot in the semi-finals.
There had been three Premier League players in the selection, with Manchester United's number two goalkeeper Altay Bayindir included alongside Bournemouth's Enes Unal and Leicester City's Yunus Akgun.
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Turkey handed Unal injury blow ahead of Euro 2024
However, Unal suffered a fractured toe during training, and the striker has therefore been ruled out of the tournament in a huge blow for the national side; Caglar Soyuncu also withdrew from the initial selection due to a thigh injury which he picked up while representing Fenerbahce.
Cenk Tosun, 32, is the leading goalscorer in the squad, netting 20 times for his national side in 50 appearances, and he is expected to be an important player for Turkey at the competition due to Unal's absence.
Hakan Calhanoglu is the second-highest goalscorer in the squad with 18, and the 30-year-old is set to captain his side at the tournament in Germany.
Roma's Zeki Celik, Galatasaray's Kaan Ayhan and Lille's Yusuf Yazici are also notable inclusions, with the trio being included in the final squad by Montella.
Meanwhile, Arda Guler, who featured regularly for Real Madrid in the latter stages of the 2023-24 campaign, is also in the squad, with the 19-year-old bidding to add to his six caps, and he is expected to be a key player this summer.
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Ozkacar, Uzun among those to miss out on final selection
As well as Unal and Soyuncu, Ozan Kabak was also forced to withdraw through injury, while Dogan Alemdar, Cenk Ozkacar, Berat Ozdemir, Can Uzun, Abdulkadir Omur and Oguz Aydin have been removed from the initial selection.
Uzun scored 19 times for Nuremberg during the recent season, but there is no spot in the squad for the 18-year-old, who will now be looking to future tournaments.
Kerem Akturkoglu has scored five times in 28 appearances for his national side and is also expected to have an important role to play this summer.
"[Akturkoglu] is a very important player because he's fast, he is a player who works for the team, he has the features of modern football that I think are fundamental," Montella told UEFA's official website.
"In addition to talent, there's the availability he gives to the team and an aptitude for attacking the spaces. So, for me, this is pivotal in the football world."
Halil Dervisoglu has scored six times in 16 caps, but there was no room in the preliminary squad for the 24-year-old, while Schalke 04's Kenan Karaman was also overlooked by Montella.
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Who is Turkey's head coach?
Montella has been in charge of Turkey since September 2023, boasting a record of three wins, two draws and thee defeats from his eight matches at the helm.
The 49-year-old had previously been manager of Adana Demirspor, while he has also notably been in charge of AC Milan, Sevilla and Fiorentina.
Turkey is Montella's first taste of managing an international team, and there have been positive signs during his time at the helm, but their recent form will be slightly concerning ahead of Euro 2024.
The Crescent-Stars have been eliminated in the group stage of the last two European Championships, but they did reach the semi-finals of the competition back in 2008.
Portugal will be the favourites to top Group F, but Turkey will fancy their chances of finishing in second, or picking up enough points to advance to the knockout round as one of the best third-placed teams.
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Recent form
Turkey will not enter Euro 2024 in the best of form, having failed to win in any of their last five matches in all competitions.
Indeed, the national side last triumphed on November 18, recording a 3-2 victory over Germany, and they have since drawn twice and suffered three defeats.
Turkey's final Euro 2024 qualification fixture ended in a 1-1 draw with Wales on November 21, before suffering 1-0 and 6-1 defeats to Hungary and Austria respectively in friendlies back in March.
As mentioned, the Crescent-Stars then drew 0-0 with Italy in their opening warm-up fixture for the European Championship, before suffering a 2-1 defeat to Poland.
Baris Yilmaz was on the scoresheet against Poland, cancelling out an opener from Karol Swiderski, but Nicola Zalewski won it for the home side in the 90th minute.
Turkey's Euro 2024 squad in full
Goalkeepers: Altay Bayindir (Manchester United), Mert Gunok (Besiktas), Ugurcan Cakir (Trabzonspor)
Defenders: Mert Muldur (Fenerbahce), Ferdi Kadioglu (Fenerbahce), Zeki Celik (Roma), Abdulkerim Bardakci (Galatasaray), Ahmetcan Kaplan (Ajax), Merih Demiral (Al-Ahli), Ozan Kabak (Hoffenheim), Samet Akaydın (Panathinaikos)
Midfielders: Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter Milan), Ismail Yuksek (Fenerbahce), Kaan Ayhan (Galatasaray), Okay Yokuslu (West Bromwich Albion), Orkun Kokcu (Benfica), Salih Ozcan (Borussia Dortmund)
Forwards: Irfan Can Kahveci (Fenerbahce), Yunus Akgun (Leicester City), Kenan Yildiz (Juventus), Kerem Akturkoglu (Galatasaray), Baris Alper Yilmaz (Galatasaray), Arda Guler (Real Madrid), Bertug Yildirim (Rennes), Cenk Tosun (Besiktas), Semih Kilicsoy (Besiktas), Yusuf Yazici (Lille)
Group and fixtures
June 18: Turkey 3-1 Georgia (5pm | BVB Stadion Dortmund, Dortmund)
June 22: Turkey 0-3 Portugal (5pm | BVB Stadion Dortmund, Dortmund)
June 26: Czech Republic 1-2 Turkey (8pm | Volksparkstadion, Hamburg)
Matt Law
