Ronald Koeman-led Netherlands is taking on Turkiye in the Euro 2024 quarterfinal match being played at the Olympiastadion Berlin on Saturday.
FOLLOW THE MATCH LIVE | NETHERLANDS VS TURKIYE LIVE SCORE, EURO 2024
Sportstar looks at the major talking points from the match:
DONYELL MALEN MISSES OUT
Donyell Malen, who scored two goals for the Dutch in the quarterfinal fixture against Romania also picked up a yellow card in that game. This was his second yellow card of the tournament which is why he has been suspended for one game.
MERIH DEMIRAL SUSPENDED
Merih Demiral, who has been the starting centre-back for Turkiye in the tournament, scored two goals against Austria in the round of 16 match and helped his side progress to the quarterfinal.
However, the 26-year-old is not even in the squad for this crucial knockout encounter, despite not being injured or suspended due to accumulating cards.
UEFA has suspended the Turkiye player for two matches for making a controversial gesture after the win over Austria.
The governing body said Friday that it had banned the defender “for failing to comply with the general principles of conduct, for violating the basic rules of decent conduct, for using sports events for manifestations of a non-sporting nature and for bringing the sport of football into disrepute.”
Demiral scored both goals Tuesday in a 2-1 win over Austria to earn Turkey’s place in the quarterfinals and celebrated with a hand sign associated with an ultra-nationalist group.
After scoring the second goal he made a sign with each hand that is used by Turkish nationalists and associated with the Turkish ultra-nationalist organization Ulku Ocaklari, which is more widely known as the Gray Wolves.
