Senol Gunes’ young Turkish side are hoping to upset hosts Italy in Friday’s Euro 2020 opener in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.
“On paper they seem better than us but you never know what can happen on the pitch and I hope we’ll have some points in our pockets at the end of the match,” said Gunes, who led Turkey to third in the 2002 World Cup in a previous stint with the national side before rejoining two years ago.
“There will be a lot to learn during this tournament, only three players have already played in a Euro,” continued the 69-year-old.
“It will be a testing ground for us, but in 2002 we also had a team with a lot of players who had not played in the World Cup before, anything is possible.
“If we lose this game we know the balance in the group will change a lot,” he added of a Group A which also includes Switzerland and Wales.