Vincenzo Montella says he wants to continue as Turkiye manager, even if his side lose to Italy in Bologna on Thursday, with expectations around the team having risen sharply after their recent results.
The match at the Stadio Dall’Ara kicks off at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST), with Montella under increasing pressure following an early 2026 World Cup exit and a poor start to life in Nations League League A after promotion.
Turkiye have lost all three of their matches in the competition, scoring once and conceding eight goals against France, Italy and Belgium.
“It is new for us too, having four games in 11 days, and our first time at this level,” Montella told Sky Sport Italia.
The Italian coach will also be without several key players for the meeting with his home country. Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz and Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu are injured, while Real Madrid player Arda Guler is suspended. Striker Baris Alper Yilmaz is also unavailable, and Eintracht Frankfurt attacking midfielder Can Uzun is struggling with a muscular problem.
“Obviously, we want to have our say, we are missing some important players, but it is an opportunity to see some new faces who can be useful for many years to come,” Montella said.
Calls for Montella’s dismissal have grown, alongside demands for the Turkish football federation’s leadership to resign amid an expanding illegal betting scandal. A referee was arrested on Thursday.
Montella, who has been in charge of Turkiye for three years, said he still felt supported despite the criticism.
“I am proud to be the coach of Turkiye for these three years, they always showed affection. There is criticism right now, but that’s understandable in our line of work,” he said.
“I continue to feel that affection, and I am only sorry I haven’t been able to live up to their expectations recently, but that is also because we inflated the expectations with the results we’ve achieved in recent years.”
He added that he remained committed to the role and believed his players shared his faith in the project.
“I am motivated, confident, overall pretty calm, so I certainly want to keep going, especially as the lads have shown they believe in what we are doing.”
The fixture also reunites Montella with Roberto Mancini, his former Sampdoria team-mate, who will be on the opposing touchline for Italy.
“It was emotional the first time, even if it was only a friendly, and by now I’m almost used to it. This is football,” said Montella.
