Ahead of their upcoming Euro 16 match against Austria, the Turkish team held a press conference in which team representative Özgjan elaborated on the current status of the team, the upcoming match and the dynamics within the team.
Özgjan began by reviewing the Turkish team's performance in the Europa League group stage. He acknowledged that it was a challenging group, but the team started off with a win that set the stage for the rest of the campaign. Despite the setback against Portugal, the team performed well in the final round against the Czech Republic and managed to advance to the round of 16 as second in the group. Özgjan said that the whole team was very happy and proud to have made it out of the group stage again after 16 years, but also realized that the real challenge had just begun.
For the upcoming match against Austria, Özgjan showed great importance and caution. He confessed that the Austrian team is a very good team, physically strong and experienced. In the previous warm-up match, the Turkish team had lost to Austria with a score of 6-1, a result that made the whole team feel hurt and resentful. Therefore, Özcan emphasized that the team must carefully analyze the gains and losses from the last match and develop more effective tactics and plans. He believes that as long as the whole team remains confident and united, they will be able to beat Austria and advance to the next round.
Speaking about the dynamics within the team, Özgjan specifically mentioned the unavailability of captain Çalhanoglu and Akayden due to suspension. He said that these two players are very important to the team and their absence will undoubtedly bring the team a certain test. But Özgjan also emphasized that the team is a whole and every player has the responsibility and obligation to contribute to the team. He believes that whoever replaces them on the field will give their best and do their best.
Finally, Özgjan also talked about the team's views on the signings for the knockout stage. He said that the team will not focus too much on the luck of the draw, but will concentrate on each game and each opponent. Now their goal is to beat the Austrian team first and then think about the next matches. He also revealed his personal contract situation with Borussia Dortmund and said that he feels very happy and satisfied in Germany.
