Turkey have never beaten Italy, and both go to Bursa on Monday without a point
Mancini’s Italy were booed off in Rome after losing 2-0 to Belgium, and Montella’s Turkey lost to France with their goalkeeper sent off. One of them gets a first Nations League point, or neither does, on Monday night.
Sep 27, 2026
Group 1’s two pointless sides meet on Monday night. Turkey host Italy in Bursa on 28 September at 20:45 CEST, which is 12:15am on Tuesday in India. Both lost their first Nations League game last week without scoring, and both coaches found something in the performance to hold on to.
Only one of them had much of a case.
Italy booed off in Rome
Roberto Mancini’s second spell in charge began with a 2-0 home defeat to Belgium at the Stadio Olimpico on Friday. Mika Godts scored his first goal for Belgium after 20 minutes, and substitute Dodi Lukebakio added the second on 69. Italy had more of the ball and Francesco Pio Esposito had chances, but it took a string of saves from Gianluigi Donnarumma to keep the score down. The crowd booed them off at half-time and again at the end.
Mancini did not argue with it. “When you lose it seems quite normal to hear them,” he told Sky Sport Italia. “The first half was below expectations, as Belgium played better.” He also said the first 25 minutes of the second half showed it was not all negative, and that “we have to climb Everest and it will be beautiful when we get to the top.”
That is a big mountain. Mancini was brought back in July after Italy missed a third World Cup in a row, beaten on penalties by Bosnia and Herzegovina in the play-off final in March. He won Euro 2020 with this federation and walked out on it in August 2023 for Saudi Arabia. The first night back showed how much has to be rebuilt.
Turkey unlucky against France
Turkey’s 1-0 defeat to France in Izmit was a different kind of game. Kylian Mbappe scored the only goal in the 54th minute, and the shots finished level at 12 each. Vincenzo Montella, who played 20 times for Italy as a striker, called it “an incredible performance, one of our best, especially considering who we were up against.”
The cost was higher than the scoreline. Goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir was sent off in the 87th minute after a VAR review for handling outside his area, so Altay Bayindir is expected to start in goal. Hakan Calhanoglu and Kenan Yildiz are both out injured, and Orkun Kokcu has a toe problem. Arda Guler will have to carry more of the creative load.
A record Turkey want rid of
Turkey have never beaten Italy. The last competitive meeting was the opening game of Euro 2020 in Rome, which Italy won 3-0 on the way to the title. Montella is not inclined to treat that as a burden. He said after the France game that he wanted his players to carry the same spirit into Monday.
Italy are without Federico Dimarco and Bryan Cristante, who both left the squad injured, but Alessandro Bastoni is back from suspension. That should help a back line Belgium ran through far too easily.
Belgium and France meet in Brussels on the same night, so whoever loses in Bursa will have nothing from two games and a gap to close on both. Turkey have a home crowd and an Italy side still finding its feet, which is probably as good a chance as they will get to end that run. For Mancini, it is a chance to show the Rome defeat was the low point rather than the new level.