Turkey's progression to their first World Cup finals in nearly a quarter-of-a-century spells ominous news for Australia as they're tasked with countering the gifted young midfield superstar who's treated with Maradona-like adulation in Turkey.
Bookmakers in Europe have quickly made up their minds that the Socceroos are now the real underdogs in a cut-throat group D after Turkey's qualification, spearheaded by Real Madrid's Arda Guler and Juventus's Kenan Yildiz on Tuesday night, ensured all four teams in the pool are in the world's top-40.
Turkey's defeat of Kosovo in Pristina to land a place in the big show for the first time in 24 years since they surprised everyone by finishing third in 2022 was the news Socceroos boss Tony Popovic really didn't need, already faced with hosts USA and the mean defence of Paraguay.
