In the latest of our series of Euro 2008 team profiles, we examine the credentials of Group A outsiders Turkey.

TURKEY

Current FIFA ranking

25 (between Paraguay and Russia)

Route to finals

Turkey qualified by finishing in second place in Group C, one point ahead of third-placed Norway and seven points behind group winners and reigning European champions Greece.

After starting their campaign with four straight victories they came unstuck with a run of just one win in a six-match period that included a 3-2 defeat in Bosnia Herzegovina and an embarrassing 2-2 draw at lowly Malta.

But a 2-1 win over Norway in Oslo put them back in the driving seat and they sealed qualification with a 1-0 win against Bosnia Herzegovina.

International pedigree

Turkey burst onto the international consciousness with a surprise third-placed finish at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, having been eliminated in the first round of their only previous World Cup appearance in 1954.

They first qualified for the European Championships in 1996, when they were knocked out in the first round, but they did make the quarter-finals of the 2000 tournament. Play-off defeats to Latvia and then Switzerland prevented them from appearing at Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup.

Coach

Former Galatasaray player and Turkey captain Fatih Terim began his coaching career at MKE Ankaragucu and Goztepe before working alongside Sepp Piontek with the national side.

He succeeded Piontek in 1993 and took Turkey to Euro 96 before embarking upon coaching spells at Galatasaray - where he won the 2000 UEFA Cup - Fiorentina and Milan. After a third stint at Galatasaray he returned to the national set-up as coach in 2005.

Familiar faces

Pugnacious midfielder Emre Belozoglu can occasionally be found patrolling the hallowed St James's Park turf for Newcastle, while striker Tuncay Sanli recently completed a promising debut season for Middlesbrough after joining them last summer from Fenerbahce.

Striker Nihat Kahveci will be familiar to fans of Spanish football after leading the line for high-flying Villarreal this season, and London-born midfielder Kazim Kazim graced the Premier League with Sheffield United in the 2006-2007 season under the slightly less exotic-sounding name of Colin Kazim-Richards.

Potential stars

Arguably fresh from a lay-off dating back to March, Bayern's Hamit Altintop could provide the energy to propel Turkey forward with his lung-bursting ability to frequently cover the length of the pitch, where his defensive work as well as his assists and contributions further afield could make the difference.

The omission of all-time leading goalscorer Hakan Sukur from Terim's preliminary squad was a big surprise, but it does open the door for both Nihat and Tuncay to impress.

Chances

Pretty slim. Portugal will start as strong favourites in Group A with the Czech Republic heavily fancied to progress in second place and improving co-hosts Switzerland likely to be roared on by a fervent home crowd. The Czechs are missing a whole host of first-choice players through injury, but Turkey may not have the necessary experience to capitalise.

Possible starting XI

Volkan Demirel (Fenerbahce); Sabri Sarioglu (Galatasaray), Servet Cetin (Galatasaray), Gokhan Zan (Besiktas), Hakan Balta (Galatasaray); Hamit Altintop (Bayern Munich), Emre Belozoglu (Newcastle United), Mehmet Aurelio (Fenerbahce); Arda Turan (Galatasaray); Nihat Kahveci (Villarreal), Semih Senturk (Fenerbahce)

Back-ups

Goalkeepers: Rustu Recber (Besikta), Tolga Zengin (Trabzonspor) Defenders: Emre Ask (Galatasaray), Ugur Boral (Fenerbahce), Emre Gungor (Galatasaray); Midfielders: Mehmet Topal (Galatasaray), Tumer Metin (Larissa), Ayhan Akman (Galatasaray), Kazim Kazim (Fenerbahce), Gokdeniz Karadeniz (Rubin Kazan); Forwards: Tuncay Sanli (Middlesbrough), Mevlut Erding (Sochaux)

Group A fixtures

07/06/2008: Portugal

11/06/2008: Switzerland

15/06/2008: Czech Republic

Tom Williams / Eurosport