England's trouble is opportunity

TURKISH REACTION: Jonny Dymond in Ankara finds the hosts pleasantly relaxed as they watch their opponents self-destruct.

Turkey's coach Senol Gunes and his players enjoyed a picnic in Istanbul yesterday as they made a leisurely start to their build-up for the match that they never really doubted would go ahead.

Gunes admitted his team welcomed news of England's dispute over Rio Ferdinand's drug test. But he always expected England to turn up, and insisted Eriksson's men will not be significantly weakened by the absence of Ferdinand.

"I believe our opponents are a very good team. Lacking one or two players will not be a handicap for them," he said. "Them being in trouble and having low morale makes us happy, but they should solve their problems, which have nothing to do with us, by themselves. We have only one thought on our minds: to go on the pitch and win."

Sergen Yalcin, who scored both of Besiktas's goals in their 2-0 win at Chelsea in the Champions League last week, did not act as though he was concerned about England's problems before news of the boycott being called off arrived. "Who cares?" he said. "If they don't come, that's better for us because we'll get three points without getting tired."

The most popular Turkish newspapers splashed the England team troubles over their front pages yesterday. Hurriyet, Turkey's best-selling daily, headlined their story "English Doping Scandal", describing Ferdinand as the "spinal column" of the English defence. "Doping nightmare" was the story on its sports pages.

Under the strap line "Three Days to the Historic Match", Milliyet ran the story of the possible players' strike on its front page. "Uprising on the Island" ran the headline over a story containing the observation that the English press was all "stewed up" over the story.

The sports papers were also heavily exercised about the row over Ferdinand's absence. Fanatik made the story its lead, splashing the headline "Incident on the Island" across its front page. "Eriksson is upside down, the press is in a panic. Before the historic match everything is going the way we want it."

Fanatic reproduced the front pages of British newspapers on its front page. The paper quoted Gunes saying that the English are scared of Turkey and that they always find new pretexts.

Yigit Ulug, a sportswriter for Vatan, described Ferdinand's dropping "like help from God for the Turkish team".

"The Turkish side will be very happy that he's not there," he added. "He's one of the most consistent and one of the best players. This is a hopeful sign for the Turkish fans and the Turkish team."

But Ulug was not getting carried away. "The ghosts of the past still haunt the Turkish team," he said. "We still haven't scored any goals in any games against England. That creates pressure on the forwards. And the complications off the pitch, like the threat of fan violence or Ferdinand, can make it difficult to concentrate on the game."

Turkey, who must win if they are to qualify for the European Championship finals without needing a play-off, did not appear distracted yesterday. They enjoyed a full work-out in the morning with Sergen and Ilhan Mansiz the only absentees. Both have slight injury niggles but are expected to be fit.

In what may have been a hint at the line-up that will oppose England, the Turks finished their session with a full-sided game. Gunes selected a side thought to be close to the one he will play on Saturday.

Fatih Akyel, Bulent Korkmaz, Ibrahim Uzulmez and the Aston Villa defender Alpay Ozalan lined up in defence, behind a formidable midfield four of Tugay Kerimoglu, Okan Buruk, Emre Belozoglu and Hasan Sas. Up front, Gunes paired Hakan Sukur, who appears to have overcome the injury he picked up playing for Galatasaray on Saturday, with the pacy Nihat Kahveci. If Sergen plays, he is likely to fit in just behind the front two.

Then the picnic began. "It's a nice atmosphere here," said the captain Bulent Korkmaz as he munched on a salad, a steak, and feta cheese.

Gunes affected concern that England's players may not be quite so relaxed. "They should come," he said. "After the game, I hope England and Turkey can have a picnic together."