Montella will have to work magic with depleted Turkey squad v Austria

LEIPZIG, Germany : Turkey manager Vincenzo Montella knows that without his captain Hakan Calhanoglu and defender Samet Akaydin he will have to work wonders with his lineup in their last-16 clash on Tuesday against an Austria team he believes is the best at Euro 2024.

Turkey's last outing was a hot-tempered group game against the Czech Republic that saw Montella's men receive a whopping 11 bookings - and Calhanoglu and Akaydin suspended for Tuesday for their accumulation of yellow cards.

"I always want everyone available for selection," Montella said. "We'll be without two players, they're irreplaceable. Of course it does bother me a little bit ... but I do believe that there will be players who are ready to step in and do their job."

Montella pointed to his team's offensive output in the group stage as a reason for optimism. They scored five goals - joint third-best at the tournament - from five different players. None were own goals or penalties. Turkey were also third in total shots, averaging 16.67 per game.

"So I think in possession we're doing excellently, we're doing excellently in front of goal as well," Montella said.

Still, the former Roma striker knows what a formidable foe Austria are. They thrashed his side 6-1 in a friendly in March and topped a European Championship group containing France, the Netherlands and Poland.

"They're a complete team, they're perhaps the best team as a team unit, they're a team that presses very aggressively high up the pitch very consistently, they're excellent in transition," Montella said.

"They remind me of a club team because they're able to recognise all different match situations," he added.

Montella will be hoping for another big game from "the Turkish Messi" Arda Guler, who