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ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) -Turkey coach Fatih Terim will pin his hopes of success at next month's European Championship on a pair of overseas-based strikers.
The Turks, who have struggled a bit since reaching the 2002 World Cup semifinals, will likely have Nihat Kahveci and Tuncay Sanli up front when they face co-host Switzerland, Portugal and the Czech Republic in Group A.
"They are already playing in Europe's top leagues, and they are playing good," Terim said. "I hope they will keep scoring for us as well."
Kahveci, who has evolved from a promising right-winger into an established striker since his arrival in Spain in 2002, led Villarreal in scoring this season. The 29-year-old forward helped the team secure second place behind Spanish league champion Real Madrid.
Sanli wasn't as prolific in the Premier League, going scoreless for a 12-game stretch, but he still managed to knock in eight goals in his first year at Middlesbrough.
Behind the favored pair will be Mevlut Erdinc of Sochaux, who scored 11 goals in the French league and made his international debut in a disappointing 2-2 friendly draw with Belarus in March.
But Terim said his attacking force is not limited to his strikers. He likes it better when his players can move wherever they want on the field to create more chances.
"You will see the team as a whole," Terim said. "You will see a team without too much distance between the columns of players. The 11 players will act as one piece."
Another key player will be Mehmet Aurelio, the Brazil-born midfielder who has been a mainstay in Turkey's lineup ever since he became a citizen of his adopted country.
Although Turkey failed to qualify for Euro 2004, the team reached the quarterfinals at the 2000 tournament in the Netherlands and Belgium, advancing behind Italy in its group but eventually losing to Portugal.
The match against Switzerland, Turkey's second of the three in the first round of this year's competition, will likely bring up some bad memories.
The Turks and Swiss played in a two-leg playoff for a spot in the 2006 World Cup. Switzerland won, but the final match ended in a brawl believed to have been instigated by an assistant coach for Turkey.
The scuffle between the players in Istanbul prompted FIFA to order Turkey to play its following six matches at neutral venues with no fans. The world governing body of soccer later reduced the punishment to three games.
Terim said what happened was unpleasant, but that it was history.
"What happens in football, stays in football," Terim said.
