Terim Concerned About Midfield Problems Against Spain

The Milli Takım completed their first training Tuesday to prepare for their upcoming clash against Spain. The team is in Madrid and training at the Real Madrid practice facilities this week. Coach Fatih Terim said his team is facing a number of issues that has him concerned headed into Saturday's match.

Terim spoke with reporters Tuesday following the team's first training session to prepare for Spain. He stated that the squad is facing a number of injury concerns prior to the match. Villareal star Nihat Kahveci is recovering from injury, while Gökhan Ünal and Fenerbahçe star Gökhan Gönül are both dealing with minor injury issues. Bayern Munich star Hamit Altıntop was also ruled out of this weekend's match on Tuesday.

Terim also said his team has some psychological concerns related to club teams dealing with poor results this season. The Turkish boss said he's developed two different squads for this weekend based on injury concerns and player development.

"There are two legs to be played against Spain and all the points we can add up are important," Terim told reporters on Tuesday. "We don't have fear in our dictionary. We deleted the word from our dictionaries many years ago. We will never go out on the field in fear; even if we lose we won't hold back," he said.

Terim also told reporters that while he's confident about his team's chances, their qualification hopes aren't hinging solely on the next two results. "Worst case scenario, even if we lose both matches against Spain, we won't have lost our chance to go to the finals. We will win our next four matches and take the Türk Milli Takımı to where it deserves to go," he said.

The coach is also excited about the atmosphere for this weekend's match. "It will be a historical moment. Not everyone gets to play at the Santiago Bernebau Stadium."