Turkey v Belgium: Cuypers and the new Red Devils in Izmir

Turkey v Belgium takes place on Thursday 12 November at 6pm Belgian time, at the Gürsel Aksel Stadium in Izmir, on matchday five of the Nations League. For this return game, Mark van Bommel has called up a name many had been asking for: Hugo Cuypers, 29, in a Red Devils squad for the very first time.

Third in their group on six points, Belgium have no margin left. They host Italy at the King Baudouin Stadium on Sunday. Their opponents in Izmir are still without a point and are getting to know a new head coach, Sergen Yalçın, appointed three weeks ago.

Hugo Cuypers and the long road to the Red Devils

Born in Liège, Hugo Cuypers came through the youth ranks at Visé and Standard before building a career away from the spotlight. First in Greece, with 22 goals for Ergotelis, then a loan spell at Ajaccio, before a return home to Mechelen and Gent, where he scored 33 times in 59 games.

The United States took him to another level. In two and a half seasons at Chicago Fire he scored 44 goals in 82 appearances, 17 of them in 2025, and set a club record by finding the net in ten consecutive games. Monterrey signed him at the end of July, and he already has six goals in thirteen matches there.

His name had already come up before the World Cup. According to La DH and L'Avenir, he was in the group of 26 until the day before the squad was announced. The medical staff expected the injured Zeno Debast to miss the group stage, yet Rudi Garcia kept the defender at the last moment. Cuypers watched the tournament from afar.

Why Mark van Bommel is calling him up now

In charge since July, the head coach made his decision on Friday as he named a 26-man squad. "We have been following Hugo for some time. He scores wherever he plays. I simply want to give him a chance," he explained. Van Bommel knows the striker well, having faced him as Antwerp manager.

The call also meets a specific need. Romelu Lukaku is at risk of a suspension, Van Bommel pointed out, and the squad has no other recognised centre-forward. Cuypers was preferred to Lucas Stassin and Norman Bassette for that role.

"He is a player who senses where the chances will fall," pundit Fred Waseige told RTBF. He sees a genuine number 9 who can take over from Lukaku and feed off crosses from the flanks.

Who leads the line for Belgium in Turkey?

A call-up is no guarantee of minutes. Cuypers is one of eight attacking players in the squad, alongside Romelu Lukaku, Charles De Ketelaere, Leandro Trossard, Dodi Lukebakio, Diego Moreira, Mika Godts and Jérémy Doku, who is back after the injury that ruled him out in September.

Two of them will be on familiar ground. Lukaku plays for Fenerbahçe and Trossard for Beşiktaş, so on Thursday they will face several opponents they come up against every week in the Süper Lig.

Lukaku scored in the meeting with Turkey on 2 October at Sclessin, turning in a quickly taken free kick from De Ketelaere after Kevin De Bruyne's brace (3-0). For Cuypers, a first appearance will most likely come off the bench, unless Van Bommel hands him a start. Nothing has emerged about the line-up so far.

Belgium's defence without De Winter but with Kongolo

The other new face is in defence. At 20, Josué Kongolo has played every minute for Genk in the Jupiler Pro League this season and scored twice. Already an Under-21 international, he joins the senior squad because of two absences: Zeno Debast's injury and Koni De Winter's refusal.

Van Bommel says he was looking for "a young player with potential" who can play in two positions. Jorne Spileers and Matte Smets were also considered.

The AC Milan defender turned down his call-up. "He did not feel comfortable with the situation," the head coach explained, insisting there is no problem between them. "He made a choice. I have to accept it." Fred Waseige was harsher, saying that 24 is very early to turn your back on the national team. Thibaut Courtois remains absent, and Thomas Meunier is not in the squad.

A pointless Turkey under Sergen Yalçın

Turkey are going through a difficult first campaign in League A. Four games, four defeats, two goals scored and eleven conceded: that record cost Vincenzo Montella his job. On 20 October the federation replaced him with Sergen Yalçın, a former Beşiktaş, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe midfielder, on a four-season deal.

This game against Belgium will be his first in charge of the national side. As Beşiktaş coach he won the league and cup double in 2020-21. He will be without the injured Kenan Yıldız, but can count on Arda Güler, Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Orkun Kökçü.

Turkey were far from outclassed in Liège. Arda Güler tested Senne Lammens from a free kick and Merih Demiral missed a clear header before half-time. Van Bommel later described it as "a ping-pong game", regretting that his side had let their opponents stay in it for too long. Trips to Turkey hold no happy memories either: in September 2010, in Istanbul, Belgium lost 3-2 in qualifying for Euro 2012.

Turkey v Belgium in the Nations League and the race for the quarter-finals

After four matchdays, Belgium are third in group A1 on six points, behind France (10) and Italy (7). The top two reach the quarter-finals, scheduled for March 2027. The Red Devils were beaten heavily in France (4-1) on 5 October, despite having led.

Life under Van Bommel has been a rollercoaster. His first game ended in a 2-0 win in Italy, followed by a 1-0 defeat to France, Belgium's first home loss since November 2024. The 3-0 win over Turkey got the group back on track, but De Bruyne and Tielemans were then suspended for the trip to France. Both midfielders are back for this international break.

The maths is simple: two wins, in Izmir and then against Italy, would send Belgium through whatever happens in the other game. They also hold an edge over Italy, beaten 2-0 at home on matchday one, because head-to-head results are the first tiebreaker between teams level on points. Italy v France is played on the same evening, at 8.45pm.

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The Red Devils in Izmir before hosting Italy

Whether or not Cuypers gets on the pitch, his first call-up will matter less than the team's result. Belgium won the first meeting comfortably, but now visit a side that wants to open the Yalçın era with a first point, or even a first win.

Three days later, on Sunday at 8.45pm, the Red Devils host Italy at the King Baudouin Stadium in a final matchday that could settle everything. Turkey v Belgium markets are open before and during the game at Golden Vegas Sport, the licensed place to bet in Belgium. Only ever stake an amount you can afford to lose.