Turkey v Brazil: Dunga´s men out to extend run

Brazil will be hoping to continue their strong run of form under head coach Dunga when they take on Turkey in a friendly on Wednesday.

After the dismal end to their World Cup campaign on home soil, Brazil replaced Luiz Felipe Scolari with Dunga, who has made a positive start to his second stint in charge.

Friendlies against Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina and Japan have all resulted in victory for the five-time world champions, who have also recorded four consecutive clean sheets in that sequence.

Wednesday’s clash in Istanbul represents a further stiff test of their credentials and, with the Brazilian domestic league heading towards its conclusion, Dunga has opted to select a squad consisting wholly of European-based players.

That number, naturally, includes Barcelona forward Neymar, who netted all four goals in the 4-0 drubbing of Japan last month, taking his tally to 40 in 58 senior international appearances.

Following a World Cup that ultimately ended in disappointment, Neymar is hoping to finish 2014 with the national team on a high.

“I am elated to represent Brazil once again,” he told Globo. “I want to close this year with a flourish.

“We will work in the coming days to work out an ideal way to face the opponents.”

Brazil will be without Paris Saint-Germain winger Lucas Moura (bruised foot) for the game, with Benfica’s Talisca drafted in as a replacement.

Talisca is one of six players who could make their international debut – goalkeeper Neto and Hoffenheim playmaker Roberto Firmino are also seeking a first cap with Shakhtar Donetsk attacking trio Fred, Douglas Costa and Luiz Adriano.

The latter is the UEFA Champions League’s top scorer this term with back-to-back hat-tricks taking his tally to nine – the shirt number he is likely to be wearing come Wednesday.

For the hosts, the game represents a testing warm-up ahead of their Euro 2016 qualifier with Kazakhstan on Sunday.

Fatih Terim’s side have struggled in recent months, with just one win in their past five matches – a 2-1 friendly success over Denmark in September.

One man eagerly awaiting the clash is Bursaspor midfielder Volkan Sen, who returns to the national set-up for the first time since May 2010.

“First of all it’s a very nice feeling being back in the national team,” he told reporters. “I am honoured to be invited again, I was very happy. I would like to thank Fatih Terim and his team.

“Of course, from our perspective, it’s going to be a very important friendly game. We play football on the pitch, regardless of our result, we show on the field, the game will be very important to us.”