Turkey vs Paraguay Prediction: Guler and Gomez take centre stage in Santa Clara

The pressure is on both Turkey and Paraguay at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California (Friday 8pm local, Saturday 4am BST, ITV) after the Crescent-Stars and La Albirroja lost their opening Group D games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 2-0 to Australia and 4-1 to the USA, respectively.

Below are my Turkey vs Paraguay predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds.

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New customers only. Register, deposit with Debit Card, and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get £30 in Sports Free Bets & £20 in Bet Builder Free Bets within 24 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. T&Cs Apply.

Team News

A calf injury kept Kenan Yildiz out of Turkey's two pre-tournament friendlies, but he was sent on at the start of the second half against Australia in a bid to rescue the game, and he may be thrown in from the start for this crucial clash with Paraguay.

Kerem Akturkoglu led the line last time out, but Deniz Gul could start up top at Levi's Stadium.

World Cup Odds

As for Paraguay, Ramon Sosa (ankle) and Gustavo Caballero (muscle) are doubtful; the former was sent on in the 79th minute against the USA, while the latter missed the match altogether.

Mauricio came on at the beginning of the second half for Damian Bobadilla and scored La Albirroja's only goal of the game, so he could earn a start here.

Turkey vs Paraguay Odds

Turkey are 1/1 to win, implying a 50% probability of success, with Paraguay 11/4, or a 26.7% chance, and the draw priced at 12/5.

Double Delight & Hat-trick Heaven: Get DOUBLE or TREBLE the odds if your winning First Goalscorer bet scores a second and third.

Player To Score From Outside The Box - Arda Guler (TUR) @ 13/2

At Euro 2024, Arda Guler marked his international tournament debut in style, scoring a spectacular, long-range goal in a 3-1 victory over Georgia to kick off the Crescent-Stars' group in style.

The Real Madrid playmaker has continued to showcase his abilities outside the box, notably bagging a brace in the second leg of his club side's UEFA Champions League semi-final tie with Bayern Munich in April, with both of his goals at the Allianz Arena struck from long distance.

Guler shot eight times against Australia in Turkey's opening group game last weekend, hitting the target three times. Six of his efforts were taken outside the box, with two forcing a save from Socceroos goalkeeper Patrick Beach.

The 21-year-old has had plenty of practice to perfect his long-range shots, and I'm backing him to deliver against Paraguay.

Player 3+ Shots (Sub Switch) - Diego Gomez (PAR) @ 13/5

Brighton midfielder Diego Gomez tried his luck four times against the USA last week, but to no avail as none of his four efforts even hit the target.

I don't expect the the 23-year-old to be too disheartened by his failure to fire against the Stars and Stripes, and instead, I think he'll be even more determined to help his country in their second group game.

Backing Gomez to shoot at least 3+ times has been a winning selection in his last three appearances, with the help of Sub Switch.

In Brighton's final match of the 2025/26 Premier League season against Manchester United, Gomez shot three times before being taken off for Solly March, who added another effort to the tally, and in Paraguay's 4-0 friendly success over Nicaragua earlier this month, the Seagulls star recorded one effort before being withdrawn at half-time for Ramon Sosa, who racked up four shots on his own.

Betfred's Sub Switch offer rolls your bet to the oncoming substitute, so you stay in the game, even when your player doesn’t.