Why St Johnstone had to tone down training ahead of Galatasaray tie as belief high for Istanbul

After St Johnstone’s historic double-cup winning season, it is easy to believe that Callum Davidson may never be able to match or exceed the achievements of his first year as manager of the Perth club.

St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson at Edinburgh Airport on Wednesday as his team travelled to Istanbul for the first leg of their Europa League qualifying tie against Galatasaray. (Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group).

But if the progressive Davidson can steer his team into the group stage of the Europa League, it would be another truly stellar accomplishment for his CV.

Saints start that quest in the heat of Istanbul on Thursday evening when they face Turkish luminaries Galatasaray in the first leg of their third qualifying round tie.

While very much the underdogs, that’s just the way Davidson’s squad like it as they illustrated memorably in 2020-21 by placing the League and Scottish Cups in the McDiarmid Park boardroom.

Galatasaray were knocked out of the Europa League by Scottish opposition last season - Scott Arfield is pictured after scoring Rangers' first goal in their win over the Turkish side at Ibrox in October. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

There is a quiet air of confidence in the Saints’ party who flew out from Edinburgh on Wednesday for the assignment against opponents who have undergone major upheaval in personnel over the summer.

Galatasaray are very much a team in transition under veteran head coach Fatih Terim and suffered a chastening 7-2 aggregate defeat against PSV Eindhoven in the second qualifying round of the Champions League to drop into the Europa League.

Davidson is hoping St Johnstone can keep the tie very much alive for next week’s return in Perth to give them the chance to secure what would be a tough but winnable play-off round tie against Danish side Randers.

“This is a reward for everybody, fans included, for what we achieved last season,” said Davidson.

“For the players, especially the young ones, it will be a great football experience – playing one of the top teams in Europe, which you don’t get to do very often.

“What I will say is the lads performed brilliantly on the big occasions last season.

“I’ve got high demands of them and I expect no different from them in this one.

“We were probably slightly off our level in our first league game at Ross County on Saturday – the players know that – but I’m confident we’ll be back on it for this one.

“Galatasaray have got a few players coming in and out, so there is a bit of a turnover there.

“But whoever they put out against us, with the money they’re spending, it will be one of the top teams in Europe. That’s just the way it is.

“Our players are so enthusiastic about the game. I had to take training down a notch this week. Everyone was staying outside wanting to practice things.

“There is a level of excitement running through their veins at the moment, so it is down to me to ensure that they are ready and focused.

“Without a doubt, we have to believe we can cause a shock. We are the underdogs – but that was the same in the Scottish Cup Final and even more so in the quarter-final against Rangers at Ibrox.

“Belief is a big thing. The first priority is to still be in the tie when we go back to McDiarmid Park.”

While the away goals rule has been scrapped, Davidson won’t change his approach.

“Not really,” he said. “It would probably help us in the second leg if the tie is closer. My mindset will be to try and get a positive result in Turkey.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.