Turkish football giants Galatasaray were knocked out of Champions League qualifying rounds by Dutch club PSV Eindhoven 7-2 on aggregate. Now, manager Fatih Terim takes the team into the Europa League third qualifying round against Scotland’s St. Johnstone.
Galatasaray vs St. Johnstone Match Preview
Galatasaray are favourite to win the tie thanks to their name and the quality on offer to Terim. However, St. Johnstone won a cup double in Scotland last season and are aiming to upset the applecart.
Manager Callum Davidson has done well at the helm of St. Johnstone. He took charge of the club ahead of last season. Davidson’s stock is surely on the rise following the club’s cup double in 2020-21 and the club could struggle to keep ahold of the 45-year-old.
Galatasaray will be allowed fans into the stands for the Europa League game. They had just over 5,000 people in the stadium against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League second qualifying round.
The fans didn’t make much of a difference as PSV Eindhoven won 2-1. The Yellow and Red lost the first leg of the Champions League second qualifying round in Eindhoven 5-1.
St. Johnstone’s quality is not on par with PSV Eindhoven. They will put up a fight, but Galatasaray will fancy their chances of defeating the Scottish team.
Galatasaray vs St. Johnstone Betting Odds
Leading sportsbooks have Galatasaray as heavy favourite to win the game on Thursday night at home. The Yellow and Red are at best betting odds of 17/50. The Turkish giants have not started the Super League. They won’t begin play on the domestic front until 16 August.
Their lack of match fitness, focus, and sharpness could lead St. Johnstone to a famous win – or draw – in Istanbul. St. Johnstone kicked off the Scottish Premiership season last weekend with a nil-nil draw. Despite the scoreless draw, St. Johnstone’s squad will be satisfied with the hard-fought point ahead of the famous tie with Galatasaray in Istanbul.
St. Johnstone’s best betting odds to win the match against Galatasaray are 35/4. The Saints are heavy underdogs despite winning two cup trophies in Scotland last season. The teams’ best betting odds for a draw at full-time are 17/4. Galatasaray lost both matches against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League second qualifying round. They must be much better against St. Johnstone to seal progression to the next round.
The winner of the Europa League third qualifying round tie between Galatasaray and St. Johnstone will play Denmark’s Randers in the playoff round on 19 August and 26 August.
Galatasaray vs St. Johnstone Team News
Despite drawing nil-nil against Ross County at the weekend, St. Johnstone were the better team. They conceded four shots with zero hitting the target and 44% possession to Ross County. Obviously, the competition will be stepped up on Thursday night in the Europa League. St. Johnstone tallied 10 shots with two on target versus Ross County.
Davidson has brought in three players thus far to strengthen the squad. Hayden Muller and James Brown arrived from Millwall while Reece Devine joined on loan from Manchester United. Only Devine played at the weekend versus Ross County. He started and played the full 90 minutes as a left wing-back.
Galatasaray’s goals against PSV Eindhoven were scored by Emre Kilinc and Mbaye Diagne. Diagne came back from a loan at West Brom last season and could get an opportunity to play at Galatasaray this term.
The team has seen a lot of player turnover with the most significant signing possibly being ex-Crystal Palace full-back Patrick van Aanholt. The full-back could start against St. Johnstone after missing the tie versus PSV Eindhoven. Full-back DeAndre Yedlin could return to the team from injury to play in the game on Thursday night.
Galatasaray vs St. Johnstone H2H
It goes without saying that Galatasaray and St. Johnstone have never played previously. It is a landmark match between the two teams and one that St. Johnstone will relish. The Saints drew versus Ross County last weekend in the Scottish Premiership.
They will have a similar amount of fitness as Galatasaray, who have played twice already this term. The Yellow and Red played in the Champions League second qualifying round versus PSV Eindhoven, losing 7-2 on aggregate.
Galatasaray vs St. Johnstone Prediction
Both teams to score: YES @ 6/5 - BET NOW
St. Johnstone’s attack has to score this week away to give the team any hope of qualifying for the playoff round of the Europa League. The Saints may have failed to score against Ross County, but against a poor defence team, our betting tips experts believe Davidson’s team can get on the scoresheet. St. Johnstone won two cups last season in Scotland and will be difficult to defeat. Galatasaray’s two Champions League qualifying matches ended with both teams scoring.
Ryan Babel to score anytime @ 15/8 - BET NOW
Thirty-four-year-old forward Ryan Babel is yet to score this season in two matches for Galatasaray. He compiled 105 minutes in the Champions League qualifying rounds and could be in the starting XI on Thursday versus St. Johnstone. Since arriving at Galatasaray, Babel has scored 13 goals in 59 matches. He will be a key part to the Yellow and Red’s attack this term.
Over 2.5 goals scored @ 4/5 - BET NOW
Galatasaray’s two Champions League qualifying stage matches finished with over 2.5 goals scored. These teams could combine for more than 2.5 goals this week in the Europa League third qualifying round first leg according to our betting tips experts. Galatasaray’s defence was ravaged by PSV Eindhoven in the first leg of their Champions League qualifying tie.
Of course, St. Johnstone won’t plunder the Turkish team’s defence to the same extent, but they could certainly get a goal or two. Galatasaray have high-quality attackers including Ryan Babel and Radamel Falcao. The two attackers could certainly get the better of St. Johnstone’s defence. The game on Thursday night should be close with Galatasaray edging St. Johnstone in the first leg of the Europa League third qualifying round.
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