Jason Kerr is “good to go” for St Johnstone’s Europa League clash with Galatasaray, according to manager Callum Davidson.
The captain, who scored Saints’ penalty goal in the 1-1 draw in Istanbul last week, is set to come back in for on-loan defender Hayden Muller as the Perth men seek to claim the scalp of the world-famous Turkish side.
What a moment for Jason Kerr 🌟 pic.twitter.com/WOujTeDHLh
— Not The Old Firm (@NotThe_OldFirm) August 6, 2021
An ankle injury caused Kerr to miss Sunday’s Premiership fixture Motherwell.
Victory will take Davidson’s men to the play-off round of the competition, where they would face Danish side Randers.
But even if they lose, they’ll have a shot at getting into the Conference League group stage.
A packed stadium with so much at stake will make for a game of “huge magnitude” for the cub double winners.
“I notice the buzz about the place,” said Davidson. “Everyone is working unbelievably hard behind the scenes to get ready.
“It’s a game of huge magnitude for St Johnstone.
“For a club like us, to be challenging against Galatasaray, who are probably one of the sort of powerhouses of Europe… It’s a big challenge, a huge game and I think we’re all looking forward to it.
“We’re delighted we managed to take them back to McDiarmid with a chance. They are all buzzing. I just need to calm them down a little bit!
“European nights, under the floodlights at McDiarmid with a full house – I think all St Johnstone players, fans, myself, coaches, the hierarchy, it’s what we want, what we want to remember.
“We need to make sure we play against a team, rather than play the occasion, and that we’re focused right. If we do the right things and try to perform to a high level, it gives us a small chance to get through.
“Galatasaray are undoubtedly the big favourites but it’s sometimes good being the underdog. The pressure is on the other team to go through.”
Goalkeeper decision
Galatasaray boss Fatih Terim has a decision to make regarding which goalkeeper replaces suspended Fernando Muslera, while Radamel Falcao won’t even be on the bench this time as the club pushes on with its effort to get the Colombian legend off the wage bill.
Davidson added: “I think a lot of people realise how good a result that (1-1) was. It is going to be so tough on Thursday night.
“A club like St Johnstone, who have 2,700 season tickets, compared to a team like Galatasaray, who have millions and millions of followers… If we manage to get any sort of result, that will be a phenomenal achievement for us.
“We know what we’ve got to do, and I just want to give the guys the freedom to go and play, express themselves, enjoy it, try and work on good shape and the work ethic we’ve had for a year, and you never know what happens.”
Craig Bryson and Charlie Gilmour remain unavailable, while on-loan Rangers man Glenn Middleton is ineligible.
