Ange Postecoglou says his young squad will not fear playing in front of one of the most hostile crowds in world football, with RAMS Park holding the world record for the loudest football stadium in the world, having reached 133.4 decibels in 2023.
"No. I’m sure that they’re all looking forward to it... We’re looking forward to it. It’s a fantastic stadium, the supporters create an unbelievable atmosphere here, they love the big European nights.
"They’re a very, very good team. It’s exactly the kind of games you want to be involved in in Europe, whether you’re young, you’re old, irrespective of the role you have, you look forward to it."
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Team news
Ange Postecoglou names four casualties from Sunday's 4-1 victory at home to Aston Villa.
Cristian Romero, who limped off in the 62nd minute, is suffering from a toe injury, whilst Richarlison, who pulled up as he made the assist for Dominic Solanke's second goal, has injured his hamstring.
Postecoglou: "Richy, with his hamstring, he’ll be out for a little while. We’re still getting the final information but he’ll be out for a little while."
Elsewhere, the Australian confirmed Timo Werner and Mikey Moore haven't travelled with the squad, as they are suffering from a groin issue and a virus, respectively. Micky van de Ven and Wilson Odobert (both hamstring) remain sidelined, and Djed Spence is not part of the UEFA Europa League squad.
Youngsters Will Lankshear, Dante Cassanova, Callum Olusesi and 16-year-old Luca Williams-Barnett were all part of the travelling party.
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Facing old foes
Spurs will recognise a familiar face in the Galatasaray lineup on Thursday evening, with former defender Davinson Sanchez plying his trade for the Turkish giants.
The defender represented The Lilywhites on 207 occasions, between 2017 and 2023, and was at the club when Postecoglou joined, however, he made just two appearances under the Australian Head Coach before he departed for Turkey.
He had a sour final year in North London, having been booed off by his own fans during a 3-2 loss against Bournemouth, with plenty of blame shifted onto Sanchez after he saw his penalty saved during a Carabao Cup loss at Fulham, in his final appearance in a Spurs shirt.
Postecoglou, though, is excited at the prospect of reuniting with the Colombian.
"Yeah, Davinson Sanchez, it'll be good to see him again. He was at the club when I first arrived. Very good professional, always trying very hard. Good guy and looking forward to seeing him tomorrow."
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Galatasaray's stars are threats
The 24-time Turkish champions are not to be underestimated, and will most likely be the toughest test Tottenham will face in their eight-game League Phase campaign.
In the summer, Victor Osimhen made the switch from Naples to Cimbom Asian and has scored four goals in seven games so far, including two assists in this competition. Alongside the Nigerian up front is Mauro Icardi, who has a history against Spurs in European competitions.
The Argentinian scored two late goals for Inter Milan in the first game of The Lilywhites' historic UEFA Champions League run during the 2018/19 season, which saw them reach the final, something Ange Postecoglou will be hoping to do, and go one step further, in Europe's second-tier competition.
The Australian is wary of the threat which the Turkish side poses.
"As I said very good team, very good individual players but that's what you expect when you play against a top European side. We play in the Premier League so we are playing top opponents every week so we understand what that is about and top individual players, but it's a good test for us tomorrow."
Aside from these two stars, they have plenty of other weapons to unleash on Thursday night, with Lucas Torreira, formerly of arch-rivals Arsenal, Dries Mertens and former Chelsea attackers Hakim Ziyech and Michy Batshuayi all on their books.
The former Celtic boss acknowledged the strength they possess when quizzed on it during his pre-match press conference in Istanbul on Wednesday evening.
"They definitely have a lot of threat in the front third. As I said, their attacking players are very, very good individually. They're a strong team physically, so we're going have to match the attacking threats they have with the way we play."
