Lira-laden Turks Istanbul Basaksehir are ready for Hearts - but Mesut Ozil and Nacer Chadli are out

When your domestic away games are Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Besiktas, 18,000 Scots at Tynecastle are unlikely to agitate you.

Istanbul Basaksehir arrived in Gorgie on Wednesday evening with big players on big money ready to soak up whatever intimidation might come their way. Their squad is among the strongest in Turkey’s Super Lig, with many earning £10,000, £15,000 and even £20,000 per week. Star man Mesut Ozil is reportedly on around £30,000, but he is back in Istanbul recovering from flu. Belgian international winger Nacer Chadli won’t play either after joining Westerlo on loan in his homeland.

The task for Hearts is still daunting but the Europa Conference League was always likely to throw up at least one opponent on a different level. Basaksehir are one of eight Istanbul teams in the Turkish top flight and wealthy club president Goksel Gumusdag is married to a niece of the country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Money and status isn’t everything in life but they certainly help when trying to attract the best footballers. Which is why Basaksehir – based in the north-west Istanbul suburb of that name and with home crowds of around 2,000 – carry a major threat. After winning the Super Lig title two years ago, they currently sit fourth in the table, haven’t lost a single domestic goal this season and are unbeaten in all competitions since March.

They trained at Tynecastle on Wednesday night and won’t be flustered by a hostile reception from locals come kick-off. “It will be crazy, passionate and hot. When I played I enjoyed these kind of games. Players need to think like that,” said coach Emre Belozoglu – a 101-cap former Turkish internationalist who played for Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid and Newcastle United among others.

“Scotland has good fans, we know this,” said forward Stefano Okaka. “I have been in Istanbul one year and we play against big teams with crazy crowds. We went to Antwerp and it was a crazy crowd. We are playing away but we will do our best to win.”

Emre intends to sit in the technical area despite facing a suspension for not holding the required UEFA Pro Licence. “I started the Pro Licence one week ago so I will be there,” he said. “We watched two or three Hearts games. They have different systems and change during the game. We have one big gameplan, we will try to keep the ball and dominate.

“We played six hard games before coming here so we are ready to win the game again. It's not an easy game for both but we want to finish in the top two in the group so we want to start well.

Istanbul Basaksehir coach Emre Belözoğlu arrives at Glasgow Airport before Thursday's tie with Hearts.

“Hearts lost five of the last six games. We are not losing, we are in good form, but each game is a new chapter. We try to continue like that and win every game. We are playing every three days so I will try to use five or six fresh players but it is not an easy game.

“I don't want to give you names but if you watch us in the last seven or eight games, every three days I change some names. We have the same system and a strong gameplan. I don't believe in rotation, I believe in my strongest team. I have 24 players at the same level and this is our most important game.”