St Johnstone’s Europa League plans were thrown into chaos last night as confusion reigned after the draw in Nyon. The Perth club were paired with Eskisehirspor – labelled the “unpronounceables” by boss Steve Lomas – in the second qualifying round.

But their name wasn’t the only thing that was difficult to understand as the identity of Saints’ opponents was then thrown into doubt. Eskisehirspor, who finished sixth in Turkey last term, only landed a place in Europe after Besiktas were booted out due to alleged financial irregularities.

But Besiktas have taken their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and if they win on July 5 it will change which club Saints face. To make matters even more confusing, it won’t be Besiktas who take the place of Eskisehirspor but Bursaspor instead.

Bursaspor – who won their own case with CAS last week after similar problems – finished fifth in the league last term behind Besiktas. So they will drop into the second qualifying round with Besiktas taking their place in the third round.

Confused? Don’t worry because even Saints chairman Steve Brown didn’t seem to know what was going on.

He was under the impression that his club could face THREE different Turkish clubs but that won’t happen because Besiktas would leap straight into the third qualifying round. And he revealed Saints would be playing away first on July 19 only for the club to later claim via their official Twitter account that these details have yet to be confirmed.

Brown said: “The only certainty right now is that we will be going to Turkey for the first time. But we’re told the opposition will hinge on a court case on July 5.

“It’s far from ideal for us and our fans who want to press on with travel arrangements.

“We have been told we could be playing Eskisehirspor, Bursaspor or Besiktas.

“We had been hoping for some clarification but the top UEFA officials are in Poland and Ukraine for the Euro Championships.

“There is a lack of clarity which is unfortunate. The first game is away on July 19 and the return is a week later so it doesn’t give us much time.”

If Saints do end up heading to Eskisehirspor’s Ataturk Stadium then Lomas will turn to former Rangers striker Kris Boyd for information.

Boyd, who is now at MLS side Portland Timbers, spent an unhappy six-month spell with the Turks last year.

And Lomas said: “Kris played with them recently so he might be a good guy to turn to. I will try to get prep work done.

“I can’t say their name so they are the unpronounceables to me at the minute. I will just call them the Turkish team.”

Saints haven’t played in Europe since losing 6-3 on aggregate to Monaco in 1999 and stopper Dave Mackay can’t wait to take on the Turks.

The 32-year-old said: “It’s a step into the unknown but it will be exciting for us. I went on holiday to Turkey in 2009 and it was scorching so we will have to cope with the heat.”

Meanwhile, Lomas hopes midfielder Chris Millar, 29, will sign a new deal after snubbing the club’s initial offer to look at options in Australia.

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