A debut against St Mirren will be a baptism of fire for new St Johnstone midfielder, Jonathan Svedberg.
But Perth boss, Simo Valakari, believes the Swede has the experience to deal with it.
The 25-year-old, who was a top-flight regular for several seasons with Halmstads BK, hasn’t played since the end of the last campaign in his homeland.
Preparing Svedberg mentally has been as important as preparing him physically, given the nature of the examination you get in Paisley, according to Valakari.
“Jonathan is very tidy with the ball, with a range of passing,” he said.
“I’ve been talking to him about being ready for intensity, especially in this St Mirren game.
“That is the most intense team you can play at their home – they will come hard at you.
“He needs to have this intensity not just physically but in the head. They will come hard – and not just one time.
“When you think you are clear, they are still coming.
“St Mirren is as tricky as it gets to go straight in because they are the most intense team.
“We need to prepare him. He has played many games – he will be OK.”
Elliot Watt is also in contention to feature – the former Scotland under-21 international has plenty of game-time under his belt with Burton Albion.
Jack Sanders has left the club for MK Dons, while Benji Kimpioka isn’t in the match-day squad.
“The mood has been good this week,” said Valakari, who is seeking to make it three victories in a row for the first time this season.
“We need to win this match now on Saturday. It’s one game at a time – we need to go and do the right things again.
“We need to be spot-on, on top of our game to get something out of this match.”
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