Ayhan Akman retired from his professional football career on 13 May 2012, at the age of 35, after winning his fourth and final Süper Lig title with Galatasaray in the previous season. Additionally, the club did not seek to extend the contracts of some players, including
Servet Çetin and
Aykut Erçetin, and they therefore became free agents. Galatasaray began the season by commencing their Süper Lig campaign on 4 July 2012, in which they were aiming for a nineteenth league title. Between 6 and 15 July, Galatasaray preceded the rest of their 2012–13 campaign with an Austrian tour. The tour began with matches against two Austrian teams. ==Players==