Eintracht Frankfurt manager Dino Toppmoller has emphasized that his side will stick to their game plan, regardless of whether Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen features in their clash on Thursday.
The German side host the Turkish champions in their 2025/26 UEFA Champions League opener at the Deutsche Bank Park on Thursday night, with eyes on getting their campaign off to a great start.
Galatasaray’s hitman Victor Osimhen returned to training ahead of the fixture and was previously expected to participate in the clash, but did not travel with the Lions’ squad to Germany.
The striker suffered the injury while on international duty in Nigeria’s 1-0 win over Rwanda earlier this month.
He clattered with an opposition defender and had to be substituted in the 35th minute of the clash, ruling him out of the Super Eagles 1-1 draw with South Africa few days later.
Osimhen also missed his club’s 2-0 win over Eyuspor last weekend and will play no part against Frankfurt on Thursday.
The 26-year-old’s absence leaves a huge void for Galatasaray to fill, given his prolific goalscoring record and ‘big-game’ mentality.
The 2023 African footballer of the year award winner played an instrumental role in the club’s domestic double success last season and will be expected to return to action as soon as possible, as the season progresses.
Everything Dino Toppmoller said about Victor Osimhen
During his prematch press conference, Dino Toppmoller acknowledged Osimhen’s quality and expects top-notch performance from the visitors despite the absence of their talisman.
“He’s an absolutely exceptional striker in Europe. His replacement, Mauro Icardi, has also proven he can score goals.
In the end, it doesn’t matter who plays up front. Of course, the way he plays makes a difference, because Osimhen attacks more from deep”, Toppmoller said.
“Whether he plays or not is irrelevant to us. Both teams will have eleven top players on the pitch tomorrow.”
