Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk is hopeful that striker Victor Osimhen will be back in action for the club’s UCL opener against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday.
The 26-year-old suffered an injury while on international duty in Nigeria’s 1-0 win over Rwanda in a World Cup qualifying match.
Osimhen clattered with a Rwanda defender, resulting in an injury that forced him to be replaced in the 35th minute of the encounter.
The forward subsequently missed the Super Eagles’ 1-1 draw at South Africa as their hopes of reaching next year’s tournament suffered a huge blow.
He was also unavailable for Galatasaray’s 2-0 win over Eyuspor on Saturday, but could make his return against Frankfurt in their 2025/26 UEFA Champions League opening match later this week.
The 2023 African footballer of the year joined in a €75 million permanent deal this summer after enjoying an impressive loan spell in the previous campaign.
He has netted twice in three league appearances this season and his return will be a huge boost for the Turkish champions.
Mauro Icardi and Yunus Akgun scored in the final 17 minutes of Saturday’s clash at Eyuspor, to make it five consecutive victories to the league season for Okan Buruk’s men.
Galatasaray travel to the Deutsche Bank Park on Thursday, as they begin their 2025/26 European season seeking a victory.
Will Osimhen play in Galatasaray’s UCL opener?
Speaking after the win over Eyuspor, Okan Buruk revealed that Osimhen had returned to training and could play a part against the Germans.
“Osimhen’s condition will be determined within a few days. We’re hopeful he’ll play”, Okan Buruk stated.
“We think he will, but of course, he’s in pain. We’ll see if he can tolerate that pain and play with it, we have a few days”, he added.
